Will You Pray For Us?

Praise:

• All client beds are full (DD)
• Had a successful reunification and we had a young person be able to transition to a kinship home (TFC & FRD)
• Praise all of our clients and staff have remained healthy. Please pray that this continues.
• We recently heard from one of our prior TFC youth’s adoptive family who share the youth had just lost her first pet since being adopted by the family. The youth began demonstrating one of her old long drawn out meltdowns and when the adoptive father looked at the adoptive mother and said “what are we going to do” the adoptive mother said “I am going to go hug on my daughter.” As the adoptive mother hugged on her and reminded her of their love for her and compassion about her loss the daughter quickly regulated and calmed in her mother’s arms. Connection, permanency, stability and many other qualities makes healing. Praise the Lord. (FRD & TFC) 
• Praise in that we recently got both of our DD houses (Country Haven and Branches) together for a night of fun games and worship. The event was amazing to see our two houses arrive separately but within a matter of moments they all began interacting and encouraging one another throughout the event. There was much laughter and smiles. We are so thankful for all the volunteers that helped including our own Amy Johnson who assisted with the recreation component. We also had outside volunteers in that four students from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar came and led the praise and worship time. Wow that was just amazing to see their love for Jesus and to see our clients worshiping their Father. (DD)

Staff:

• Please pray that we will find a full-time staff member for our FRD / TFC position. (FRD)
• Please pray that our FRD program in Peculiar can grow allowing for more children and youth to be served by our staff and Christian families in this area. (FRD)

• Please pray that the Eggley’s retirement transition at the Branches will go smoothly and that replacements can be found quickly for their vacancy. (DD)

• Please pray for our Branches facility that appropriate staff will be located for a current vacancy. (DD)

• Please pray for both of our facilities that we can locate part-time Residential Specialists to partner with us to meet the needs of our clients and that our clients will grow connections with new staff. (DD)
• Pray for our full-time open staff position at the Branches. (DD)
• Pray for our part-time open staff positions at Branches and Country Haven. (DD)
• Pray for our current staff within DD ministries. Several have had or been exposed to COVID 19. Pray that our clients can continue to remain healthy. (DD)
• Pray that our staff can engage our clients creatively in activities that ensure their health and safety through this winter cold season. (DD)
• Please pray for several openings that we have in the agency at our Springfield Office, Hutchens Campus in Mt. Vernon, our Byrne Campus in Peculiar, and our Lowe-Frillman Campus in St. Louis. If you or anyone you know is interested in working with children, please review the openings on our website and contact our HR Department.  (CFM)
• Please pray for staff with health issues.
• Pray for our newest FRD/TFC applicant that they can finish the homestudy and be matched with a youth.  Pray that we can fill all of our open TFC beds with healthy matches.  
• Please pray for one of our FRD families who has been ministering to a sibling set of four for over two years. This family has been approved to adopt this sibling set but the two oldest continue to struggle with their trauma requiring residential. Recently the oldest who had been reunited with his siblings from a residential stint has returned to a residential across the State. Pray that these children can get the assistance they need and the family will be able to make decisions about the adoption while considering all four children’s needs.
• Pray for our TFC kiddos who are experiencing case worker changes. It seems so many of our youth are having multiple changes with case workers which makes it hard for them to connect.
• Prayer for smooth transitions to our changing staff scheduling and that we find quality mission minded applicants to fill the spots in our DD houses.
• We continue to need more families and referrals that match our open beds in TFC. Please pray that we find the people being called for these positions.
• Jamie Jones is one of the SW Missouri maintenance men.  His son is currently in desperate need of our prayers as he is in the ICU on a ventilator.  This is going in to the second week and Jamie has reached out for prayers for his son Brian.
• Please pray for Employees and Families who are dealing with Covid-19.
• Please pray for several of our staff and/or family members who are dealing with physical health issues. (CFM)
• Please pray for several of our staff who are pursuing graduate degrees while also working full time. (CFM)
• Please pray for staffing at The LIGHT House as we work to fill critical vacancies.  (LH)
• Prayer for staff as they work together to provide support to each other while filling open positions in the homes
• Prayer to be able to fill open positions with the persons that God want in those roles.
• Dawn C. requests prayer for her niece, Taylor. For Taylor with adjusting to a new living environment and to improve relationship with her mom and family.

