Called to Care , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Bill Blacquiere

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107 pages

English

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More and more individuals, families, and churches are seeking ways they can respond to the biblical mandate to care for "the least of these." The desire to help children coming from difficult situations is a necessary starting point, but what comes next? You need to know the steps for getting involved and what will truly help. Filled with real-life stories and practical advice, Called to Care starts by helping you honestly assess your motivation to help--sometimes the wrong motivation sets the stage for an unsuccessful experience. From there, the book shows what adoption and foster care really look like in a variety of situations, from domestic and international adoptions to short-term foster care and foster-to-adopt arrangements. Also included is how churches and individuals can minister to refugees. Rounding out this comprehensive yet concise book are tips for assessing your preparedness, how to meet common emotional and physical challenges, and the most effective ways to help families stay together and thrive.Bethany is a global nonprofit that supports children and families with world-class social services, all designed to help families thrive. We believe every child deserves to be loved, connected, and empowered through family.

Sujets

Adoption

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	17 septembre 2019
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493421831
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0403€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Cover
Endorsements
“Every book on adoption or foster care that I’ve ever encountered was a theological treatise or a personal memoir or a how-to manual. Called to Care is the first book on this topic that has it all—heartfelt stories, spiritual reflection, a range of perspectives, and heaps of practical advice. This book is a veritable one-stop shop for anyone who is interested in or thinking about orphan care, and it is written by two of the most respected and trustworthy adoption advocates of the last quarter century in America. If you take seriously the Bible’s commands to care for orphans, read this book immediately.”
—Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer, the Atlantic , and author, Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words Are Vanishing— and How We Can Revive Them
“When God calls you to step into the lives of children, he’ll also prepare you. This practical, informative guide helps do just that. The short stories, questions, and prayers at the end of each chapter will lead you to a deeper dialogue with God—then watch where God takes you!”
—Dr. Sharen E. Ford, director, Foster Care and Adoption, Focus on the Family
“Bill Blacquiere reminds us that the family is the building block of society in God’s design. Finding families for children through foster care, adoption in all its forms, and strengthening families is the clarion call he invites us to respond to in the third decade of the twenty-first century.”
—Albert L. Reyes, president and CEO, Buckner International
“I highly recommend this as a mandatory read for anyone considering adoption, foster care, or working with vulnerable children.”
—Michael Douris, president, Orphan Outreach
“ Called to Care is a timely, insightful read for families considering foster care and adoption. It offers a clear challenge to the faith community and provides a biblical path for Matthew 25:34–40 to become vibrant in our lives.”
—James K. Haveman, retired director, Michigan Department of Community Health
“Bill Blacquiere and Kris Faasse bring a lifetime of wisdom to this compelling book. They have approached this vital subject with insight and sensitivity, giving a view of the many ways an individual, family, or church can respond to the needs of vulnerable children and families. I highly recommend this book for individual or group study.”
—Jayne Schooler, trainer and curriculum developer, Back2Back Ministries
“This is a clarion call for Christians to recommit to the biblical mandate to care for children and families, and it is a call made from two leaders who have a lifetime of ex perience doing just that. I encourage you to read this important book.”
—Michael Wear, author, Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2019 by Bethany Christian Services, Inc.
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-2183-1
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
The stories in this book have been drawn from real people and their journeys. Most names and some of the narratives, however, have been changed or adjusted to protect the privacy of individuals and families or highlight the various aspects of the call to care.
Cover design by Brand Navigation
Authors represented by Verne Kenney
Dedication
Bill
To foster and adoptive families for older children and children with placement challenges and host families with Safe Families for Children. These families are the real heroes in caring for children, and without them the system would crash. They give of their time, emotional health, and financial resources to help children. Their passion and zeal for the children they care for is abundant. Despite the challenges, their response is “I will care for more children.”
