How Christmas Happened

There is no secret as to "how Christmas happened" for 39 children and 11 adults.  It's a smattering of volunteers and kind people who give of their time and treasure to help others.

This is my mother.  She is surrounded by gifts and looking like Mrs. Claus because she (along with a number of other volunteers that are called the Nicole Sellers Safe Family Christmas Committee) dedicated their time and energy to providing Christmas gifts to 50 adults and children this holiday season.  

Pam Nevins preparing to deliver Christmas gifts!

Phew!  It's a tough job but somebody has to do it!  

Well…actually that's not true.  No one really has to do it.  

We are fortunate to have a team of people who want to do it.  

 Gift Giving Trees

This 'Christmas Committee' was formed in the spirit of Nicole Sellers who left this earth too early and dedicated her short life to helping children.  This incredible committee consists of Nicole's mother, sister and sister-in-law: Priscilla, Dawn and Vanessa Sellers as well as Jill Keller, Cherie Ritz, Teri Weiss and Pam Nevins (aka Mrs. Claus).  These ladies made adorable trees and acquired all of the names, ages, sizes and requests for each of the families Safe Families has served in the past year, then partnered with 3 local churches and 1 credit union to provide gifts for our families.  These ladies are awesome and we are so VERY thankful for their hearts and their help!  They also made these sweet little trees to display at our partner churches which included Fall Creek Christian, Ovid Community Church and Markleville North Christian Church.

Gift Giving Trees

One such family that was blessed this year was a single mom raising a new baby and 2 young boys on her own.  This mom is starting her life fresh and moved into a new but tiny apartment just a few weeks before Christmas.  Having hardly any furniture to speak of and a 40+ work week didn't leave much time or resources to provide gifts for her children this Christmas.  Along with gifts for herself and each of her children, she was also provided with some furniture, clothing donations, and two tubs full of household items thanks to the Christmas Committee and a random bunch of people who volunteered their time, their trucks, their resources and their hearts to our families in need.

This year our Christmas Committee got some extra help rounding up all those presents.  Safe Families was fortunate to be contacted by the Independent Federal Credit Union in Anderson, asking if they could adopt some of our families for Christmas this year.  

Why, yes!  Yes you can!

Annie is a single mother working full time to support her 5 children.  The space between the bottom of her Christmas tree and her living room floor won't be so empty this year, thanks to our friends at Independent Federal Credit Union in Anderson.  IFCU sponsored three of our families this year, bringing an incredible amount of joy to these kids whose every day lives are a struggle.  After Christmas, Annie said "They absolutely adored the gifts.  Thank you all so much!"

Bobbi, Rita, Carol and many others at IFCU shopped, bought and wrapped gifts for 14 children and 4 adults this year.  This was a huge blessing, thank you for all your help IFCU!

The employees at IFCU, Anderson

That is how Christmas happened for our families in Madison County.  Is God good to us or what?  

Actually, there's one more really great story I have to share with you.  It involves a Grandmother, a 5 year old and cans.

The Friday before Christmas, a friend of mine called saying he had some good news.  I will call this person Jason Kistler in order to not protect his identity.  Jason then proceeded to tell me this story:

"My son and I were in a store, and he was wanting every toy in the store, like any 5 year old kid.  I tried to explain to him that some kids didn't get a lot of stuff for Christmas.  So he and I decided to do a fundraiser.  We collected cans and scrap metal from around town and I'm really happy to say we got over $500 in donations.  So… now we're looking for a family.  My son would really like to pick out some gifts for 1 or 2 boys and deliver them himself.  I really want him to understand that not every kid has all the things that he has.  Do you know of anyone we can help out this Christmas?"

I was so so so touched by this story.  I quickly thought of a family that would be a great fit; a family consisting of 3 children ages 6, 5 and 3 who are raised full time by their weary Grandmother.

The Tuesday before Christmas this little guy hand delivered a trunk FULL of gifts to all three of these kids.  

Hudson Kistler

Hudson's family and the 3 kids!

This Grandmother responded so sweetly saying, "I can't believe that total strangers got me gifts too…Hudson has a wonderful family.  Thank you so very much."

And THAT is how Christmas happened for our families in Madison County.  It happened the same way everything else happens -- by people stepping forward to help people.  

Thank you to our incredible Christmas Committee, Independent Federal Credit Union, and the families that stepped forward to help other families directly.  Our families were doubly blessed this Christmas!  I can't think of a better way to show others that they are loved and cared for by a good God in heaven, than showing tangible love from God's people on the birthday of the One who showed us how to love in the most excellent way.  

