Orientation

As office assistant and a new first-year teacher, yesterday was one of the busiest days of my year -- and I accidentally left my phone in the car.

Between putting the final touches on the Spanish classroom and helping finalize K4 - 7th grade class rosters, last minute enrollments and student handbooks, I just never made it back out to get it and in the course of four and a half hours missed six phone calls -- four from Bair and two from Jason.

We had another referral.

This one didn't come close to meeting our specifications, but Melissa, the director at Bair, called us to test the waters because they were specifically looking for a Caucasian, two-parent home for a sibling group.  The girl, 13 years old, and boy, 8 years old, need a temporary home while the paperwork is being processed to move them permanently to Indiana.

Last Thursday their parents blew up a hotel room with them in it while cooking meth. Everyone survived physically, but mom and dad are going to jail and daughter and son's lives will never be the same.

And we said no.

Jason and I are having a hard time with this.  These two children clearly need a healthy, safe home.  According to Melissa they are extremely well-behaved and adjusted in spite of their home life.  They just need to be loved and cared for.

And we said no.

To be honest, neither of us even wavered.  We believe so strongly in three parameters:
1 - Charlie remains the oldest
2 - We do not bring in more than one child at a time
3 - We bring in only children who are very likely to stay permanently

But when faced with real children in real crisis, it is so very hard to stick to our convictions and do what we believe to be "best for Charlie."

Thankfully, by the time I got the scoop from Jason and called Melissa back, they had a temporary solution until the children can go back to Indiana -- but what about next time?

I realized yesterday that I really hadn't expected to have to say no to any more referrals.  I naively (or hopefully?  or lazily?) assumed that we would go through the process and God would reward us with a perfect fit -- that last week's referral was more of a hoop to jump through than a reality of the process.

Last night Jason and I began a completely different orientation than the one at JICS. We grew in our understanding of how real this is, how hard this is, how important this is, and how aware we need to be of what really matters -- and that we may very likely be called on to flex one or more of our parameters for the child meant for our family.

Yesterday wasn't that day...but I pray that when it comes we are in agreement, confident and obedient.

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.  

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given him.

(James 1:2-5)