Kris
This book is dedicated to those children and families without a voice, those who have responded to them, and the Bethany staff, who, from our founding, have cared deeply and sought to be the hands and feet of Christ.
Contents
Cover 1
Endorsements 2
Half Title Page 3
Title Page 5
Copyright Page 6
Dedication 7
Introduction: Why This Book Is for You 11
How to Use This Book 13
Part One: Examining the Call to Care 15
1. What God’s Word Says 17
2. Addressing Motivations 27
3. Determining Expectations 35
4. Assessing Preparedness 45
Part Two: Exploring Foster Care and Adoption 53
5. A Close Look at Foster Care 55
6. A Close Look at Adoption 63
7. A Closer Look at Domestic Adoption 73
8. A Closer Look at Intercountry Adoption 83
9. Acknowledging Loss and Grief 93
Part Three: Embracing Family Preservation 101
10. Tapping into Family Preservation Programs 103
11. Creating Support Groups 109
12. Developing Mentoring Relationships 117
13. Providing Respite Care 125
14. Covering Financial Needs 133
Part Four: Enriching Family Ties 141
15. Gaining Support from Others 143
16. Developing Provision from the Church 151
17. Accessing Assistance from the Community 165
Afterword 173
Appendices 175
What Is the Bethany Christian Services Continuum of Care?
What Is the Bethany Christian Services Family Care Plan for Adoptive Parents?
Recommended Books for Adoptive and Foster Care Parents
Acknowledgments 183
Notes 185
About the Authors 187
Back Cover 188
Introduction
Why This Book Is for You
Family is God’s design—the place he created for children to be nurtured, to grow, and to mature, whether in their family of origin or in a new family.
In the United States and around the world, however, millions of children are at risk. They no longer have a family, or their family is unable to care for them the way they need. In some cases, children and their families don’t have the help and support necessary to move through challenging times and stay together. Crisis or poverty—or both and even war—take their toll, and children can suffer. The late Dr. Karyn Purvis, cofounder of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, called them “children from hard places.” 1
God calls us all to care for these most vulnerable among us by acting on their behalf. That’s what Called to Care is about. This book will not only lay out God’s call but will help you discover what answering his call might mean for you. If you’re wondering how you personally fit into his plan for these children, this book is for you. If you’re wondering how you might be called to serve other than as a foster or adoptive parent—although you might discover that is your call—this book is for you. And if you’re wondering how your church or small group can embrace a meaningful role in answer to this call, this book is for you as well.
In these pages we’ll share about the worldwide effort to support children who are among those the Bible calls “the least of these”—from neglected and abused children in America’s cities to pregnant teenagers in America’s heartland, from AIDS orphans in Africa to hurricane orphans in Haiti, from trafficked children in Cambodia to abandoned girls in China.
How do we know so much about these populations? Because transforming lives through the call to serve vulnerable children has been Bethany Christian Services’ sole aim since its beginnings more than seventy years ago. Bethany’s mission is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by protecting and empowering children and youth and families through quality social services.
Bethany is driven to care for parents, both married and single, and their children who need help; refugees, orphans, and neglected and abused children; and children who have experienced multiple traumas in their lives. Bethany serves people in circumstances that range from heartbreaking to joyous and in cases that move like clockwork to those that are messy and slowgoing. And with every case its staff and volunteers experience God’s grace and love through those helped.
But because God calls all his followers to be part of the worldwide effort to help vulnerable children find safe and loving homes, to help them heal from their hurts and traumas, and to assist the families and professionals in their lives, you have a personal call as well.
Yes, you might be called to be a foster parent or to adopt a child. Or you might be called to offer financial support or respite care. You might be called to simply pray. Whatever your specific call, if you’re ready for God to reveal it, we believe he will.
We invite you to use the inspirational stories, compelling information, and practical tools throughout this book to help you discover how God has uniquely called you to open your heart and make a difference. The well-being—and in many cases the lives—of the most vulnerable children in his kingdom depends on all of us.
How to Use This Book
This book has four parts.
Part One: Examining the Call to Care describes the biblical call, how answering it differs for everyone, and how we can best prepare before we answer.
Part Two: Exploring Foster Care and Adoption unpacks these two tra