Miles In Missions

Over the past two years C.A.R.E. Africa has continued down the path of Family Preservation even though it has been harder than we thought. Too many times we have come across families that truly cannot care for their child. Grandma is too old to empower, Dad is an alcoholic, mom is dead, or Mom is widow with too many children and several are neglected. Aunts and Uncles deny the child or have their own set of issues and cannot help. It can feel hopeless at times.

We were blessed several months ago with a women from Titi’s church volunteering to be a foster parent for one child. She really wanted a boy who was between the ages of 10-14 because she felt at that age they were still moldable. Emma and I prayed and prayed and kept being led back to Success. Success was 15 living with a grandma who could not work and Aunt who hadn’t been paid by the government in months. Dad was in the town living as a drunk and contributed nothing to the family. After several meetings with Success, Grandma and Beatrice the day had come to move Success. When we arrived to the house, Success our jokester, was soooo quite. He looked like a scarecrow. 

One week later we went back for his one week review and the picture says it all. You can see the smile. Beatrice said he still had a lot to work on but things were going well. We were so disappointment when we got the call a week later that Success had taken a turn for the worst and had lied and then tried to walk home. I immediately was frustrated but knew we couldn’t make this happen by force. I only looked at the situation as a failed attempt.

I went to the house with Success to pick his load and we met with Beatrice. I thanked her so much for the time and money she had invested into Success. I asked him if he had anything to say, expecting him to say nothing. He said “Thank you for teaching me to pray before I go to bed at night. I didn’t do that before I came here. Thank you for showing me how to work around the house.” Wow! I was blown away. Here I was shouting at God in my head asking him why he had us go through all of this for only two weeks of foster care. I was looking at the whole situation as a big failure while God was looking down laughing and saying it happened just the way he wanted it.

How many times do we look at a situation that didn’t work out the way we thought is should and think it is a failure? We are saying that God doesn’t know what he is doing, that he is not in control. The situation above was such an eye opener for me. So many times I look into situations and don’t acknowledge that God is in control. There is so much going on outside of the situation that I will never know or understand. Success only spent two weeks in foster care but his words say a seed was planted. Maybe that was all God wanted, a seed planted? I may never know or understand what those two weeks were about, but God does, and I can rest in that. God continues to work with me on resting in him in all situations and not carrying the burden of control. When I actually release that burden and get in the passenger seat, the view is so much sweeter! You should try it!