I made my way to the back of the room where our communion tables are always set up. After navigating the minefield of sharing the Lord's Supper with a three-year-old, I grabbed a name from the table, meandered around a bit, grabbed another, and headed back to our seats.
I looked down at the slips of paper in my hand.
The last names matched.
I buried my face in the boy on my lap and prayed for these girls who may very well be sisters. I prayed for their strength, for their safety, for their future, and for their mom, in whose grief we've all cloaked ourselves over these past weeks. On Mother's Day, I was overwhelmed by what it means to share in the responsibility of motherhood--that their girls are our girls.
We've been going through what I half-jokingly call the "impostor phase" of adoption. Kinder people call it the preliminary phase. We're taking a weekly class on adoptive/foster parenting, and we're the only ones in the class who lack--you know-- actual adopted or fostered kids. I've been peppering with questions anyone who has adopted kids and is a friend of a friend of a friend and will answer me. Between Google, emails, Facebook stalking, some informational meetings, and a few phone calls, I'm confident we've discovered every last outlet for adoption (or support thereof) in the state. I'm all up in it, you guys. I've got statistics and solutions coming out my nose. I can head-tilt nod sympathetically when someone says the words "Reactive Attachment Disorder." I'm diagnosing my friends' adopted kids. My next tattoo is just going to be Karyn Purvis's face.
Get the picture? And yet here we are, with nothing but a couple of bio kids and a looming 30-page pre-application to a private agency, sort of just wandering aimlessly at the moment. It's kind of like window shopping. For orphans.
Get the picture? And yet here we are, with nothing but a couple of bio kids and a looming 30-page pre-application to a private agency, sort of just wandering aimlessly at the moment. It's kind of like window shopping. For orphans.
But something's happening. The more I immerse myself in the fostering and adoptive community, the more I learn (Duh. I know. Stick with me.). The more I learn, the more I know about the people and the needs of this community. And the more I know about these people and their needs, the more passionate I become about helping. If we had been through the same exact process and yet had zero intention of adopting, I'm confident I still would come out fighting for the well-being of these kids. Because, as I'm sure we can all agree, some hills are universally worth dying on. (Someone smart I know said this once.)
What I've learned over the past few months is this: You don't have to pursue foster care or adoption to be passionate about the subject. You aren't a faker if you want to learn everything there is to know about orphans across the globe for the simple reason that you just want to know. But with great power comes great responsibility. (Someone else said that.) Fortunately, there are endless ways we can care for orphans. Here are a few of my personal favorites:
Compassion International. We've sponsored kids through Compassion for years. If you visit their homepage, you'll find a million ways to help kids in crisis.
The CALL of Saline/Perry Counties. Two words: Underwear. Backpacks. The CALL is a foster care training and support nonprofit organization in Arkansas. One of their missions is a foster care closet in our area (where families can come gather supplies for free), and they are always in desperate need of new kids' undergarments and bags. There are several CALL branches across the state, and this is the one with which we've become most acquainted due to proximity to our house and because of a particular group home in the area that has captured our hearts. Speaking of which......
The Second Chance Youth Ranch. The Second Chance Ranch is a youth home for kids in the foster system and we love them and there's always something on their wish list and this is just a GREAT place.
Thrive Ministry of Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock. These are the precious people who dream of a network that transcends denominations, and they are the ones who have welcomed us despite the fact that we are adopted kid-challenged. In fact, their website says: "Thrive Foster/Adoption groups provide discipleship for those who care about the orphan. These groups are composed of those who are actually fostering or have adopted and for those who have a heart to help." Enough said. For more information about upcoming events and ways to get involved, email care@fellowshiponline.com.
Lucie's Place. Friends, I hand you this one with a fragile heart and gently invite you to expand your definition of the word "orphan." I'll best describe it by quoting their website:
In response to the disproportionate and overwhelming population of homeless LGBTQ young adults in Central Arkansas, the mission of Lucie's Place is to establish a transitional living program for homeless LGBTQ young adults, ages 18 to 25. The goal is to provide a safe home in which these young adults can find their footing while developing skills necessary for independent living.
In response to the disproportionate and overwhelming population of homeless LGBTQ young adults in Central Arkansas, the mission of Lucie's Place is to establish a transitional living program for homeless LGBTQ young adults, ages 18 to 25. The goal is to provide a safe home in which these young adults can find their footing while developing skills necessary for independent living.
Translation: A lot of kids get kicked out of their homes by parents who disapprove of their lifestyle, and then are subsequently turned away from the majority of homeless shelters (Did you know that most shelters in Little Rock are run by religious organizations?) for the same reason, leaving them with no place to go at a time when they are most vulnerable. Lucie's Place plans to open its doors later this year, but has plenty of hurdles to overcome and lots of immediate needs. This place has embedded itself in my soul, and I'm convinced Jesus is here. We may have different thoughts about homosexuality--surely we can agree that homelessness among youth in our own city is a problem that demands our humble attention.
May is National Foster Care Month. It's a time to remember the voiceless. It's a good month to remember the kids who need an advocate. And as surely as those girls are our girls, these kids who lack a home, who struggle for basic necessities, whose lives could be drastically improved by a small act on our part--these kids are our kids.
Our church is pretty small. It took all of us, together, to get it done. But Sunday morning, a hundred tiny cries joined together--and in that moment every one of our girls was remembered by name before God. From the other side of the world. Not by their parents......only by people who are willing to take up a cause, a little at a time, so injustice doesn't get the last word.
May is National Foster Care Month. It's a time to remember the voiceless. It's a good month to remember the kids who need an advocate. And as surely as those girls are our girls, these kids who lack a home, who struggle for basic necessities, whose lives could be drastically improved by a small act on our part--these kids are our kids.
Our church is pretty small. It took all of us, together, to get it done. But Sunday morning, a hundred tiny cries joined together--and in that moment every one of our girls was remembered by name before God. From the other side of the world. Not by their parents......only by people who are willing to take up a cause, a little at a time, so injustice doesn't get the last word.
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