A New Care Center

While we were on furlough, there were countless times we were asked what happens when you have a child at Beautiful Gate that is over the age of 5. Our answer has been that we do our very best (or should I say our social worker does her very best) to get the children reunified to an appropriate family member or we try to get them adopted either locally or internationally. In a few instances, these options just do not work. Since I have been here, we have only transferred 3 children out of our facility. One to another care center where he had some siblings and two to foster care (which is not really set up well in this country yet). All others we have held onto longer than their 5 years until they have been adopted.
Unfortunately, we have several children who are over the age of 5 and have reasons that they are unable to be cleared for adoption or because of their age (7 and 8) and special needs they have not been matched after several times of being in a matching meeting. It is painful to realize that our care facility cannot provide what these kids need. They need a mother who can care for them, help them with school work and meet their growing emotional needs. Our house mothers are very busy working with all the infants and toddlers in their homes that the needs that our older children have are having to be overlooked, not by choice or lack of caring but by lack of time.
While Bryan and I were away on furlough, plans have been worked out through a local church and a local ministry which has a good relationship with Beautiful Gate and they are opening a care center focused on children 6-18 years old. They are working very hard in trainings and getting their home ready for some children and will be opening officially next week. 4 of our children will be transferring into this new care center. Benno (who took over for us while we were on furlough) has been working with them to help this transition to go very smoothly and has some plans for visitations in the next few days so they can meet their new mother and see their new home.
We are excited to have another wonderful care center that we can trust to give the same quality care to our children. We are sad for them that they will never be adopted into a family of their own, but we trust God that He will help this new mother to be the mother that can meet all their needs physically, emotionally and most importantly spiritually.