It takes a village! Bovine Babysitting Services

Even Cattle provide respite care!

 Not much has inspired me to write, or make the time to write rather, since Canada! However, tonight as I took my walk and considered the day's events this view made me laugh at the parallelism!  I spent a bit of time this week figuring out how I would help with respite care this weekend for a foster mama, and figuring out how I could help another foster family find respite care.  All in all, finding respite for 3 sweet babies/boys took a few texts, phone calls, emails, and Facebook messenger messages, and it ended up working out so that 5 families are helping 2 families get a well-deserved break.  God is so good that our foster village in Oconee county has grown so large and is so loving to pull together in TEAMS to meet everyone's needs this weekend.  

1 Mama "babysitting" 6 babies under the shade tree.  

 My odds this weekend will be 2 parents and 5 kiddos, so I have it better than she does...if only mine would all just lie down and enjoy the shade :). 

If you have ever considered foster parenting, please consider convincing your husband ( I know he's the hold out :)) to do it JUST for respite care at first.  During the summer, spring breaks, holidays, or emergency situations we need lots of folks pitching in to make foster care work. 

When the early church was fully alive and significantly impacting the world, the practice of offering care to strangers (hospitality) became a distinguishing characteristic that brought many to saving faith.  Christian writer Tertullian (AD 200) wrote, “It is our care of the helpless, our practice of loving kindness that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponents.”  The Hebrews writer instructs followers of Christ to “not neglect hospitality” (Hebrews 13:2). Peter encourages us to “offer hospitality ungrudgingly” (I Peter 4:9). Hebrews also says it might just have its rewards. “Do not neglect to show hospitality. By doing so, some have entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2). I truly believe that some 23 possibly angels have found shelter in my home thus far, what a privilege and what a blessing.  Is it easy to rearrange life now and again? NO.  Is it worth it? YES.  I consider it a great joy to share the home and the family that God has blessed me with! 

Great for further reading/study: http://safe-families.org/gods-answer-for-vulnerable-children/.

Foster Care in the pasture while one other mama finds herself a distant tree to rest under. I guess she is the helicopter parent of the herd!