#WhyWeHost Reason #2: Because We Didn't Close Him Out

This host family story is special.  Rhonda and Stan Angermeier were one of the first families in Madison County to step forward and say "Yes" to the call of hosting children in their home.  I remember reading through their application, amazed at this families' story.  Early in their marriage, Rhonda and Stan decided to live below their means in order to allow space in their lives for God to use them… and has He ever used them!  Before becoming a host family, Rhonda and Stan adopted two sweet girls from China.  Their oldest daughter, Qiao, was adopted at age 4 with a diagnosis of retinoblastoma.  Much to their surprise, Qiao's eyesight deteriorated quickly and she went completely blind only 3 months after her adoption was final.  The heartache this family endured was steep, but it didn't stop them from continuing to allow God to use them and be a blessing to others.  

The Angermeier's were approved at rapid speed for a placement need that came in practically overnight.  They agreed to take in a baby for one month, but were prompted to serve two young boys instead.  After some thought, they agreed and this family became a place of peace and rest for two young boys that desperately needed it.  In their home,  they paid careful attention to the emotional needs of these boys and watched them blossom into sweet, playful children.  The space this family left in their life has been filled in ways that cannot be measured.

Stan, Allean, Rhonda & Qiao Angermeier

"Why did our family chose to be a host family?  There are so many answers to that question -- because both our daughters required some else to care for them for a time, because we understand how healthy experiences can help to heal the brain of traumatized children, because God had provided an extra room in our home…but, the main reason was because we felt God tug at our hearts and we didn't close Him out. We haven't always made that decision (the one to obey, to listen to the still small voice), but when we have, God has always blessed us.  We have learned to that to say no to God is to say no to an opportunity--an opportunity to know Him better, to learn His ways, to see His best.  Hosting two sweet little boys (even for a short time) has had an impact on us, and our children.  I've watched the prayer life of our daughters deepen as they pray for the real needs of another child.  Likewise, we have grown in our understanding and expectations of how God works.  God's call is never without a stretch, a little discomfort, but the rewards are always worth the light and momentary troubles."
--Rhonda and Stan Angermeier, Host Family

Wow!! God Did It... Through YOU!

We are ecstatic.  This is really great…. we MADE OUR GOAL!  You gave $10,000 for Safe Families for Children of Madison County.  

We would like to extend a heart felt THANK YOU to our generous donor's who have stepped forward not only to making this a successful campaign, but to change lives right here in our own back yard.

Each of you are a part of something much bigger than just giving to a non-profit organization. You are empowering people to help other people and believing that God made us to do this work. You are allowing those who have stepped up to this mighty call to be the hands and feet of Jesus and serve families in crisis in our community.You are supporting the Church's ability to:

"Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.  Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."  
Psalm 82:3

You are keeping a Movement moving.

And for that, we say

God is doing great things in Madison County, through the hearts and hands of benevolent people, businesses and churches.
A special thanks goes out to the following people for their contribution to this effort:

Pam and Larry Nevins
Ryan Flegel
Annie Nichols & Family
Amanda Day & Family
Jennifer Overshiner & Family
Kristin and Eric Stayer
Hillary and Owen Nevins
Steve Voss
Luke and Jessee Nevins
Chris and Sara Richardson
Ryan Snider
Ken and Linda Johnson
Gregg Zion
Amanda Pippin & Family
Lisa DeLey
Bryan Williams
Angie Mollenkopf
Jeff and Kelly Seal
James W. Lewis
Megan Wolfe
Chad and Amy Lukens
Joe and Barbara Clark
Mary Harvey
Walter and Betty Copeland
Kyle Hupfer & Family
John Perkins/Flyover Enterprises
Jake & Arin Anderson & Family
Janice Stamper & Family
Jen Brawner/Kelly Crockett

and our anonymous donors
K.R.
K.B.
C.C.
P.F.
C.A.
A.W.
J.N.
S.G.
N&L D.

Matching Fund Donors:
Bryan Williams and Lisa DeLey
Howard, Dudley and DeLey
Angela Sims
Tom Hamer
Jimmy McDole
Scott and Jana Kemper
Bruce and Mary Ellen McDonald
Park Place Church of God
Pendleton Christian Church
Markleville North Christian Church

Also, thank you to Andria Pilkington for allowing us to use her video in our campaign, and for being willing to share her story with our audience.

