Yep. We do it every day. Well, every weekday.
On our way to daycare each morning we pray for our day. Also on our way to daycare we pass McDonald’s. So every day when it’s time to pray, without fail I hear from the way back seat, “don’t forget to pray for Mitchdonald’s!” So that is what I do. I hope those people know they are covered in prayer!
We pray a lot around here. Every bump, bruise and stuffed animal is covered in prayer. And bigger things, like do we say yes to a new child? Some days I have crazy ideas, like, let’s move to a bigger house so we can say yes when they call. Fortunately, we take things to the Lord in prayer before we make major decisions.
Last week when I had that wild hair to make a move, I spent some time asking God, what are you looking for from us? What does it look like to stay in a place of “yes” when we want to do more but we are limited by many things. We’ve bought land and hope to build a bigger home, but these things take time… and money. Our heart is to allow sibling groups to stay together, but our current place doesn’t give us any room to do such things.
I’ve moved beds, rearranged rooms, thought and thought about ways to make our little space bigger… and it just isn’t happening. But we got a call that same day to take in a child, 12 yrs old who does not hear. They asked if I know sign language, I said no, but I know someone who does! So we said yes to an emergency placement that should last 1-2 days. Five days later, our hearts hurt as we said goodbye and she was placed in a new home. In the midst of the chaos I see God’s grace towards me.
I realized in these five days that God was graciously answering my question… what are you asking of me? What he is asking is for us to love these 3 girls with everything we have, being sensitive to the needs around us but focused on this mission…. love well. I realized when I briefly had a teenager that this is beyond my current capacity… there’s no summer daycare, there’s not much to keep her busy, there’s a limit to what I can do and how we can stretch during this season. I’m not trying to make excuses, I’m trying to accept our reality. I asked and God said, just wait.
Sometimes, even when we have the best intentions and our heart is all the way behind it, God still says wait. Consider what other ways you can support, but for this season be sensitive to what God has called you to. Friends, I cannot adequately convey the huge need that surrounds us related to orphan care. There are countless things that can be done, just ask God what He wants from you. If you are faithful to ask, he is faithful to answer.
Want to know some practical things? Have a heart for orphans but don’t know where to jump in? Support those that are in the trenches. See how you can bless your local department of case-workers or DCF workers. They are neck-deep in drama every day. Set up meals for foster families, I assure you they can use the help. Coffee. We all live on coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Gift cards for fun activities, restaurants or special treats. Summer is here and lots of foster parents have full houses and kids that are bored. Date nights – offer to babysit for a local family – there aren’t a lot of people volunteering to do that. One time, my mom came over and cleaned my kitchen. Do you know what a huge blessing that was for me?!? There are a lot of practical things that can be tremendously helpful. Just pray, see what ideas God gives you.
And… while you’re praying… don’t forget to pray for McDonald’s!
storyofagirl 