We've all heard that "it takes a village to raise a child." And, that may never be more true than when that child is involved in the foster care system. These children come with unique backgrounds and needs that make caring for them a large task. A foster family, in addition to the responsibilities involved in caring for any child, must also meet with case-workers, make visits to biological families, attend court on behalf of the child, and more.
Many friends of Spero have been and still are families that have welcomed foster children into their home. We've been in awe of the joys, the spiritual growth, and the life-change that mark these families. But, we've also been made keenly aware of the struggles involved.
So, here's our challenge: if you're in the village of a family with a foster child, act like the village!
Offer help and support to those ministering to children in need. Becoming an adoptive or foster family isn't what the Lord is calling everyone to do, but caring for orphans is a Biblical mandate that none of us can ignore. So, take a look around: your neighborhood, your small group, your church…is there someone in your 'village' that's serving in this way? Care for orphans by caring for them!
The next few posts will help you know some ways you can support them. We Americans aren't always great at asking for help, so Spero is going to ask for them! We've polled our friends and have come up with some simple ways to help.
Simple Idea for Serving #1:Grocery Shopping
Do we even need to explain why grocery shopping with a bunch of kids is hard?!?! Simply offer to take on this task for a family--all they have to do is make the list. To make this work well, you need to consider if you can afford to buy the groceries for them. No worries if not! But, it would be helpful to identify this clearly up front. If you don't, the family may be worried about asking for too much.
Our suggestion: write a simple note so you don't forget to mention or clarify this point. Maybe something like this:
"Because we love you and what you're doing for our community, we want to support you! So, we'd love to offer our time and energy to give you a little time and energy back for your family. Simply write out your grocery list (be sure to include amounts, please), leave me your debit card or cash, and I'll shop for you and stock your shelves when I get back."
OR
"Because we love you and what you're doing for our community, we want to support you! We've set aside $150 to shop for groceries for your family. Simply write a list in order of most to least important and we'll pick up all we can! Then, we'll bring it to you and stock your shelves."
Stay tuned for more ideas!
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