Have you ever considered fostering? No? Then whynot?

I am sure many of you are familiar with the story of “The drowning Man” who prayed to God for help when he was stuck on top of his rooftop during a flood.

For those who are not familiar with this story:

Once, there was a man stranded on his roof during a flood and he prayed to God for help. Right after saying amen, a man in a canoe was nearby and said, “Hey, come down from your roof, I can save you.” But the man on the roof said, “No, thank you, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me.” So the man on the canoe kept moving.

Minutes later, a man on a boat came by and shouted, “Hey! Jump in my boat, I can save you!” But the man on the roof said, “No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the man on the boat kept moving.

Soon the house started to break and the water raised when a man in a helicopter said, “Grab onto this rope and I will lift you to safety.” Again, the man on the roof said, “No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the man on the helicopter flew away.

Then man on the roof soon fell into the water and drowned. He then met God in heaven and said, "I had faith in you but you didn't save me, you let me drown. why!"

Then God replied, "I sent you a man in a canoe, a boat, and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"

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So why do I tell you this story? Imagine faith itself is like a door frame. We need to be willing to take the initiative to go through that door frame. Sure, someone can force you to go through it, but that is going to be a different experience if you willingly just walk by yourself.

So for all of you who are praying about fostering, you need to take the initiative. Just walk through the doorframe! Believe me, God will take care of the rest!

Sure, being a foster parent is not easy. There will be many doctor appointments, school registrations, dealing with daycare, after school programs, and change the way you parent because every child has a unique story and you need to be a therapeutic parent. If you are already a parent, you know that each of your children is unique and requires different things. Imagine that your child is taken away from you for any reason, that itself is a great deal of trauma! Also, wouldn’t you want your child to go to a safe and nurturing environment like the one you have? If you talk to any foster parent, they will tell you that at times they wished they were never involved with the Foster system. THAT IS PERFECTLY NORMAL!

But, I'm going to love those kids too much and it is going to be hard for me to let them go?

You should love those kids as much as possible! The number one goal of fostering is reunification with the parents or family members. Wouldn't you want someone to love your children a lot if they are being taken away from you?

I don't think it is the right time right now for me/us to foster?

If you have a safe and stable home, then IT IS the right time! Stop thinking of all the million excused! Cross the door frame willingly!

For those of you who still don't want to fully commit to all the paperwork, doctor appointments, and kids living permanently until they go back to their biological families or not, there are more options. There is A LOT of need for more families to be willing to help out because we have so many children coming into the system all over this country. As a foster dad, I also want to encourage all my "dudes" to man up and be that father and role model for a child in the care even if it is for just one night. As a former teacher, I have seen the effects of not having a positive male role model. There is a greater need for us MEN to be the guide and mentor for the youth.

You can also be a respite only home. Respite foster parents go through the same process to get certified and training but they choose to just help out for short terms, not a placement. Respite allows foster parents to take a break, which also helps preventing burning out. Plus, you don't have to deal with all the paperwork, school regulations, doctor appointments, family visitations, and most of the time there are no extreme behaviors.

Currently, we have 3 kids as a placement. We get calls from different caseworkers to ask if we can do respite, normally for the weekend and we agree if it is a good fit. I love spending time outdoors, so for the past two weekends, we have gone hiking or go to a lake and spend most of the time outdoors. In our case, kids come to our home on a Friday and then they go back to their current foster family on Sundays. For example, last weekend we had 6 kids in total and went to a local state park to hike. We met our friend and took her two kids while she went to work. With a total of 8 kids, we hiked for a few hours, explored some caves, and then hiked back to our trail head. Sundays, we normally go to our church and we seemed to have a large group of kids each time. So, even if it is for that weekend, I like for these kids to see how I interact with my wife and how we work together as a family unit.

Stop praying and waiting, take the initiative and get involved!

I am including two trailers for a movie and a real documentary about fostering if you want to know more about it. Also, check out your local/state department of children's services for more info or click on https://whynotlocos.wixsite.com/camposadventures/blank

Instant Family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUfZq3DUd3Y

Fosters: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8403246/videoplayer/vi3013655577?ref_=vp_pl_0