By Deena Murray
CORONA, California--About the time the church was going through its changes, my husband, Robert, and I were going through personal changes.
We had decided to become foster parents. With no children of our own, we wanted an opportunity to share God's blessings with someone else.
Our first set of three siblings, ages 12 months, 4 and 5, came to live with us. God was good and started us out gently with children who had no behavior problems. Their mom was a substance abuser who quickly turned her life around and within a year her children were reunited with her.
That was five years ago and we still keep in touch with the family, who moved to Texas. They are Christian and attend church regularly.
Then the second set of four siblings, ages 18 months, 2, 4 and 9, arrived. Their mom too was a substance abuser and young. This group presented some serious challenges. The 4-year-old boy was angry. Once he trusted us, he took all of his rage out on us. He rarely spoke and seemed depressed, and we were told that because of possible brain damage he might never learn to read or progress.
Daily we dealt with him spitting on us, hitting, kicking, breaking things, screaming profanity, pulling his hair out, and hating us. God reminded us "that a soft word turns away wrath" and we continually told this little boy we loved him each time he would lose control. We prayed for him and over him, and asked for God's healing mercy on this child.
With time and love he progressed. He began talking. He loved to get new shoes and would bubble with excitement. I will never forget the day I heard him in the shower singing "Awesome God." It was the beginning of his responding with a changed heart. He did go on and learn to read and develop normally.
Through the two and a half years these four lived with us, we had regular contact with their mother and were able to help her through some difficult times. She eventually went through rehabilitation and her children were reunited with her on Thanksgiving Day. She has turned her life around and is working full time, raising her children, and has a personal relationship with Jesus. We see them regularly and they all continue to be a part of our family.
We have had six siblings living with us for the last two and a half years. Their ages are 10 (twins), 9, 8, 7 and 5. They come from an abusive situation. One of the first lessons we had to teach them was how to hug. One came crying to me and I sat and comforted him by putting my arms around him. I then literally had to show him how to respond by placing his arms around me.
One of the boys told me that an older teen sister had taught him to pray. She had learned how from some girlfriends at her junior high school. The only problem was they didn't know who God was. He even remembered being told by someone "Jesus loves you" and feeling uncomfortable because he didn't know who Jesus was.
About six months after he had been living with us, the light bulb came on and I remember driving home from church one day and having him exclaim from the backseat, "Now I know who Jesus is!"
We have seen the power of relationships in our evangelizing. Each child and each parent has responded because of God's love flowing through us to them. We knew we would affect the children who lived in our home, but we never realized the effect we would make on their parents and their extended family, by encouraging and being kind and decent to them when everyone else had labeled them losers.
We have also seen the impact of our church on all the children. Each one has said that going to church is one of their favorite things.
If you have the heart for this type of evangelism, please contact a foster agency. Please feel free to contact Bob or Deena Murray at 1-909-473-0143 or send e-mail to us at BDMurray@peoplepc.com
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