The Need
This post is part 1 in a series of 3
There’s just something about the sticky note with the child’s name and “dirty clothes” on it, the single stuffed animal that is rough and not at all comforting, the 14 straight hours of recovery sleep from the stress of sitting in a busy DCFS office for 2 days while they searched for a home for him… that just wrecks me (taken from Shannon’s instagram post 7/23/15). And if you were to witness this with your own eyes (same story, different tiny human over and over again), I am quite confident it would wreck you too. I mean how could it not? A tiny, beautiful human, (in this case a 16 month old baby boy) created in the image of God. Designed to be born into a family with parents who would love and care for him, keep him safe, and put his needs before their own. But that’s not how this little guys story played out.
I can no longer recall the details surrounding this little guy’s removal from his home, but each individual story is made up of heartbreak and loss. Just to give you an idea, some of the reasons we have personally seen children removed from their home are, unexplained broken bones in different stages of healing, driving under the influence of drugs with the child in the car, domestic violence, sexual abuse, abandonment, drugging the child to make him sleep all day/leaving him in his crib entire day, suicide attempts (by the child), violent crimes committed in front of the child, attempted murder of the child. Oh how this disturbing list could go on and on.
So now picture a child who has just been taken out of one of these situations, literally pulled from his home and placed in the back of a car with strangers he doesn't know and then either driven directly to a hospital where he is poked and prodded and evaluated, and alone; a foster home with people he has never met; or even worse, taken to a DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) office where he sits and waits, because there are simply no foster homes available. An office where he is placed in front of toys that are not his. Where strangers walk back and forth all day, often screaming at each other. Where lunch is brought to him in a brown bag and he is expected to eat while stressed, exhausted and terrified. This goes on for hours. And in this little guy’s case, it went on for 2 days. Waiting, waiting, waiting.
What is he waiting for? For someone to open their doors to him. To reach out and take him in their arms and whisper reassuring words to him. To bathe him, clothe him in clean clothes, pick the lice from his hair, and tend to his owies and wounds. To rock him to sleep and gently place him in a clean, safe bed. To feed him good healthy food and reassure him that there will always be food available to him. To take him to doctors appointments. To hold him through the night when he screams out for the very people who have hurt him. To protect him. To show him he is valuable, that his life is of worth. To teach him that when everyone in his life may fail him, he has a Father in heaven who never will.
“Why must he wait? There are no homes available. The foster homes that are currently available are full. The foster families are tired, overloaded, and burnt out.”
Why must he wait? There are no homes available. The foster homes that are currently available are full. The foster families are tired, overloaded, and burnt out. There is currently a literal crisis happening in our country. And it involves one of the most vulnerable populations. Abused and neglected children. There are little to no available homes for these children to be placed. Where are the families? Where is the hope? Where is the church?
Read about the The Numbers in part 2...