This month our partner and friend, Christine Robinson, of Foster Well has contributed to our blog to share an exciting new opportunity for our community. We are eager to support her mission and this new program that benefits families in Delaware.
I love this new worship song “Jireh”, and have been listening to it on repeat. As you may already know, Jireh means, "to see" or "foresee", and Jehovah Jireh gets translated as “God will provide”. It’s a powerful picture of God as one who sees us and our needs, and then provides for us in that need.
“You are Jireh, You are enough...Forever enough, always enough, more than enough.”
While listening to this song, I was reflecting on how this idea of God being “more than enough” for us isn’t simply a statement that’s true about God, it’s also something He invites us into. We have the opportunity to be a part of how God provides “more than enough” for those in need around us.
When you think of foster care, social workers, biological families struggling to care for their children, or teens needing forever families...imagine what God being “more than enough” can look like for them because of you and your church.
I started the nonprofit, Foster Well, almost two years ago now, with the mission to be a bridge between the foster care community and those that want to love and support them. So far we’ve been doing this through our Care Teams by providing practical support to foster families, like a meal or items for the children, as well as relational support by checking in and bringing encouragement. We love the ongoing support the families are receiving from our volunteers as well as the one-time support we’ve been able to provide to children or families when a caseworker reaches out with a specific need.
And now I’m thrilled to announce that we’re in the process of implementing the use of CarePortal to be able to serve even more children and families. CarePortal is "a technology connecting platform that brings the needs of hurting children and families in your community to your attention. Caseworkers uncover the needs. CarePortal makes local churches and community members aware, giving them a real-time opportunity to respond."
Using CarePortal will enable us to connect with and mobilize churches to be able to meet a broad spectrum of needs within the foster care community. This includes meeting needs to help families stay together when poverty/neglect is a factor, therefore helping to prevent children from entering foster care. It can also include meeting needs of foster and adoptive families, bio families who are working to be reunified with their children, as well as helping teens/youth who are aging out of foster care.
We know that you and your church care about vulnerable children and families in your community and are already working to meet needs and make connections. I’m so excited to be able to offer this technology so that we can multiply your efforts. These items that you’ll be able to provide to the children and families personally will not only meet physical needs but will create an opportunity to meet emotional and spiritual needs so that genuine relationships can be formed and they can experience the gift of having a church community.
We are working together with MAOCC to reach out to local churches and agencies, and we would love for you to join us. Here are a few links if you would like to read more about Foster Well, watch a video on how CarePortal works, or hear a brief testimony.
If you have any questions or connect with this mission, I would love the opportunity to talk with you. You can reach me at christine@fosterwell.org.
I’m so grateful for a God who sees and provides. And I’m so grateful for a community of believers to link arms with as we partner with God in providing more than enough for the children and families around us.