Hope & Care, March 2019 edition

March 2019

& Family Ministries providing hope & care

hope & care

Quarterly Newsletter

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” - Matthew 25:40 2018 Highlights

82

decisions for Christ

440

pregnancy tests

86

adoptions

148,000

over food boxes distributed

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR We’re pleased to share that our status as a Qualifying Foster Care Organization has been renewed. There was a brief time that ABCS did not appear on the list of 2019 qualifying organizations as our eligibility was pending during the renewal process. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused. If you are still in the process of filing your 2018 taxes, you will need to use our QFCO Code 10007 when claiming the tax credit for a donation to ABCS or any of our seven ministries. Please call us at (800) 678-0648 with any questions.

The tax credit is a blessing. We are confident in the promise of Philippians 4:19 that God will meet all our needs, and wonder at all the ways he chooses to provide. Our hope for every supporter, whether donor, volunteer or partner, is to connect with you and share our mission so that you may see the impact you’re having on hurting children and families in your community. There are many ways to learn more about ABCS. I hope that you’ll join us in Phoenix at our upcoming Spring Fling Banquet Dinner on April 4, or at a Getting to Know Your ABCS event in either Tucson or Phoenix on April 13.

In Him,

56,235 hours

Spring Fling Banquet Dinner @ N. Phx Baptist April 4, 6:30 – 8:30 PM Join us for this free event as we share inspiring impact stories and celebrate what God is doing through ABCS. Email rsvp@abcs.org or visit abcs.org/springfling.

Getting to Know Your ABCS in Tucson or Phoenix April 13, 10:00 – 11:30 AM Join us for a ministry overview, tour and a short mission project. Email rsvp@abcs.org or call (800) 678-0648.

Grand Canyon Creation Tour; departs from Phx. April 27, Join Pursue Life Adult Ministry for this awesome outing for adults age 50+. pursuelifeaz.com Email mona@abcs.org.

We celebrate all that God did through the ministries of ABCS in 2018. There were 82 people who chose Pursue Life New Life to make Jesus their Lord and Savior. We Adult Pregnancy thank God for these new believers Ministry Centers and pray they grow in their faith.

Know that your support made the other ministry statistics and New Life Mission stories in this edition possible. & Family Ministries Transitional Encounter Thank you.

360

volunteers served

UPCOMING EVENTS

Steve Hanna Executive Director

New Life Counseling

7 Ministries | 1 Mission Providing hope and care to hurting children and families through Christ-centered ministries.

Foster Care & Parent Aide

Program

Community Resource Centers

ARMS OF LOVE FOSTER CARE & PARENT AIDE God Qualifies the Called A parent aide went to meet Eddy* for the first time. When Eddy woke up that morning to get ready to meet his parent aide for their first meeting together, he did not know that Jesus had a plan to rescue him from the deep shame and guilt that his life choices had brought upon him. The parent aide met Eddy bright and early with a smile as their time together began.

While discussing parenting, the topic of the Lord’s discipline came up in the conversation.

The parent aide reminded Eddy, “Just like a good father disciplines their children, God will correct the ones He loves. He will by no means allow His children to run from Him for long without intervening in their lives.” The truth was, Eddy would wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and verbally condemn himself because of the hopelessness of his present condition. Eddy was deeply grieved because his son was taken away by the Department of Child Safety due to his life choices. Eddy confessed to the parent aide that he had used heroin and methamphetamines to escape the feelings of despair that gripped his heart on a daily basis. Eddy went on to explain that he felt he would never be able to recover from the mistakes he had made.

It was at that moment that Jesus met Eddy right where he was at and loved him, despite his mistakes. The parent aide interjected with the words, “Let me tell you what the Lord says. God says there is no one too lost that I cannot find. There is nothing too broken that I cannot heal. I paid for all of your shame and guilt when I sent my one and only son to take your place on the cross. Jesus bled and died for your forgiveness and then rose again to give you a new life.” The words flowed like a river of life into the heart of this broken man.

Eddy began to weep. The parent aide reached out to him with open arms. The two men embraced each other as Eddy cried on the couch in the visitation room. The parent aide asked Eddy if he was ready to come back to God. He responded, “Yes. I need to come home today.” Then, the parent aide prayed with Eddy to receive Christ. By the grace of God, Eddy accepted Jesus as his Lord. Just before he left, Eddy said, “I feel so much different than when I came here today. The feeling is indescribable.

It is unexplainable. I am speechless.” We are grateful to be able to provide hope and care to people like Eddy, and to remind them that they are not a sum of their past mistakes. We give all of the glory to God for this new life in Christ. Thank you for your prayers for parent aide families who are working to rebuild their lives and restore their families.

Honoring Mothers Join ABCS in honoring all types of moms this Mother’s Day. As part of our ministry serving hurting children and families, ABCS recognizes the special role moms and mother figures play in their families. Posters and bulletin inserts are available to make it easy for your church to honor moms. Vidoes are available upon request.

Order free materials at abcs.org/MDO by May 1, and consider taking an offering at your church on Mother’s Day to benefit moms served by the ministries of ABCS. Offering envelopes will be provided.

* Names changed

abcsfostercare.com

Pray the Pray Many families say they could never “do foster care” because it would hurt too much to see children go back to less than ideal circumstances. While there is truth in this fear, there is also another way to view foster care. When families open their homes to children in the foster care system, their choice to serve allows these children to experience God’s love. We believe that the Church is God’s plan A to care for “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40), and that the call for Christians to care for orphans and widows found in James 1:27 is a mandate to His people.

