My Lenten Journey - Day 10

March 14, 2014

Wow.  What a powerful day.  Yesterday a friend of mine sent me a thirteen minute video called "reMoved" which tells the story of what it's like to be a foster child from the eyes of a 9 year old girl.  My friend and I are a part of an advocacy team which tries to be a resource to our faith communities when it comes to people interested in mentoring, adopting or just overall helping foster kids.  My passion for this has come from knowing what my husband has been through as a foster kid and how good foster parents can change the course of a kids life forever.

This video was powerful.  It moved me deeply.  As I watched it I thought of my husband and his siblings and wondered if this is all the emotions they went through.  My heart broke at the realism it showed me.  Many of the things the girl said (she was the narrator) were things my husband has spoken about.  This video moved me deeply.  So, I asked my friend to post it on our Advocacy Facebook page and my Facebook timeline as I"m fasting Facebook for lent.

Earlier today one of my vendors who makes banners for me stopped by to get a file from me to put on his thumbdrive.  I tried emailing this file several times and he never got it.  It was very strange.  So, he made arrangements to come in person to have me copy it directly.  There was no logical explanation why this file wouldn't come through on his email.

He arrives a bit frazzled.  You could tell he was out there in the world facing traffic and the rat race.  After I transferred the file I just simply asked him, "How are you doing?  What's new in your world?"  He looked at me as if he wasn't sure I really was interested and could tell I really was (see this is the part of my job I absolutely LOVE).  He told me that him and his wife have recently become foster parents to their 13 year old grandson.  He told me his 13 year old's story of his dad being addicted to drugs and alcohol and how this kid just ran loose into the world and who knew how long he had being running wild.  The mother was no where to be found.  This boy's name is David (name changed to protect identity).  David had two younger siblings that were taken out of the home and put into another grandparents home.  They were separated.  The more Dale told me about David's life and situation I felt like I was listening to my husbands story (who was put into foster care at age 13).  But Dale wasn't telling me the story to empathize with David, he was telling me the story in the hopes I would empathize with him.  See, this boy was out of control.  He was irrational, irratic, prone to fits and tantrums, foul mouthed and arrogant.  As I listened to Dale, I realized he was at his wits end and so was his wife.  He was tired of seeing his wife cry.  David made her cry.  This is when I knew Dale had to watch this video my friend sent me yesterday.  This video was meant for him.  I asked him if he had a few minutes and I turned my monitor around to him and started it.  I went around from behind my desk and sat next to him.  He cried. He got choked up.  See...Dale hadn't look at David's life from David's perspective.

When the video was over, I asked Dale why he thought God put David in their life?  He started to tell me a  faith story and was crying throughout.  He had been angry at God for not answering a prayer for healing his first wife.  He went on to tell me how his faith was renewed when he met his second wife.  David is his second wife's grandson.  We talked about some practical ways for him to strengthen his relationship with David and to try not to rationalize with him when he's angry and out of control.  We talked about boundaries.  Then I asked Dale if him and his wife would like to meet with my husband.  See, my husband has been that 13 year old boy and knows what helped him and what didn't.  He would give him even more of perspective than I could.  I"m so thankful my husband embraces his past in order to help people.  I'm so thankful I could tell them to talk to him with confidence knowing my husband wouldn't mind.  I'm so thankful my friend sent me that video.  It was the perfect video for Dale.

God knew Dale would be in my office today.  He knew I needed the video and my friend felt compelled to share it with me in an email (which she has never done before).  God has control.  He knows who needs who.  It wasn't an accident that the file wouldn't email and it forced Dale to come in person.  Dale and I chatted for 2 hours.  Two hours that may change the course of Dale's life and most definitely David's life.  I take no credit.  This is the holy spirit moving in my life and I give all praise to God for this opportunity to be used by Him to help this family.

Here is the video if anyone is interested in watching:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOeQUwdAjE0&feature=youtu.be

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Dear God, I humbly thank you for the opportunity to serve you today with Dale.  I pray you continue to trust me that I will look for your answers and your will in everything that I do.  I pray for Dale and his family that you show and guide him in Your ways.  That this family can be restored to it's entirety.  That they know your love never fails and they know they can (with your help) also provide unfailing love to this foster boy.  Give them strength to seek you out and not be distracted with selfish desires or lose hope that you won't give them the grace to know how to love this broken boy.  I pray for grace to fall on them and for supernatural knowing to come over them to set aside their personal feelings and look up at you to see what you want them to do.  I pray all this in Jesus' name, amen.