Reflections from a Former Foster Youth

Beth spent most of her childhood in foster care, and she is joining our leadership at The Restore Network. When she reviewed our website and got to know us a bit, she wrote this:

Restore Network embodies the kind of Christianity that I, as a foster child, always knew was intended by God. As much as I believed in my version of the Christian faith, it was often a lonely place to nestle among The Church. This God I had met with absolute clarity, in the silent place behind the screams of my reality, was not easy to locate among my fellow church goers. I saw the nervous and skeptical glances they cast people like me. 

Eventually, they came to view me as being more like them, because I ran closer and closer towards their world. Yet, I always knew that what God intended was the opposite. It was for them to come to see themselves as more like me: more helpless, more lost, and more in need of love than they had ever had to acknowledge because of their good fortune. 

You see, mine was a God that did not require me to journey across the divide of my existence and yours to find HIM. He was a God that dove into the abyss of my unfortunate life, scooped me up in his arms, and refused to let me deny his protection and love. Restore Network assures me that we, as Christians, no matter where we are coming from, are beginning to come to our knees before the same God. I hear within your words and see within your actions that you now understand that I am just as much HIS child as you are. He always knew this. He was just waiting for The Church to declare it!

Big News!

We are excited to announce that The Restore Network is expanding! In 2009, our work began in Madison County recruiting foster families, adoptive families and support teams. In 2014, we added six partner churches within the county. This month, we officially partnered with The Journey Metro East, and we will replicate the ministry in St. Clair County.

The Journey Metro East already has several foster families they support, and they have a Foster Care Resource Closet full of childcare items for St. Clair foster families. Ashley Bennett leads this ministry, and she is an experienced foster mom and caseworker. We look forward to what God has in store as churches come together in a new county in response to God's call to care for vulnerable children and families.

Painful Pasts, Uncertain Futures

November 16, 2014

I had tears in my eyes while leading the children's Christmas program practice this morning. I have led this program for years, and I always enjoy spending time with delightful kids, teaching them wonderful music, and and watching a beautiful performance come together over several weeks. But, I've never cried.

This year is different because of one song. Here's what it says:

All I am, All I have,

I lay it all before You.

All my hopes, All my dreams,

I lay them at Your feet.

My future, My past,

My next breath and My last,

I give it all,

I give it all to You.

It is a song of surrender. It is a song of trust in a God who has proven Himself trustworthy.

We became foster parents in 2011, and if there's anything I have learned over the past three years, it is that God is faithful, and we can trust Him. Our first child was placed with us at 5 months old, and while we were committed to supporting birth families, the reality of our little guy returning home drove us to our knees, to tears, to panic...

The story is long, but after two and a half years, we adopted our little guy. There were many times when it appeared that his birth family was in charge. There were times when it seemed DCFS was in charge, and often, it seemed that the courts were determining our boy's future. Looking back, God was always in control - no matter how it appeared.

Because of our little guy's story, the Christmas program's song of surrender spoke to me the first time I heard it. I resonated with its message of giving it all to God and trusting Him with everything. But the tears came when I sang the song with the children's choir.

You see, there are 50-60 children in that choir, and 10 of them have spent time in foster care. Some of them have been adopted by Christian families, but some of them are still in the system. Their pasts are devastating, and they know what it's like to lose everything and everyone they know. They have been wounded by abuse, neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse, and the list goes on. For those who are still in foster care, their futures are uncertain. No one knows what will happen, and no one has solid answers to their tough questions.

I was leading the song of surrender today, and I was overwhelmed as these kids worshiped - kids whose futures are uncertain and whose pasts are painful. We don't know the answers for many of these kids yet, but we're giving it all to Him.

My future, my past, my next breath and my last,

I give it all, I give it all to You.

Foster-Adoptive Parent Support Group

Foster & Adoptive Parents,

Merry Christmas! We are looking ahead to the new year, and we want to give you the dates for upcoming Support Group meetings. Each meeting will be held at Emmanuel Free Methodist Church (3993 Fosterburg Road, Alton) on a Friday evening at 6pm. Dinner is provided - RSVPs are necessary.

