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The
goal of the Arms of Love Foster Care
Program is to ensure that every child
has a safe, loving, Christian home to
reside in while they are unable to be in
their own home. |
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| Arizona
Baptist Children's Services
Volume
5 June, 2008 |
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Here’s a fun refreshing drink
to try this summer!
By
Yvette Grajeda
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HORCHATA DE ARROZ
(0R-CHA-TAH)
Horchata de arroz is also known
as rice water. It is a very
simple and refreshing drink I
remember having as a little girl
and I was always fascinated how
it was made…RICE??
2 Cups of rice
1 cup of sugar
2.5 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
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Wash your rice very well,
rinsing in clean water.
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Soak rice overnight, then rinse
rice one last time.
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Blend rice to make a soft paste,
add a little water if needed.
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Add water to the paste and put
in cinnamon stick.
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Stir and let it sit in a cool
place for 2 hours
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Add the sugar and stir until
completely dissolved.
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Strain the mix through a metal
mesh filter, repeat until the
strained liquid does not have
any particles left.
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Drink up!
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Fun Summer Plans with your Kids
By
Julee Aros-Thornton
Last year I bought a book titled “101
Places You Gotta See Before You’re 12!”
At the time Tyler was ten and twelve
seemed really far away. He’s eleven
now, and twelve is just nine months
away!! We’ve got a lot of ground to
cover if we’re going to conquer this
book, so as a family, we have decided to
get started this summer.
 Fortunately,
Arizona is a place where there are a lot
of sunny days and a lot of interesting
places to visit, and in leafing through
my book, there are a lot of things we
can get done right in our back yard.
Some of the things you just “gotta see”,
for example are #2 a Landfill…ooh, fun!
#3 an Artist’s studio, #6 a working
farm, #8 an animal rescue center, those
are here in Tucson. #26 a big cave!!
Anyone know the difference between a
Stalactite and a Stalagmite??? #28 Your
elected official’s office, sounds
educational! #33 a long trail, #71 an
archeological site, #86 a canyon or
gorge…I think we can find a “grand”
canyon nearby, don’t you? #93 a
people-watching place, and my favorite,
#96 the middle of nowhere! Most are
simple things that really don’t require
extensive traveling. My boys and I are
working on a photo journal this summer,
where we will take a gazillion pictures,
write about our summer adventures and
put it all together in a photo scrap
book. If you don’t have a 101 places
book, but are looking for fun things to
do this summer, try going online and
googling "summer activities for kids".
I found a ton of local things to do!
We’re going to be busy checking off
places from our list this summer. If
you and your family do something fun
that you’d like to share, please feel
free to email us. We’d love to see your
pictures…I collect postcards too (hint)!
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Announcements:
*Visit us Online!
Check out our
New Web Site!
Visit
www.abcs-tucson.org
and click "Foster Care" and then "Current Foster Families" for updated
information on upcoming events, trainings, and other
helpful information.
*Need a Mentor?
Interested in talking to another foster
parent for advice and encouragement? Ask
us about getting a mentor and we will
match you with someone who can help you
with your specific need.
*Share
your Story
Interested in
sharing an experience, story, word of
encouragement, fun activity, recipe
etc...in one of our e-newsletters?
Please contact Ashley at
ellingson@abcs-tucson.org.
*Suggestions
We would love to
hear your comments and suggestions,
please contact us with your feedback at
795-7541 or email your comments to:
ellingson@abcs-tucson.org.
Special Thanks
We want to recognize
Earth and Community Care
in the Park Place Mall for their
support of Arms of Love Foster Care
who not only have made a donation to
Arms of Love but will continue to
collect donations throughout the year.
If you visit Aveda in the Park Place
Mall, please be sure to thank them for
their support. |
Devotion
By Martha Escobar-Gil
I am not sure if any of you can
relate . . . I had been worrying
about such things as financial
uncertainty, family health,
relationship issues, car
troubles, parenting (the list
went on and on). Overwhelmed
with emotion one evening I cried
out to God and asked Him, “What
is your will for me Lord? What
am I supposed to do?”
Have you ever been there? Felt
overwhelmed with emotion and
worry? Well, God never ceases
to amaze me. He is always there
like a faithful father to remind
us of the wise counsel that is
found in His Word. 1
Thessalonians 5:16 says,
“Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, in everything give
thanks; for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Wow! He was pretty clear wasn’t
He? So the will of God for me
is to rejoice always, pray
without ceasing and in
everything give Him thanks.
Naturally, the flesh said to me,
“That is too simple, what am I
supposed to do with all of my
worries?” In order for me to
rejoice always, pray without
ceasing and in everything give
thanks, I must surrender the
rest to God. God reminded me
that I must humble myself before
Him in order to surrender the
rest to Him. 1 Peter 5:6-7
says, “Therefore humble
yourselves under the mighty hand
of God, that He may exalt you in
due time, casting all your care
upon Him, for He cares for you.”
