In honor of our 30th anniversary, we’d like to introduce you to one of our first, longest and most committed volunteers from those early years. Kristie Gray shares her story:
I learned about Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries from their newsletter. I don’t remember when we started getting the newsletter, but in February of 1996 I called and asked about volunteering to help with homework and reading. We were homeschooling at the time. Our oldest daughter Jamie was in college and our youngest daughter Betsy was 8-years-old. Our middle daughter Sara had just died in an accident in January and I sensed the Lord leading me to focus on reaching out to others so I wouldn’t be so focused on her loss. I also felt it would be good for our daughter Betsy. I had an appointment to talk to them about helping children with reading and ended up starting that same day, February 12, 1996.
When I first started volunteering, Bill and Tammy and the kids were at Larry’s original home. Betsy and I went weekly. She did her homework while I helped the kids with their homework and reading skills. Sometimes I helped with meal times. It was rewarding to get to know them and Bill and Tammy.
Over the eight years that we spent volunteering, there were a lot of changes. Bill and Tammy started their family, Cathy’s Home was built and they moved into it, and Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries continued to grow as a ministry. I watched Bill and Tammy as they interacted with the children in foster care. They had a deep love for them. It wasn’t just a job to them, it was so much more – the children were a part of their family. They were an inspiration to me. I enjoyed spending time with all of them and watching the kids grow up and seeing how their experiences at Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries gave them a great foundation to build on.
It was a good experience for our family in other ways, because when Betsy was 13 we became foster parents and later adopted her sister Amber (who is just 11 months younger than her.) We were able to see the daily dynamics of life as foster/adoptive parents before we chose to add Amber to our lives. Amber was not one of Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries’s children, but she did go with us to volunteer the last three years we were there.
There were so many fun times spent with the kids – a church hay ride at our farm, going to ball games, BBQ’s at the house, just doing things with them and being a part of their lives. I’m so thankful that the Lord led me to Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries and blessed our family with the relationships and love that we experienced there!
Would you like to join the ranks of our amazing volunteers? Like Kristie, we think you will be blessed in return!
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