Founder Dr. David Anderson calls Safe Families for Children, "a movement of hundreds of Christian families who have opened their homes to care for children whose parents are struggling.  By demonstrating biblical hospitality, Safe Families returns the church to the forefront of caring for "orphans and widows."' (James 1:27)

This "biblical hospitality" is alive and well in Madison County.  With almost 25 approved host families and close to 200 placements having been facilited, God is already moving in mighty ways. Here is just one example:

Ashley had 5 children and made a desperate phone call to our crisis line on a hot and sticky afternoon in July.  Ashley sat in our office with tears running down her cheeks, explaining how she had lost her job, her tax-return had been intercepted, and her utilities had been turned off for non-payment.  She asked if she could place her children with our host families until she could start her new job, earn some income and pay her utility bill.

We placed 3 out of the 5 children in our host homes and assisted Ashley with contacting resources for help with her utilities.  During our time with Ashley, she confessed "my children need the influence of a family.  We used to be a family before I had to leave my husband.  I never thought I would be alone in the world with 5 children, but I am."

Two host families, Chad and Tiffany Dzerve and Heather and Noel Lephart, took in 3 of the children while Ashley started her new job and waited to recieve her paycheck.  Heather and Noel were aware of Ashley's need for financial help with her utility bill.  Ashley's oldest daughter Arianna spotted a jar full of change in the Lephart's home one day and said, "Hey we could count the change and give it to my Mama!"  The Lephart's agreed to the plan and wrote a check to the utility company for over $100 to assist with the arrearage.

Chad and Tiffany blessed the two younger children, Clayton and Miranda, with their spacious country home.  The two children played well with their own two girls and there never seemed to be a dull moment in their home during the 5 week placement.  Clayton and Miranda were grateful to have Chad and Tiffany's home as a place to rest, take a breath, and be a kid.

After 5 weeks, Ashley had begun receiving paychecks, found assistance for her utility bill and was able to bring her children home just in time for school to start again.  Clayton told his safe family, "I'm definitly coming back to your house next summer!"

Just last week, Safe Families contacted Ashley about needs for her children for Christmas. Her response was, "Definitely... Thanks for all you do at Safe Families.  You all are angels."

God is working through Safe Families to change lives, and we can't thak you enough for your generous support of our organization.  If you'd like to learn more about hosting, getting your church involved or volunteering with Safe Families, please email ejohnson@safefamilies.net 

A Big Effort

Allow me to take a moment to pull you into a a BIG effort by Safe Families of Madison County.  In case you are not yet familiar, I'll explain.  Safe Families allows parents who are in crisis to voluntarily choose to place their child in the home of a host family, while the parent works to get back on their feet.  Our host families are intentionally recruited through churches; they are screened, trained and they are not paid.  We refer to what we do as less of a "program" and more of an opportunity for people to help people.  Novel idea isn't it?  We have facilitated over 160 placements and recruited over 22 host families since our inception in Madison County in March of 2013.  

A snapshot of those numbers looks like this:

• a homeless family of 6 now has a home after a 5 week placement
• a 6 year old girl raised by her grandmother with terminal cancer has been adopted by her host family
• a mother of 5 with no utilities in her home established a new job and was able to pay her utilities…plus her kids had the best summer ever!
• a mother of 5 was able to complete her goals by completing CNA training and moving out of her tiny apartment

There is no doubt we are meant to be here in Madison County, serving families in crisis by meeting their immediate needs and connecting them with loving host families who care for their children with the love of Jesus.

Now, our biggest needs are in the area of fundraising.  Safe Families not only prevents families from falling unnecessarily into the hands of the foster care system  but is also considered to be a child abuse prevention program.  In the past, Safe Families has been supported financially by means of prevention dollars--dollars that our state sets aside to assist prevention programs.  However, in recent months, our state has decided to disallow the continuance of these funds, leaving a significant deficit in our budget…and unfortunately we cannot do what we do without funding.

On average, our cost of helping a child is $150.00 and helping a family costs approximately $500.00  On the contrary, a child going into foster care costs about $1,200.00 - $1,300.00  The foster care system is a program that we do need!  However, some families want better for themselves and for their children…they just can't do it without support.  

Safe Families is embracing this change in funding and seeking the support of churches and benevolent people more than ever!  This organization is a movement that equips the church to re-engage with the weak, the needy and the fatherless…just as we were meant to do!  Our sustainability is falling largely into the hands of generous people and the church; and perhaps that is God's desire for us!

