The Popcorn Theory

It's been a few days since posting.  My family and I have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas...or a few Christmas's:), with family.

I happened to pick up a book called, "In a Heartbeat", by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.  It is so perfect for exactly what I have been talking about.  The 'Popcorn Theory', is Sean Tuohy's theory in this book.  Have you all seen 'The Blind Side'?   'The Blind Side' is about Sean and Leigh Anne's life, and this book is the story told from their perspective.

Inside the book is dedicated to:  "All the children fighting to survive in the invisible cracks in our society, we see you."

THE POPCORN THEORY

"You can't help everyone.  But you can try to help the hot ones that pop up in front of your face."

So this thought is something I'm going to propose.  So if something, for instance this blog, pops up in front of your face, what can you do?

Well let's keep things simple here.  I'm going to recommend taking a moment to pray.  Pray for these kids.  Pray for the foster and birth family's.  Then ask God Himself if He wants you to do anything more right now.  He will open your heart or open doors if you are to do anything more.  But prayer IS doing something.  So thank you for praying.  Thank you soooo  much for praying.  By praying you are helping open doors for these kids.  You might even be causing one of these hot kernels to pop up in front of the right face:)

Missy's Poem (14 year old foster child)

Eyes ~ Ears ~ Hearts

Eye that can't see, Ears that can't hear, Hearts that are stomped on and broke to peaces. You can help one without love.

Life, Help, Hurt.

You hear all the kid out ther that are gettin abuse or have been abused.   All the kids that were aborted or gaven up or are looked in there rooms and are or were beat.

The eyes:  I can't see my future i am all alown been bet to the end and now i am hurting.  All i see is that the end of life is soon dont know what to do.

The nose:  All I can smell is the fear.  What is happening what what are they doing.  Are they going to take me away.  Will i be alive to say good by momy and daddy.

The mouth:  I cant speak i have been hurt to much.  All i can say in my mind is when will the end.  When will I find a friend like me and who will stay with me to the end.

The throwt:  Now matter what I still can breath I am alive thank God to the end.

My heart:  I am pumpin still alive.  All that has been done is scared me.  All you do is crush me till the end.

Arms:  They are bruised and cut.  Not all can see some have faded away.

Legs:  Hardly can walk away looked behined the closed doors i am traped thill I am set free.

Thanks Missy for the peak into a child's brokenness.  I left it as she wrote it.  Pray for her.   She hopes to reunite with family still, and there is still time for that.  God has brought some healing into their lives and she might get the ultimate dream of a foster kid.  

Please pray for these kids.  Right now the Lord has given us such an opportunity having contact with these kids.  I'm just posting everything I can find out.  So I don't know.  I don't have a lot of answers.  I'm just praying and asking God to use this opportunity for something.  So maybe God will lay these things on your hearts too.  To pray, to act, to know something, to share information you have...

The Strangest Behaviors...

Calling all prayer warriors!!

Have you all seen 'Horton Hears A Who'?  Imagine the scene toward the end when the son of Mr. Mayor Who, I'm really bad at remembering names and scenes in movies...sorry, had that gadget that made the final noise go up and out of Whoville so the jungle could hear the Whos....before they got dropped into the boiling goo because of the kangaroo...

Ya, that scene.  I always picture prayer acting like that.  When people, kids and adults alike, are so thick and hard, prayer is the only thing that can finally blast through and make hope and love heard.

So let's talk hard stuff for a minute.  One of the reasons people don't want to foster and be involved.  Plain and simple.  It's hard.  It's overwhelming.  Some really ugly behaviors happen.  Peeing on the floor. Not eating.  Overeating.  Picking paint off walls.  Biting.  Obscenities.  Manic.  Depressed.  Manipulative.  Foul language.  Mean.  Breaking things.  This is some of the ugly.  Sometimes when kids get to this point...they are so hard that all the love and niceness isn't enough.   Can you even imagine living like this?

I know people who have foster kids like this.  This is the tough of the tough.  They need prayer so badly.  So today I'm asking anyone who reads this to take a quick minute and lift up these kids.  These foster parents.  Please pray for them.  Let's be a united voice like the Who's pounding on the windows of heaven interceding on behalf of these people and kids.

8 Year old boy

I wish so much that I could put a face and name with the stories I know or have been given.  Even since starting this people are contacting me with stories.  This is a big problem in our society.  I'm praying God will open people's hearts and minds to pray, and help in any way they can.

Today, a sweet little 8 year old boy....we'll call Bill.  That is not his name!  Not even close!  But he reminds me a little of Bill Cosby.  He's just silly like that.  So that's what I'll call him.  He has been to our house.  I have been around him quite a bit.  I don't even know all the details of his story, but i know the basic outline.  And believe me, it's enough to break your heart.

