Kings and Queens

Listen to this song, then read on.  Kings and Queens by Audio Adrenaline

"Every child has a dream to belong and be loved".  

James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." 

Ready for a staggering fact?  "On any given day in the U.S. there are about 438,000 children in the foster care system." Childrensrights.org.  Over four hundred thousand. And if that doesn't break you heart enough,  "In 2016, 20,000 aged out of foster care without permanent families and most will face unemployment, homelessness and incarceration." Childrensrights.org.

They will not make it on their own.  Sure, maybe a few will become successful at something, but by and large they won't.  We have to help them.  We have been commanded to help them.  Adoption, healthy fostering, mentoring programs, Big Brother and Big Sisters.  Chances are that someone in your churches children's Sunday school has been affected.  I am very passionate about this and everyone has the skills to make a child's life a little better.  

God has called my wife and I to adopt.  And trying to go back and rewire these kids in a positive and healthy way is hard.  If God has not called you to adopt or foster, please do not.  Maybe mentoring is a better option.  There are multiple organizations that mentor kids in foster care.  There are others that give you training for helping these children of God.  

Two of the organizations that are doing a great job with these kids are The Mayfly Project and King's Ranch.  I know this because I have been a part of both of them.  I mentor with Mayfly and my wife and I are in training now through King's Ranch.  (I do not get paid by either of them.)

The Mayfly Project mentors kids in foster care through fly fishing.  Not only that, but the events and attention that this organization get, put these kids together with their forever families.  Being on the water has a calming effect on people and I have seen first hand how well this organization helps these kids.  TMP is in over 20 states and has multiple groups per state.  If you would like to help, visit: The Mayfly Project

Kings Ranch is a wonderful organization that give parents and families training for handling kids from hard places.  They offer "therapeutic parenting strategies for real families helping rescued children heal."  Like I said, my wife and I are working through a class with them now.  It has been hard trying to start these kids back at square one and redevelop them to where they need to be, but it will be worth it.  I truly believe this.  You can visit King's Ranch
for more information.  

There are so many children in need.  So many in each state and town, there is something for everyone to do.  

"And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brother, you did it to me'." ESV