God continues to work through Amarillo foster home
Last August, we told you the story of how the Amarillo community came together to renovate a house on our Amarillo campus, and how new foster parents Jason and Amanda Butcher immediately moved in with the goal of changing the lives of the Amarillo children who would be placed with them. You can read about it here.
Less than two months later, hearts are already being healed in the household. Jason and Amy sent us the story below about how God is working in the home to bring comfort to their 6-year-old foster child.
The role of a foster parent has many ups and downs. Having only been at it a couple of weeks myself I have it on good authority from my foster parent friends!
But this past Monday evening we got to be a part of God’s work in our 6-year-old foster son, whom we call little J. After bath time each evening all six of us gather in Little J and (another child’s) room, tucked in to their beds we read aloud. This evening Jason read the story of Creation. He finished the story and I kissed little heads goodnight then went to put baby girl down for bed. Jason stayed as he does each night sitting next to little J’s bed waiting for him to fall asleep.
After a few moments of silence little J tells ‘dad’ very matter of factly, “I think I have something bad in my heart.” Jason asks him what he feels in his heart that is bad and he responds, “At my last two homes, I got real mad a lot, my heart would feel real sad.” Jason waited, listening closely. Little J continued, “Now here with you and mom I feel happy, but I still get mad and I don’t know how to get it out of my heart.”
Dad asked little J if he knew about Jesus. He had heard of Him. He asked if he knew that if you believe in Jesus and ask Him to come and live in your heart and be a part of your life then He will fight for you and you won’t have to be angry anymore, that He will never leave you and will be your protector from now on. Little J asked, “How does Jesus fight?” Dad responded, “With a double edged sword!” “COOL!” said little J. He was sold, he wanted Jesus on his side! He asked dad how he could get Jesus to be with him, and so together Daddy and little J talked and prayed! He fell asleep minutes later with a big smile on his face.
The next morning as I woke him up for school, he opened one eye to look at me and then said, “Mom, I believed in Jesus last night and now my heart is happy!” His teacher reported later that day that he had gone to school talking about what had happened the night before as well.
It amazes me, the heart of a six year old who has been conditioned by this world to be hard and unbreakable could melt before the Lord in just minutes! As a child he doesn’t question, he knows he needs a Savior and he believes in the goodness of our God! Then he goes off about his day telling everyone he can. Oh, to have the faith of a child! But on our end we got to be a part of a miracle, the best kind of miracle there is!
