The Road to Home
“For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told (Habakkuk 1:5b NIV).”
Bobbi Olson, ABCH Social Worker in Montgomery, feels this verse perfectly sums up the lives of two little boys who transitioned from our care in 2017, after several years of being in foster care. Separated from their siblings when they first came to us, they were scared, uncertain, and in need of hope.
Bobbi says, “As believers, we find that Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, gives us hope and certainty. Foster care . . . is engulfed in hurt and loss, but also restoration and redemption, especially when children gain stability and permanence. It is the Gospel in action.”
For two brothers this year, Jaxon* and Luke*, years of instability came to an end. Because of mitigating circumstances that prevented them from being reunified with their parents, their stay in foster care was longer than expected. Month after month passed, and they longed to go home to their family, or to even just find a place to call home.
Despite all the heartache and struggles they’ve endured over the last couple of years, Jaxon and Luke learned something in this season that many of us struggle to grasp—they learned what it was like to live out the faith of a child and to see God provide.
Bobbi says, “At a family visit not too long ago, the oldest was so excited as he exclaimed, ‘I just know I’ll be home for Christmas this year!’ Our hearts were broken for him, as it seemed that it just would not be so . . .” But then, how often have we seen God choose to work things out in ways that defy our logic?
Through many amazing efforts and the dedication of the children’s previous and current foster families, combined with the faith of a mustard seed, much time, effort, and prayer, God worked in His own way and time to provide these precious boys permanency with relatives, just days before Christmas!
“After years of being transient and unsettled, and after an extended time in foster care, their transition to permanence was their faith come to fruition. These two boys found a place to call home. Even more importantly, they learned that their heavenly father hears their cries, rewards their faith, and meets them in their time of need,” says Bobbi. She adds, “Looking back, you could not have convinced anyone involved in this situation that this part of their story would end this way. Most, if not all, would have said it was not possible. But isn’t that the God we serve? He takes the impossible and makes it possible for His Glory.”
Throughout the ministry this year, we were privileged to see a total of 85 reunifications to parents or family members across the state! These 85 children, plus 34 who were adopted, all found a place to call home in 2018. Please continue to pray for peace and permanence for the children and families in our care.
*Names and photo have been changed to protect identities