Our Safe Families story began when a friend shared it with us. We didn’t act immediately, but about a year later we got connected with the local chapter director. The whole concept was very attractive to our family and resonated with the core values of Radical Hospitality, Disruptive Generosity, and Intentional Compassion.
We had started the fostering process, but Safe Families seemed like a more achievable goal at the time. We noticed God was starting to send us organic opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ, but we appreciated Safe Families providing the framework and exposing us to needs that we could step into as we responded to God’s calling. We also loved the connection to the church and the opportunity to serve alongside other families in our congregation. We first jumped in as a Host Family and opened our home to host several children ranging from babies to teenagers. Each opportunity has been a unique experience in witnessing God at work, stretching us. We love that we are able to build relationships with the families that go well beyond hosting.
James 1:27 states that “True religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans and the widows in their time of need.” We take this verse very seriously as a family, and this is what drew us most to Safe Families. We wanted to be like Jesus and welcome people into our home with great intentionality. There was a call on our family to practice radical hospitality.
We’ve also felt led to seek ways to honor the heart of God through the proceeds of our business. We knew we could do more to partner and wanted our giving to reflect a disruptive generosity. We own a business, and one of our values is generosity, so we chose to give a percentage of our revenue to support the local chapter. We wanted to show our employees and customers that we value and love families in our local community.
On top of all of that, the Lord has sent families to our church who carry a similar vision and calling that necessitate a ministry team to support them, which our family has the privilege of overseeing. We acknowledge our level of engagement is a bit unique! But we couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity it’s provided for us to see the beauty and power of God on display, for all the ways this has spiritually transformed our family, and the joy we’ve experienced as a result of being more deeply connected with Safe Families for Children and the many people tied to it. Hear more of the Jacksons’ story below!