The current fundraising effort is to raise a much needed $10,000 for Safe Families of Madison County.  $5,000 of those dollars are match dollars, which means as soon as we are able to raise $5,000 in online donations, our match dollars will kick in.  You can click on the image on the right and go directly to our Safe Families of Madison County fundraising page, via Crowdrise.  Your willingness to do this will help shine love and peace into these kiddos and their families.  Please share this campaign after you give, doing so would help us out in two ways:

1.  Spread Awareness.  Whether you are local to Madison County or not, the word about Safe Families needs to get out there.  This is movement that seeks to start wherever willing hears and minds lie! 

2.  Gain Donations.  Please share via social media the fact that you donated through this campaign and a bit about why you decided to give to us.

Safe Families is only as strong as the people who step forward to support us with your time, your energy, your finances and your resources.  God has done incredible work here so far, and we know there is more to come!  Check out how Safe Families in Madison County got started and consider where you fit in.  

The Story of Safe Families in Madison County

Has your heart ever been torn to shreds after reading a tragic news story about a child who suffered because there weren’t enough people who cared?  Have you ever wished there was something you could do about it?

I’m going to tell you a story about how a tragic story broke our hearts in such a way that it would change our actions.

Quite a few years back, when my husband still had a desk job, he managed to pass the hours by keeping up on current news stories. My husband is a musician with a bit of a bleeding heart and many times he would come home and share a particularly difficult story that would cause us both to lower our eyes in despair because there was simply nothing to say. There was one article in particular about a boy named Robert whose story left a mark.

The story was tragic. Robert, 7, had been court mandated to have visitation with his mother, although his father had fought hard for full custody.  On one of his mandatory weekend visits, he was so severely beaten by his mother’s boyfriend that Robert died. My husband read about his kind disposition and how he was known to be a sweet child who always gave his teachers lots of hugs.  When I gazed at his 2nd grade picture, his innocent little face even reminded us of our own son.

This story broke my husband in a way I hadn’t seen before; it was the icing on the cake for him. We had struggled through quite a few other tragedies in our life, but for some reason this little boy did him in.  I could see the depression sink in as he struggled to reconcile the tragic reality of our world with his faith.

This little boy left a spot on our souls. His story left us with the feeling that living this life for the pursuit of the almighty dollar or even for just ourselves wasn’t enough.  Something in us changed.

A few years passed by.  During the summer of 2012 I offered to let my neighbor’s daughter come over to hang with us while her dad worked.  She liked our house so I let my neighbor know she was always welcome. Eventually the little girl started coming over with her cousin.  I could tell things weren’t very stable with the little girl’s cousin and she would say things like, “I think my house is a hotel…” I didn’t ask many questions, but let my neighbor know the girls were welcome anytime for as long as they needed to stay.

The girls would spend the night and stay whenever they needed.  My husband—remarkably—was ok with this. He was patient with these girls, loving and kind. We happened to be in the middle of a huge bathroom tear-out and the cousin became curious, following my husband around the house as he worked on completing our bathroom project.  I was blown away by his patience and willingness to allow her to help him.  He didn’t know what her life was like at home, why she was living in a hotel, or if she had a daddy or not.  But he showed kindness to the young strangers in our home that summer.

Little did we know that allowing a few neighbor girls to spend time with us was laying the foundation for something bigger to happen. We were being prepared for the moment when my neighbor's sister would call us because she was at the end of her rope and thought perhaps we could be of some help. We were being prepared for the moment God would call us to be a Safe Family so that we could provide a temporary home for the little girl (and her younger brother), who had been living in a hotel while their mother worked hard to get back on her feet. It was our opportunity to act, to do something about all those tragic news stories.

Right now, in Madison County, there are kids on the brink of abuse and neglect because their parents are in crisis.  Maybe they can't find work.  Maybe they were evicted.  Maybe there is no one they can depend on. 

Safe Families is unique in that the parent chooses to  place their children in the home of a “safe family.” Doing so gives the parent time to get back on their feet and in many cases deflects the need for the foster care system.  Safe Families is a movement of compassion that returns the church to the forefront of caring for the weak and the needy.  We are not funded through State, but through churches, grants and benevolent people. 

Consider how God may be promoting you to get involved--maybe you can volunteer your time as a host family, or maybe your talent as a professional, or maybe even your treasure.  Our family never would have guessed that two years later we would still be tightly bonded to the mother of the little girl we helped.  You can check out her story HERE.  You never know how your life might be changed when we choose to open our hearts, our homes and our resources to families that are in crisis.    

Emma Johnson
Safe Families for Children, Madison County
ejohnson@safefamilies.net
SFFC National: www.safe-families.org
SFFC Indiana: www.insafefamilies.org
SFFC Madison County Facebook