Rooted in Christ
A Note from Our CEO
When I was very young, my father had a favorite pear tree in the backyard of our home. He and my mother always had bird feeders around our house to attract birds. One of the largest of the bird feeders hung on the lower branches of the pear tree. If you have ever had a bird feeder, you know that birds are not very neat eaters. The seeds from the bird feeder would be scattered all around the ground beneath the feeder. I was blessed to grow up in an area that had very mild winters, but we still enjoyed all the birds arriving in the spring. One of my chores was helping my mother replenish the bird feeders every morning. In the spring, we had to increase the amount of birdseed.
I remember one summer being fascinated that a plant was growing near the pear tree in my backyard. This plant grew very fast and very tall. By early summer, it seemed to me the plant was “Jack and the Beanstalk” tall. By mid-summer, a huge sunflower was blossoming right outside my bedroom window. I thanked my mom for planting this sunflower for me. She laughed and explained that the sunflower was planted by the messy birds that threw their seed onto the ground in their rush to eat all the seeds in the bird feeder. This particular sunflower seed just happened to find its way into fertile soil and took root and grew to be probably almost six feet tall.
I was amazed. How could such a pretty and strong plant grow from seed that was accidentally scattered?
At your Baptist Children’s Homes, we are in the ministry of planting seeds. We seek to be so generous with the overflowing grace of God, that this grace gets scattered over every child we serve. Sometimes our sowing is deliberate. Other times, the seed is scattered like birdseed out of a feeder, and we hope it finds fertile soil. We do all we can to soften the hearts of the children from hard places who are in our care so that the seeds of the steadfast love of God might find a place to take root and grow.
We “till their heart soil” by being kind and consistent. We strive to make sure the kids see the fruit of the spirit in their house parents, foster parents, social workers, and counselors. We sing to them and read to them and tell them the story of Jesus. Sometimes, we actually get to help harvest the fruit that the planting of God’s Word has had on their lives. Many times, we trust that God has prepared other workers to bring the harvest of the seeds we have planted.
We are so thankful for supporters like you who desire to see every child in our care become rooted in Christ. Your prayers are our fertilizer that cultivates growth. Your generosity encourages us to continue planting, even when we do not see any fruit. I hope you will enjoy meeting some of our planters and a living example of the growth unto harvest of the seeds you helped us plant! God bless you!