Ann and Al Hill consider themselves just an ordinary couple like everybody else…
…except over the span of three decades, they have fostered over 100 children!
And when asked HOW they could possibly manage to sacrifice their lives in such a major way – their answer is bound to touch your heart.
Al Hill considers taking care of over 100 children as just a normal part of everyday life.
In his humility, he speaks of the inherent duty to help those with nowhere else to go.
And with the same gentle spirit as her husband, Ann reminds us that we never really know the heavy burden another person is carrying.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported:
“You know what you learn?” Al says. “There are so many people with nowhere to go.”
Asked how the couple benefited from providing foster care, Ann tells a story about a girl whose brother pushed her out of a window to save her during a fire. For a long time, Ann didn’t know the brother died.
When the girl finally told her, Ann found a photo of him, framed it and placed it next to her bed.
The point of the story wasn’t so much what Ann got out of their relationship, but more to illustrate she could help in some small way. Because the truth is all their girls had lost something. And for people who don’t have anything, sometimes the small things can feel the biggest.”
Fostering children can be messy.
Often these kids have had tough lives with much emotional baggage and wounding.
Many of them had broken homes, if they had homes at all.
It’s so much easier to turn a blind eye and not get involved because doing so often comes with helping these children walk through their trauma, which can be emotionally draining for the foster parents as well.
But as Christians, we aren’t called to live a convenient and comfortable life.
We are called to share the burdens and struggles of one another and help make the load a little less heavy.
Not to mention, the Bible tells us to care for the orphans and host strangers in our homes.
There’s no telling the generational impact Ann and Al have had on the children they’ve served – even if for just a short period of time, these kids knew that someone had chosen them.
In your own community, there are children that need a safe place to call home too.
Even if you’ve already raised your own kids, consider fostering a child so you can not only provide for their physical needs, but also point them to Jesus – the one who will ultimately satisfy their deepest longings.
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