• January 9, 2015
• February 6, 2015
• March 6, 2015
• April 10, 2015
• May 8, 2015

We hope to see you there! Contact Katie Myette at katiemyette@efmc.org to RSVP.

Celebrations & Ways to Get Involved

The past few months have been an exciting time for The Restore Network! God is on the move, and we are privileged to be a part of what He is doing. Here are some reasons to celebrate:

• We gave 6 presentations in September, and 25 families joined Support Teams. Others were interested in learning more about Foster Care and Adoption, and we were able to meet with 7 couples as they consider how God is calling their family.
• We met with a family in Greene County, and it looks like God may be expanding The Restore Network into new territory soon. This is very unexpected but exciting!
• We have 14 families who are willing to financially meet immediate, unexpected needs. Things change quickly in the world of foster care, and sometimes we need to meet a need on short notice. Here are a few needs these families have already met:
• Glasses: A 5-year-old boy was struggling in kindergarten, and it looked like a fine motor issue. After visiting the eye doctor, it was clear that the child could not see his paper because of his vision problems. Foster children have Medicaid, and his glasses were not scheduled to come in until Christmas. Two of our donors stepped in to purchase glasses out of pocket, he received them within a week, and this little boy is now thriving in school!
• New Placement: One family received a sibling group into their home, and they needed car seats, diapers, and clothes immediately. A few of our donors helped get this family set up quickly!
• Foster College Youth: Through DCFS, we connected with a foster alum who is attending a local college. She has not been adopted, and she cannot return home to her birth family. She was looking for an apartment and needed help paying the deposit. We were able to meet with her, pray over her, and help financially.

God is doing big things in our area, and we are excited to engage churches in working together to care for the vulnerable! Here are some specific ways to get involved in The Restore Network:

• Madison County Foster Family Christmas Party: If you would like to help plan this event or donate financially, please contact us.
• Support Teams: Our main goal for the rest of 2014 is to get our Support Teams full and ready to go. We need more volunteers for these teams:
• Babysitting Team: 19 more volunteers
• This team will put together a Foster Parent Night Out on a regular basis. We will use one of our larger Partner Churches, and we will need lots of volunteers to take care of children.
• Work Team: 3 more volunteers
• State licensing requirements can be pretty strict, and sometimes families are called to foster or adopt, but their house needs some work. This team will be available to help families get licensed by getting their homes ready.
• Meals Team: 14 more volunteers
• When new children are placed with a family, we want to provide dinner for the first week or two. We need a big team who is willing to cook or pick up dinner for families who need to focus on a new child in their home.
• Prayer Team: 15 more volunteers
• We need God's people to unite in prayer over our families and children. We are hoping to have at least 5 people from each partner church who will commit to pray together on a weekly basis.
• Financial Support: If you would like to give a one-time gift or be on our list of people to call with specific needs, please let us know.

Please email katiemyette@efmc.org if you are interested in getting involved with the Christmas Party, Support Teams or Financial Support. Thank you!

Addressing Common Foster Care Concerns

This is a wonderful blogpost addressing common foster care concerns. We highly recommend it to Christians who are considering foster care.

Rethinking Some Common Foster Care Concerns

September Highlights

September was a busy month for The Restore Network! We visited five churches with presentations and opportunities to get involved through fostering, adopting, or volunteering on a support team. Here are some highlights:

• TWELVE families are exploring the possibility of opening their homes through fostering or adoption. Pray for discernment and wisdom as they seek God's will.
• We are organizing our Support Teams this month, and we are thankful for all the families called to walk alongside foster and adoptive families. Here are the teams we are putting together:
• Prayer
• Babysitting
• Meals
• Work
• Tutoring
• Clothes

If you are interested in fostering, adopting, or volunteering on a support team, please contact us. We are excited about where God is leading!