Six things I learned at the CAFO Summit

So, I have the honor and privilege of serving on the board of an awesome ministry called OneHope27 who desires to bring the hope of Christ to kids in foster care. Last week, they invited me to attend a conference called the CAFO Summit (Christian Alliance For Orphans). Basically it is a gathering of people who want to make an impact in the lives of orphans & foster kids through the local church in US & around the world.

It was incredible.  We heard amazing stories of how God has miraculously changed the course of people's lives through orphan care ministries and Godly people. From a Ukrainian orphan to a foster kid from Oklahoma. We heard from pastors, ministry leaders and even the adoptees - it was amazing to hear their stories of how God rescued them from becoming another statistic. 

My heart was moved and my brain is finally catching up to processing all the wonderful things God revealed to me there. Here are some of my take-a-ways/dreams for foster & adoptive families, birth families, the "system" & how I see the church can impact these. 

1) Dreaming for "more than enough" resources and loving families for foster kids in our zip code. (Jason Weber)  

I personally have the tendency to focus on what God could be doing instead of expecting Him to blow my mind. I know God is capable of amazing things, but it will help me to encourage others when I dream about God meeting more than what the kids in Milwaukee need instead of just focusing on reaching the bare minimum. 

2) Providing a care comminity for families in the trenches & providing hands-on support to allow foster & adoptive families to thrive. (Johnna Stein - Promise686 & Danielle from Arizona 1.27)

I LOVE the idea of figuring out a way to provide foster & adoptive families with a team of people who are devoted to providing them with meals, time, support, encouragement & resources. Both Johnna & Danielle have some awesome ideas & resources on how to do that in very different ways.  It was helpful to explore their visions for their ministries and hear about what God is doing in their states.  

3) Knowing our corner - doing the proper research to understanding the demographics & statistics in our zip code so we can impact them with an understanding of the people we are serving. (Chelsea Geyer DC127)

OneHope27 already has a great understanding of our community, but I personally do not. I was excited about the idea of finding as many statistics and demographic info so we can best serve Milwaukee county - which feels overwhelming, but is extremely necessary.  This idea has laid a burden on my heart to wrap my brain around the people that make up the city & foster care system here.  

4) Equipping Trauma Informed Churches - bringing awareness & training Children's Ministries to provide a loving, safe place for kids with trauma. (Ryan North & also Jane Schooler)

Our church - Epikos - has been an amazing resource for us.  Our Children's ministry team loves our kids & the directors & staff try to never call us so Ben & I can worship without interruption. I was listening to these speakers wondering if I could find/provide resources to churches in how to love kids with hard pasts & trauma.  Helping the church volunteers to learn the difference between behavior & coping. This one also really got my wheels turning. Not only for Epikos, but any church who would desire this resource in our area.

5) Finding more people who want to become a caring adult in a kids' life. (Josh Shipp)

Josh Shipp is an awesome speaker & had so much to offer us as a former foster kid.  His challenging words were incredible. I am grateful I got to hear his story & learn how caring adults (who are IMPERFECT) can help change a child's life. I know we will need a lot of caring adults to walk alongside our kids as they grow up & I am excited to keep processing what this looks like since it is such a large part of God's heart for kids.

6) The gospel & adoption go hand in hand. (James Yim)

I will never be able to do justice to what I heard James & the other pastors say on the panel last Thursday night, but the incredible passion he had and how he simply explained the link between adoption and the gospel was beautiful.  He reminded me that God is obviously at the heart of adoption - We know God is about adoption because He first adopted us. 

I'd love to share more about what I learned at the conference, but thought sharing a few key moments here would help me look back and remember what God is revealing to me.