Sweet Bill was adopted from Haiti by a couple in Cali when he was about 9 months old.  In the toddler years, I'm not sure why, but they decided they didn't want him anymore.  (Let's not judge here.  Who knows what was going on...)  But that does leave poor Bill once again alone.  No one to trust.  So into the system he goes.  Then another young couple who were not able to have kids adopt him.   A little while later they get pregnant.  And a little while after that, pregnant again.  Guess what?  Once again poor little Bill gets given up.  Back into the system he goes.  Now having lived in an orphanage in Haiti, to 2 fAiLeD adoptions...to a good foster home right now.  But it is not permanent.  Do you think he would believe it even if it was?  

Bill came over and played with Hudson last Friday night for a few hours.  They were dressed as Superman, The Hulk, Bumblebee, and then Batman.  Every time I turned around there was another superhero standing there.  They had a blast.  I pray the love of God touched his heart and soul.  Hudson prays for him every single night without prompting.

"Bill" and Hudson picking a toy at Target:)

Bottom line.  Please pray.  Pray for these children.  I'm trying to follow the example of my 6 year old.  You just ask God.  You just tell him about it.  

CaN't KeEp QuIeT ~ Visiting Prison~

Wow, writing two days in a row!  


So yesterday I spent 2 hours in prison visiting someone.  Someone who has come to know the Lord.  Someone who has fought the path of addiction, drugs, and losing it all.  Someone who lost all FOUR of her children.  It was quite an experience.  Just on the front of, wow, this place actually exists.  And look at all these women, and children.  For the most part it was a very sad scene.  The person i visited with actually had hope.  Honestly, thinking back on it, I feel a little nausea.  It's a really sad place.  Surreal...When we first got there Josh accidentally dropped us at Maximum Security and it was the guard tower guy radioing down to the lower guy who quickly wanted to know what we were doing:)  OOPS:)  Wrong building!


That's where some foster kids go see their parents.


So the promised list!!  Depending on how involved you want to be....but #1 is the most coveted


1.  The BIG KAHUNA ~ PRAY ~ PRAY ~ PRAY!!!  Support the kids, foster parents, and birth family of these kids in PRAYER!!!  They need it soo much!
2.  Be supportive.  If you know someone doing foster care, encourage them.
3. Encourage the foster kids. 
4.  Offer rides.  If you have a driver's license and insurance and don't mind someone snapping a picture of it, you could offer to help with rides to appointments.  Foster kids usually have multiple appointments outside of school every week.
5.  Help foster parents get some time out.
6.  Build relationships with foster kids.  Mentor, do coffee, hang out, ice cream...shopping, etc.  Or have them over to play with your own kids.
7.  Get licensed for respite care.  That's when you watch someone's foster kids for a weekend or some type of overnight.
8.  Take the plunge and get licensed.  

God is faithful to nudge the heart, and show you the level of involvement.    

I pray this encourages the nudged, even to a step of faith!!

  And thanks the helpful and encouraging.  

Thanks for opening your heart and mind to these kids. 

 Pray life, hope, love, and peace over them.

Romans 15:13

May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may OVERFLOW with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Overflow some of that hope onto some people today!!  

The Beginning....Voice for kids....

So!  We will see where this goes....I'm not the greatest at staying up to date with blogging...

I see a need.  A HUGE need. 

KIDS


Right under our noses.


In need of 
          LOVE
              FAMILY
                    SUPPORT
                                WISE COUNSEL
                                               DISCIPLINE
                                                        TAUGHT TO HAVE FRIENDS
                                                                               LEARN HOW TO TRUST
                                                                                                UNCONDITIONAL LOVE


Kids who didn't ask for this chaotic life.  They were just born into it.


Born, taken away from their parents, to be put into the Health and Welfare system....To be moved from foster home to foster home, or family member to family member.  In some cases adopted to be given up again, adopted again to be given up again, and to be moved from foster home to foster home, to group home, to juvey....to hospitals, medicated, sedated....


Learning to harden, manipulate, survive, become numb to not feel the overwhelming pain of rejection again AgaIN  AGAIN.....


Hanging out at our house Friday night were 3 teenage foster girls, and an 8 year old foster boy.  All with heart wrenching stories...  We LOVED having them


Lord may we somehow someway be a voice for these kids and advocate for them. We have some ideas of ways ANYONE can get involved and help....At any level.  List coming next.

Psalm 68:6

 ⁶God sets the solitary in families: he brings

 out those which are bound with chains: