A big part of orphan care is orphan prevention. There are millions of orphans all over the world and many of them are here in the United States. These children along with so many others need to feel the love of a family. Sadly, some parents have to relinquish rights to their children because they simple cannot afford to care for them, or as we sometimes see here in the U.S. their situation is so desperate that the children are taking into state custody. What if we walked alongside them in love, instead of judgment? What if we opened our homes to their children in their time of need? What if by doing so we could prevent one more child from becoming an orphan?
Well, we can. There is a program that helps families before they get to the point. The program is called Safe Families for Children and they work through churches to find host homes for children in need. It is similar to foster care, but with Safe Families the biological parents maintain parental rights and the goal is to reunite the family as soon as possible. They work with the families to offer respite care, obtain social service resources and mentor them. Host families receive no payment for hosting children; it is purely on a volunteer basis. It is simply showing love to those in need.
I first learned about this program a few years ago and we have had the privilege of hosting a few precious children over the years. They have become a part of our family story and we are so blessed that God brought them into our lives.
Please consider opening your home as a host family. They have an urgent need right now. If you are in the Indianapolis area, please call 519-4615. You can also connect to them through our hearts page or at www.safe-families.org/home.aspx/indianapolis
