You CAN make a difference!

I have a hero. I don't know her name, but I chat with her frequently. She is just another mom who picks up children at the local elementary school. Two of her children are special needs, and she has to be there when school is released to get a daily report. Her other children are much the same as mine, laughing and bouncing as they arrive to tell Mom all about their day at school. Three of her children are adopted, all from foster care she provided. I admire her desire to make a difference in the lives of a few children, her willingness to sacrifice normal for something better.

May is National Foster Care Month. Click on the picture below to find out more about how you can make a difference!



There are 513,000 children in foster care in the United States. Here are the most recent stats I could find on foster care in my state.

• As of 2003, there were 6,079 children in the foster care system.
• 25% were under the age of 5.
• 52% were between the ages of 11 and 18.
• The average length of stay for these children is 34 months. 34 MONTHS.
• Over half of these children are not reunified with their birth families.

Imagine being a toddler or elementary school age child and spending three years without a family of your own. Now imagine being a teenager and doing that. Adolescence is hard enough with a family to support and guide you.

Think about spending your formative years in a group home and then trying to be a spouse or a parent, maintaining a home and having had no one to learn how to do these things from. How do you know how to be a mom or dad, a husband or wife? Where have you learned how to solve problems and work through disagreements? Who has shared Christ with you? Prayed for you? Disciplined you? Felt joy in your successes and sadness in your times of disappointment?

Scripture tells us that pure and undefiled religion is caring for orphans and widows in their times of need. How are we doing that?