Hope home is a foster care home for children with disabilities. Judy, the founder of Hope Home, started the home kind of accidentally. She began fostering one child with cerebral palsy and then before she knew it she was being asked to foster more. She started Hope Home, which is a residential foster home. They currently have seven kids and also help more families in the community. We spent this month serving alongside Hope Home, providing as much lift as we could to their ministry. We did things such as: write blogs for their website, help improve their brochure, sew curtains, sort thousands of pictures so the kids would have those when they hopefully one day get placed with a family, organize, repair worn out and torn books, work on administrative tasks, my teammate Britt painted a beautiful mural, helped with school, and of course we spent time loving on the kiddos.
One of the biggest ways I was impacted was through the staff at Hope Home. The first day we got to Hope Home, Becca, who at 22 left to volunteer at Hope Home and now works their full time, said that “she felt God calling her to live a certain life, not work a certain job.” And this is what the staff does their, they live their lives everyday for these children and for the calling God gave them. They have sacrificed all the comforts of this world for caring for these children. When I think of the scripture in James that says “…religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…”, I think of the staff at Hope Home. I admire the sacrifice and love that the staff embody there. They have given their whole lives, 24/7, to living this mission out. It is so inspiring. And the love they give the children is beautiful beyond words.
For me I have a let’s fix the issue and find Christ mentality. I want others to know Christ. I want them to make that decision to follow Christ. So going into this month I did not fully know what my purpose was. A lot of the kids at Hope Home, are limited physically and mentally, they can not communicate in the same way we can. They can not simply ask God into their hearts in the way we can. So at the beginning of the month, when I was trying to figure out my purpose here, the Lord asked, if I could not “fix” anything, would it be enough to just rest in my love here? Can you see my love through the staff and kids here? Can you see how much I love the children here? And can you see how unconditional and sacrificial my love is for my children? This month was such a beautiful month to just rest in that love. I did not have to act on it or do something about it, but simply rest in it and let it overflow into those around me.
I am so thankful for our time at the Hope Home. The Lord spoke to me so much through the staff and kids. He showed me His love in ways that I have never experienced. We were also able to come alongside fellow sisters in Christ and their ministry and provide lift and encouragement for the ways they are impacting the Kingdom.
Pray for Hope Home and for the kids and staff there. Pray that the staff would find a new found energy and relief from the Lord. Pray for more volunteers and staff to come. Pray for permanent families for the children. Pray for the Children’s health. Pray that Hope Home will be able to register as a social welfare home so that they can house more kids. And just pray that the Lord’s blessings would pour out on this ministry!!!