Clients:

• Please pray for a family who recently took placement of a 17 year old foster youth. (FRD) 

• Please pray for a Country Haven resident recently underwent hip surgery and continues to recover. Please pray for the client and the loved one to determine when it is best for the client to return to Country Haven.(DD)

• Please pray for a Country Haven resident who is looking for a new place that will better meet his needs. Also pray that a new resident can be located when the timing is right. (DD)
• Please pray for one of our youth that will be exiting the TFC program that he will be successful as he steps down to a career foster placement. (TFC/FRD)
• Pray for our 2 TFC kiddos whose teams are trying to figure out their next step towards permanency. (TFC)
• Pray for our current open beds that the right youths will be identified for those beds. (FRD)
• Pray for our foster kids who have so much trauma that it is difficult for them to feel safe in any placement.
• Pray for the clients in our Pregnancy Services who have to make daily decisions about paying the rent or buying food.
• Please for one of our residents, they ask for prayer in controlling their anger and help with identifying when they feel overwhelmed. They also asked for prayer with controlling their other emotions. 
• Please pray for the safety and stability for our families and kids.
• Please pray for our child who has extreme medical issues has recently made great strides and is ready to move from the hospital to a foster home when one is located.
• Please pray for our kids with severe trauma- difficulty in finding placements that can meet their needs.
• One resident is asking for prayer regarding her mental health, specifically dealing with postpartum depression.
• Prayer that our one client who still needs to begin working at her workshop gets an open spot soon.
• We have one young lady at Branches who is still waiting on her work assignment at the local sheltered workshop and workshop is on a hiring freeze. (DD)
• Please pray for our schools, teachers, and children as decisions are made about this school year.
• One resident is asking for prayer for their depression, hoping that it will subside as well as for better sleep. (LH)
• Another resident is asking for regarding being the best mom they can be. (LH)
• Pray for our foster kids and their families as they transition to a new Family Foster Care Specialist.
• Pray for our 2 yr. old foster boy who is making significant progress in his health but still has some very invasive surgeries ahead of him.
• Pray for one of our foster families and their children as they deal with some very significant personal issues.
• One of our mom’s is asking for prayer that she will be able to complete her HiSet and will be able to get child support from the baby’s father.
• Another resident is a stressed about being a mom and asked for prayer that she will be the best mom that she can possibly be.
• One resident is asking for prayer to ease anxiety, learn skill of giving care to others, felt safety with bedtime
• One resident is asking for prayer because they just found out that dad is in jail, adjust to new living environment
• One resident is asking for prayer to adjust to new living environment, improve relationship with mom
• One resident is asking for prayer to be able to transition well to a new foster home in the coming weeks. For her mom and dad, and for her to get to see them again.
• One resident is asking for prayer for their step-dad, mom, sister, and Kathy. For good health and all of them to stay faithful.
• One resident is asking for prayer for their step-dad makes a good recovery from surgery. To adjust to new living environment.

Foster and Relative Parents: 

• Please pray for our newest TFC family and youth that they will transition well. Specifically pray this week for the family’s and youth’s safe travels to and from as well as while at church camp. (TFC)
• Please continue to pray for recruitment opportunities to grow our FRD/TFC ministry in the Jackson/Cass Counties area. (TFC/FRD)
• Please pray for our FRD program as they are working with two new families that have begun the licensing process. (TFC/FRD)
• Pray that these families will remain called to the TFC ministry, will become licensed, and receive appropriate placements. (TFC/FRD)
• Pray for our two new families who are beginning training in February. (TFC)
• Pray for our TFC mom who is pregnant that she will deliver a healthy baby. (TFC)
• Please pray for our Foster Parents as they work to help our kids who have been through unspeakable traumas.
• Please pray for kids and biological parents who won't be able to spend the holidays together this year.
• Please pray for parents who struggle with mental health and substance abuse issues
• Pray for the families of our clients who are facing their own traumas and fears.
• Please be in prayer for our agency as we seek to find relatives to care for children/youth in state custody and as we seek to recruit foster parents to care for children/youth.  These children are in desperate need of a home where they will find love and care.  Please pray that God will help us find new ways to reach out to potential relative foster parents and foster parents.  If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a foster parent, please call 1-800-264-6224 and ask for Intake.  
• Please pray for Families to accept the calling and commit to being foster parents for teens who are waiting for placements.

Misc.:

• Please pray for more families to join the TFC program
• Pray for God to provide the financial resources needed to care for hurting children. Our Regional Representatives are currently unable to speak personally in churches or make visits to donors.
• Pray for children who are at greater risk of abuse during these days when families are under great stress.
• COVID-19: Pray that God will intervene in the global pandemic and bring healing to our world. Pray for individuals and businesses who are struggling financially because of the pandemic. Pray for churches as they find alternative ways to worship and minister.