A family of five originally expressed interest in fostering a newborn baby. The family later became aware of a sibling group of three who needed a home and went to school with their own children. This family could not turn a blind eye to their need, knowing that they could meet this need. The couple decided to put the children first, and changed their license from being able to foster just one child to being able to foster three children!

This was not an easy decision as it stretched their family in ways they never expected. The family faced difficult situations with their own children, their foster children, the birth family and everything in between. Despite the challenges, they firmly believed that they were supposed to care for these little ones and pressed on, “exhausted yet pursuing” (Judges 8:4).

Over time, the family started seeing positive changes that enabled them to make better connections with the children they were fostering. One of the boys asked to “pray the pray” at dinner. Later, he climbed into his foster mom’s lap and cried in her arms as she held him like a baby. One of the little girls, who had been teased at school, asked her foster parents to teach her how to tie her shoes and to quiz her on her spelling words so she would no longer be bullied. Their other little girl, who was at one point very angry and distant, began to warm up to her foster parents. She even asked them to keep her room set up for her “just in case” as she prepared to be transitioned home to her biological father.

One day, as the family prepared for the children to reunify with their biological family, the foster mom went into the children’s room to help them pack their bags and witnessed a very special moment. Three of the children, biological and foster, were huddled together praying! A little voice said, “We did it. We did the pray.” The children had prayed for departure from their current home and for Jesus to be with them in their new life, unprompted. The Arms of Love team is grateful for families who open their homes to children in foster care, and to witness lives changing as God moves in hearts.

Arms of Love Foster Care is a ministry of Arizona Baptist Children’s Services & Family Ministries. We are a licensing agency contracted by the state of Arizona to work with foster parents. Our goal is to develop and maintain open, supportive relationships with foster families as they serve hurting families with the love of Christ. We view foster care as a mission field and foster families as missionaries. Opportunities to show the love and hope found in Jesus are endless as families serve not only children, but all those involved in their lives. We encourage foster families to support and minister to the children’s birth families while they work to break destructive family cycles. Please visit abcsfostercare.com or call us at (800) 678-0648 for more information on how you can support children in foster care.

Spring FLIng Banquet Dinner in Phoenix

April 4, 2019 | 6:30-8:30 PM RSVP ABCS.org/SPRINGFLING

by March 28

NEW LIFE LIFE NEW life new PREGNANCY CENTER COUNSELING pregnancy center

newlifepregnancy.com |

MN nlpcAZ

A New Life Over the past few years, Ayla* has attended parenting classes and developed a good relationship with New Life Pregnancy Center staff and volunteers. Recently, she visited the center for a free pregnancy test. She had already taken a few at home tests and said she knew she was pregnant and was not happy about it. As she sat in the counseling office after receiving the news that her pregnancy test was positive, she explained how unhappy she felt about the prospect of caring for three little ones. She said she felt embarrassed that she was pregnant again so soon. In addition to her concerns, Ayla explained that her husband also wasn’t thrilled about another baby. He was concerned about their finances, especially because he had plans to return to school soon to further his education.

Ayla spent an hour with pregnancy center staff sharing her concerns. The staff encouraged her and prayed with her. As Ayla processed her feelings, she said she began to feel better about having a new baby on the way and said, “You guys have been so much help to me. I could not have done this without you.”

New Life Pregnancy Center helps to meets physical, emotional and spiritual needs of hurting families across Arizona. We are grateful for donors and supporters like you who make building relationships with moms like Ayla possible. It is because of God’s provision through your generous support that together we are able to provide hope and care in our communities. For more information about how you can support and serve mothers and families, please visit newlifepregnancy.com.

A Difficult Delivery Hanna* was faithful to come to the Tempe New Life Pregnancy Center for parenting classes throughout her pregnancy. She recently told the center staff that her pregnancy was becoming complicated and she was very worried about her health and the health of her little baby. Although Hanna has never identified as a Christian, she allowed the center staff and volunteers to pray for her.

One morning, Hanna’s close friend came to class without her. She said that Hanna was at the hospital ready to deliver, but there were problems. The center staff and volunteers stopped what they were doing and joined hands with Hanna’s friend. Together, they prayed for the safety of Hanna and her baby. Throughout the week the staff continued to pray daily for Hanna and her little one.

After a long hospital stay for both mother and baby, Hanna came back to New Life Pregnancy Center with her beautiful newborn baby in a carrier on her chest. She cried, “There were so many problems, and then when I went home I began to bleed uncontrollably. They took me to the hospital. I really thought I was going to die. Even today, standing here, it is hard to believe that I am still living.” Holding her hands, the pregnancy center director said, “Oh, my friend, how sincerely we prayed to God for you! It was the will of God that you would live because here you are with your sweet baby.” Together they praised God for His incredible power and mercy in saving her life and the life of her baby.

Hanna is still easily tired and will need more time to recover. The staff assured her they would help her as much as they could. After giving Hanna many needed supplies for her newborn, they embraced each other with tears and thanked God for His kindness. Please pray for mothers and families who are in need of extra support. If your church would like to collect an offering on behalf of mothers like Hanna, please see the information about our traditional ABCS Mother’s Day Offering.

1779 N. Alvernon Way | Tucson, AZ 85712 | (800) 678-0648 | abcs.org |

M N P V ABCSministries