As I meditated on those words
all I could think of was that
the problem was not the
stressors or impossibilities I
mentioned before, but that the
problem is that I go about my
worrying as if God is not big
enough or powerful enough to
handle my problems. Funny isn’t
it? God IS
big enough, strong enough,
powerful enough . . . He is the
Creator of the Heavens and the
Earth, and He created me, I did
not create myself! In order for
me to cast all my cares upon Him
I must humble myself under His
mighty hand. Casting our cares
upon Him is an act of humility.
All these years I thought it was
an act of irresponsibility. Boy
was I glad when that weight was
off my shoulders!
My prayer for you today is that
you would humble yourself before
God, that you would cast your
cares upon Him and then, rejoice
always, pray without ceasing,
and in everything give thanks,
for that is the will of God for
you, in Christ Jesus.
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Meet Julee Aros-Thornton
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Hello, I’m the one who
sends you reminders
about support group each
month! If you’re not
getting my emails, let
me know, and I’ll get
you on my list asap! I
am also a very proud
wife and mom. James and
I have been married for
almost 13 years, and
together we have three
amazing and very active
boys, Tyler 11, Jake 8
and Tanner 2 ½. We also
have two dachshunds,
Toulouse and Silas, and
are currently (jokingly)
a kinship placement for
my brother’s Boston
Terrier, Beaumont. I
have an older sister, an
older brother and a
younger brother…I am the
favorite ~smile~. I was
born and raised in
Tucson, and attended the
University of Arizona; I
have a Bachelor’s degree
in Family Studies. I
like to quilt with my
in-laws, camp, go on
road trips, and take
pictures. During
baseball season, you
will likely find my
family out at Kennedy
Park, as James and I are
on the Board of
Directors. We live
there, at the park, most
days of the week. Both
Tyler and Jake play
ball, and as Directors,
James and I are there to
help ensure things are
running well. It’s a
lot of work, but we love
spending time with our
children, our own and
our over 350 players and
their parents. As I
look back on my life, I
am amazed at how it all
has prepared me for
where I am today; how in
each life experience I
was being prepared to do
exactly what I’m doing
right this minute. Four
years ago I thought I
was right where I was
supposed to be, but felt
I could be doing more to
help children and their
families. I prayed that
God would open a door
where I could share my
faith and use the gifts
He had so graciously
blessed me with. In
2004, I attended a Block
Party at Emmanuel
Baptist, where my mother
and father-in-law
attend, and had no idea
it would be the
beginning of a new and
amazing journey. I met
Steve Hanna there and
after a brief
conversation with him,
he shared with me
(several days later),
that we didn’t meet by
chance. He had been
praying that God would
bring to ABCS someone
with my heart, my
experience, my talent…in
short, ME,
someone he had never met
before, to help in the
ministry. When he
called, I thought he was
crazy, but after A LOT
of prayer, I realized
too this was where I was
supposed to be. I don’t
know what God has in
store for me in the
future, but I know that
whatever it is, He’s
preparing me for it
right now, and when I’m
there, I’m going to be
able to say, this is
right where I’m supposed
to be.
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Favorite Dessert:
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Favorite Color:
Green
Favorite Verse:
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the
Lord with all your heart,
lean not on your own
understanding, in all your
ways acknowledge Him, and He
will make your paths
straight."
Favorite Movie:
The
Count of Monte Cristo
Favorite Meal:
Spaghetti
Favorite Starbucks Drink:
Venti, Mocha Frap with a
triple shot, extra
chocolate, extra
whip cream (but only on long days)
otherwise it’s a Venti,
Shaken Black Iced Tea, no
sweetner.
The first drink
was a joke!
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Training Day Recap
By Andrea Stuart
Arms of Love participated with six other
agencies in Pima County to put on the
Foster Parent Training Day. It was held
May 3, 2008 and was well attended by
about 150 foster parents. We had great
ABCS families in attendance and received
fantastic feedback. Judge Rubin began
the day with a keynote address about
foster parent involvement in the court
system. Tim Bee and Pete Hershberger
spoke in a lunchtime panel about
legislative issues surrounding foster
care. We received very positive
feedback about our breakout sessions
that included panels with birth parents
and foster youth and sessions conducted
by practitioners in the field. With the
great feedback and the way the day came
together well we are hoping to be able
to put the Training Day on again in the
future. A big thank you to everyone
who attended and the Foster Care Staff
who volunteered parts of their Saturday
to make the event successful!
Parent's Night Out Recap
By
Karen Rohret
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May
is Foster Parent Appreciation Month,
and there is no way for us to ever
express to you how much we
appreciate all you do for children!
On May 9th, we held a
“Parent’s Night Out” as a way to
show you how much we love and
appreciate you. We had volunteers
from churches across Southern
Arizona come help provide childcare
so that you, as parents, could spend
a night out alone. Some went to
movies, some enjoyed a quiet dinner
and some even had a surprise party!
