Grace, Mercy & Miracles

My passion and purpose to protect the innocent children from the evils of abuse and neglect allowed me the opportunity to help the state of Arizona create the first Child Placement Facility in 2015.  I worked with the Director of the Department of Child Safety and the founders of the nonprofit Childhelp to provide a safe, comforting place for children to stay after being removed from unsafe homes.

At the time, our state was tapped out of financial resources, foster families, group homes and emergency shelters, because the issue of child abuse and neglect was at a massive high and increasing every month.  The number of children in state foster care in January 2016 was around 21,000, but the state also had a backlog of cases that were around 17,000, and the Department of Child Safety was under new leadership that was forced to expose the mess that had been swept out of sight by former leadership.

Things did not look hopeful for the future of our state’s most vulnerable lives, and at the rate that children were moving into state custody, the entire future of our state and nation was in grave danger.  I considered how it would look as those kids all moved into adulthood, and I knew that this was not going to be resolved without divine intervention.

“For thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49:25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I talk a lot about what happened in our state Foster Care System, because it is something that all people should understand in order to see changes in every area of our communities around the nation and world right now. The miracles that have taken place in Arizona since 2015 can’t be disregarded as simply luck or contributed to one or two people, but they are evidence of God’s powerful presence and supernatural intervention.

We needed our state to receive more than a just the heat of a scorching sun the summer of 2015.  We needed the fire of God’s Holy Spirit to spark an awakening of love and unity in the people that would turn hearts from self-focused to selfless acts of mercy and kindness. We needed a love revival in the hearts of the churches and the people.

I poured out my heart Day after day in prayers and I asked God to pour out blessings like never before in all of the lives of the people around the Valley. I wanted people to be aware of the awesome love that God had for them, and to know that all things were possible no matter how difficult the current situation appeared. The people would have laughed at me if they knew what I was believing for and what I was asking God to do, but I didn’t share my prayers or hopes with people, because I needed to believe and not be discouraged or doubt that God could do all that I was asking.

I literally poured out all that I had over and over to those in need. I gave everything, because I wanted to see good for all people, and I thought if everyone received blessing, how could anyone be mean and hurt others? I don’t know if that worked in all the areas that I was hoping to see changes, but I know it will all pay off someday.

Three years later those prayers are still producing fruit and growing into a beautiful future for the children that previously only knew the worst that life had to offer.

The Arizona Department of Child Safety is now considered one of the best in the nation. The number of children in state foster care DECREASED by around 7,000 kids, and 17,000 backlogged cases is now ZERO. The number of kids needing placements ZERO. It should also be mentioned that many group homes were closed and many licenses were revoked for the treatment of the children, and many workers were replaced with people that put the safety of kids as the top priority. The leaders of our state legislature turned from blaming and withholding needed funding, to listening and finding ways to help the crisis. The number of children continues to decrease each month for kids in state care, but before 2016 the numbers had significantly increased every single year for seven years straight.

There is still a need for loving foster families everywhere, but if God hasn’t called you to foster children, He has called us all to pray for these children in crisis, as well as their families and the workers that care for them and suffer great persecution for it.

Even if your prayer is just to ask God to provide loving families or surround them with people that can bring hope and light to every child so they know they are loved, that is doing something, and we ALL should do something.

These kids that age out of foster care are in great need of support and mentoring, so they can thrive and not be left behind struggling alone on the streets. I have met numerous adults that live on the streets that came from the foster care system. This shouldn’t be, and it is a sign of the hearts of the people.

Let our love be true and our hearts be pure.

If you would like to help or know more about the issues of child abuse and neglect, fostering, and prevention programs that are available for communities around the nation and world, please visit

Childhelp.org

If you would like to help with prevention of sex trafficking of children, please visit

SharedHope.org

If you would like to learn about AZ Foster Care mentoring opportunities, please visit

CanyonStateAcadmey.com

Or AZHope.com

You can also visit DCS.AZ.gov