Blown Away By My Lord

I have written the title for this post and have just been sitting, thinking, struggling to know where to start.  So let me start with His Provision for us in Safe Families.  We started the year with 3 approved Safe Families in Jefferson County and now, just 12 weeks later we have 7 families with at least 2 more who are very interested.   Four of those families are in our church and it has truly blessed me to see 5 different children being taken care of, just in the last month alone.

I have seen the Church step up and help each other as these families have had different needs as they minister to the kids.  We have even been told that our Church wants to hold a baby shower for Safe Families!!!!

I have seen His provision in the amount of clothes we now have to give to children who come with nothing but the clothes on their back.

He has provided backpacks for each child, which include a new toy, blanket, underwear, hygiene items and more.

The Lord has provided a Family Coach, who will work alongside the birth parents to help them navigate their way through the crisis they are experiencing.

I have seen relationships building between host families and birth parents.

I have seen Christ in my Church family - and I don't have the words to say how much this has blessed me.

And the Lord isn't done yet as He continues to open doors.   One of the items we discussed in our Steering Committee meetings was when we should make our services open to those in Jefferson County (right now we are serving the overflow of St Louis) ?  Well, the Lord has made that decision for us and it maybe sooner than I think we are ready for - but the Lord knows best. - right?   I won't go into all the details of how this has come about  but, there is a lady in Jefferson County Social Services Children's Division, who has heard about Safe Families for Children and is excited.  Excited because she sees the vision, and how Safe Families can help others, who would otherwise have their children taken into state care. So excited, that she has arranged a meeting for this Thursday evening where she has invited all 187 churches in our County, all the Children's Division contract agencies, juvenile officers and others to hear about Safe Families and how we as a Church can help meet the needs of our community.

I am excited about this opportunity, but also nervous.  It will be my job to present Safe Families to this group and while I know not all 187 churches will be represented I am hoping, and praying that many will.

Tomorrow I also have the opportunity to present Safe Families to the Baptist Churches in our County.  That one doesn't scare me quite as much, but I have to admit it still does bring a little anxiety.

What a week this will be.  I am anticipating the Lord will do incredible things.  Please pray with me.

• That the Lord will stir the hearts of many Pastor/Church leaders/Social Workers to attend these meetings
• That He will give me the time and ability to prepare well and clarity as I speak
• That hearts will be stirred and many churches will respond to the opportunity to serve those in our Community and we will be able to approve MANY more Safe Homes and Family Coaches.
• That the Child welfare agencies at the meeting will see the value of Safe Families and be willing to use our services.
• That the Lord will protect the hosting families, the children they serve and continue to provide for their needs
• That opportunities will be given where the host families can share Christ with the children and the birth parents - so that lives will be changed for eternity.
• Finally, to thank the Lord for all He has done so far. 

 May our service to the community continue because of our love for Him.

Thank you

Michelle

I Know God's Way is Perfect but ...

...  I just wish I could take that knowledge from my head and have it embedded in my heart.

Yesterday was a wonderful day, I went with a friend to pick up 7 week old twins which her family are taking care of for a couple of weeks while their birth mother recovers.  We are both grateful to Gary and Melissa's Mom for taking turns in caring for our children while Melissa and I ran around St Louis, picked up the twins, went out for lunch and took them to their Dr's appointment.  It was a great day with a good friend.

But this week I have been struggling with what the Lord is doing with me.  As I have written before  we (as a family) long to open our home to children in need, but are unable to do so because of the place we live.  So the Lord has placed on my heart the desire to recruit other families to help meet the need of families in crisis.  We now have a few families in Jefferson County who are licensed and 4 others in various stages of the application process.  He is also expanding my role as we are looking to open up a hub of Safe Families For Children here in Jefferson County and I have become part of the steering committee to make that happen.

The problem is I don't want that role.  I don't want a position of leadership, I don't want to be spending all this time reading the training manuals, I don't want to make phone calls, I don't want to have to go to meeting after meeting and be part of the decision making process.  I just want to take care of children.  I am not a leader.  I am a mother.

So yesterday morning I started to complain to the Lord about all of this.  And in His Goodness, He dealt so gently with me.  I was writing out Psalm 18:30 which begins:

This God - His way is perfect

and I knew He was speaking to me.  This isn't the path I would have chosen, or necessarily want but His way is perfect and I have to believe that.  As I said at the beginning of this post, it's easy to know in my head but harder to know it in my heart.

God is equipping me for the journey He has me on.  He is giving me many ideas of people to contact regarding Safe Families and even giving me a passion to see this expand in our community.  But it doesn't mean I'm not struggling anymore. Even as  I write this I have to wipe the tears from my face knowing it is not my place (at least not for now) to love on these little ones in need - maybe one day the Lord will allow me to.  Until then I keep working on being obedient and trusting Him and His perfect ways.

Michelle