The older kids stayed busy running
and playing for 3 hours straight.
We even had a little birthday
celebration for Yvette (complete
with a piñata…sorry about that
candy, I hope they shared!) We hope
the evening was a relaxing and
enjoyable time for you. We
appreciate you, and all that you
do. You are the hands and feet of
this ministry. Be sure to watch
your email for future events.
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 Sports Grant
We
received a grant from Tucson Conquistadors
to provide reimbursement for sports related
fees and
equipment
for children in care. We applied for the
grant because we know that this is usually
an expense for which the state does not
reimburse. We haven’t had the requests for
reimbursements that we expected and so we
wanted to send out a reminder to make sure
that all our families knew that this was
available.
It doesn’t take a lot of work on your part;
we just need a copy of a receipt. Expenses
can include registration fees, uniform or
equipment expenses or even things like
prescription goggles if a child needs them
for a particular sport.
If you have younger children in care and
you want to take them to a Tumbler's class,
for example, please give us the receipt.
The funding is restricted to foster
children. At this point we don’t have a
limit of reimbursement per family but may at
some point depending on interest. We are
able to reimburse for the later half of 2007
as well so if you still have receipts for
fall sports those can be submitted.
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Kinship
Foster Care
Mendoza Family
 Our
experience as a Kinship Foster parent is
rewarding not only for us as a family,
but for our niece as well. She was
originally placed in another foster
family home that had no children, but
she was not doing well. She was always
crying, except for when she was in day
care. The case worker at the time
called us to see if we
were still willing to take her. She told
us the situation she was in, and being
that we have four boys of our own, she
knew our niece would adapt well, and we
immediately told her "yes". It did of
course take her a few
days to get used to the new
environment. Our children started
calling her sister and made her feel at
home, they would comfort her when she
was sad and like any other siblings,
they would fight. She fit in well, many
people said that she seemed like part
of us already.
Our niece has been in our home since
June, 2007. She did not talk very
well when she came, she would whine,
which was hard for us to get used to,
but we too learned how to adapt to this
change. She is now thriving, talking
and is very expressive in what she
wants. Our niece loves to sing and
laugh and when she sees us she will run
to say "hi" and give us big hugs. She
calls the boys her brothers and loves to
play with them!
For those that are wondering what
struggles there are, just like with any
situation in life there are struggles.
All you have to remember is what is best
for the child, you just have to love
them and give the best you can and also
to help support the parents get through
these changes as well. Always remember
though to leave every situation in God's
hands, only He can get you through and
with Him all things are possible.
God Bless You,
The Mendoza Family
 ABCS, The Bigger Picture
By
Kathi Orr
When
you visit the Arizona Baptist Children’s
Office (ABCS) on Alvernon, you know that
the staff members are there to address
your needs. You probably also know that
the office offers Christian counseling,
free pregnancy tests and material
assistance. Did you know that the all
of the other Regional offices for ABCS,
except the office for Maricopa County,
are managed through the Tucson office?
There are offices in Yuma, Snowflake and
Kingman and pregnancy centers in Yuma,
Snowflake, Holbrook, Winslow, St. Johns
and Casa Grande.
Steve
Hanna is the Vice President of Regional
Operations and is responsible for the
statewide work except Maricopa. Kathi
Orr is the Assistant Director for the
Southern office and handles the finances
for the Southwest office in Yuma and the
Northwest office in Kingman. The
finances for the Southern office are
done in house and the Eastern office
handles their finances under Steve’s
direction and forwards the financials to
him. Ashley Ellingson manages the
websites statewide, oversees the
technology and software, designs
brochures and newsletters, handles
printing projects for the regions and is
the point person for Father/Daughter
Purity Balls across the state. Julie
Crawford is the Pregnancy Center
Coordinator for all of the pregnancy
centers in the state and also is the
liaison for project: HOPE, a sexual
integrity program for teens that is
available for youth groups and classes
in schools.
Sometimes it is helpful to see the full
scope of what God is doing. We are
sharing this “bigger picture” with you
so you can lift-up all of the ministries
of ABCS in prayer and be blessed by what
is happening.
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Training
Casa De Los Ninos
Training Series for Foster Parents
RSVP
to Chuck Chiverton at 624-5600 ext. 322
1101
N. 4th Ave. Main Conference Room
6:00-9:00p.m.
3
Credit Hours of Training
____________________________________________________
Mental Health Problems for Young Children
June
19th
Children Exposed to Neglect, Abuse and
Violence
July
24th
Sensory Integration and Regulatory Problems
in Young Children
August
28th 2008
Parenting and Discipline for Young Children
in Out of Home Placements
September
25th, 2008
More Training is listed on our web site,
www.abcs-tucson.org |
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If you do
not wish to receive this
newsletter, please write to
ellingson@abcs-tucson.org
and write
REMOVE FROM NEWSLETTER in the subject line.
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