Family Doesn't Have to be Blood Related

        You might read the title and think "what is she talking about? She is crazy." Even though that statement is true in so many ways, I'm not crazy when it comes to the title. I thought a lot about what that meant and where God has me in my life right now. Yes, I want to marry and have my own family someday if God is willing but if I look around me now I have a family, 2 different ones at that.
          Last night at church, I felt loved and like I needed to be there. Now you think I'm going to start talking about how a church can be a family. Well, you are wrong there too. I did feel loved there more then I have in awhile. I will admit. I about stepped out on a limb but held myself back for a few more weeks. It was "Compassion Sunday" for my church. That is where we have a grown up that was raised with the help of Compassion International come speak at our church and then we have the chance to sponsor a child.
          I have a child that I have sponsored since she was 6 years old and now she will be 16 this year in April. She lives all the way in the Philippines. Yet God has put on my heart ever since I was young and started to sponsor her to go on a trip with Compassion and meet the child that I sponsor. Yes, I will admit Philippines is to far away for me but I just thought how neat it would be to sponsor a girl way out there when I picked her. Yet, while it would be nice to go to that country, I need to go someplace closer.
           I have been looking at their website for a Guatemalan child for the past few months now. Just to see what I had to "pick" from and I sort of kept up to date that way too. God touched my heart last night after the message and everything changed after the service. I did go to one of the tables and got me a picture of a Guatemalan girl. Her birthday is in Dec. like mine and she is 5 years old again. Did I mention she live in Guatemala. The place that is dear to my heart too since I have been there 2 times. This time, when the timing is right, I will go visit her and see what Compassion really does. That ministry has been close to my heart ever since I was in high school. They are all about Child development and that is my degree.
           I feel like a "mom" with children across the seas that I haven't even met yet. That is one of my families, my overseas family. The other family is the children I work with here in the states. The ones I take care of for 45 days. The ones I get to see the changes happen in and through them. The ones that I get to care for and teach. Yes, I might get to sponsor the 2 girls for years to come but I get to see the differences in the children where I work. I know I say this but a lot can happen in just for 45 days when taken care of.
            I keep saying I want to be a foster mom when I have the chance but in a way God is already doing that in my life. I'm a foster mom to a Philippienen, Guatemalan, and 100+ of Arkansan children. God truly has BLESSED me in my life so far but yet it took a Compassion church service for me to see that. See that I am really LOVING on these children like I should be and if not more. I will admit I need to write to my girl overseas a lot more this year because 16 years old can be such a hard year deciding what to do with life.
             I just have this feeling that God wants me to stay in this ministry somehow. It is so rewarding but yet so hard. I want to do more for the foster children here in the states but what? God and time will tell. I just have to get past my physical being of sleepiness and other things and just remember what it does for my spiritual being. It is AMAZING!
            FAMILY DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BLOOD RELATED WHEN YOU ARE IN IT FOR GOD!   Might be a strange way to look at it but GOD IS THE FATHER OF THE ORPHANS. Get it?