Everyday Fostering - Auntie, I Won't Buy Toys! (Audrie)


God reveals His heart through the little things in fostering. Some of you may remember that HFG foster parent, Audrie Siew shared in one of our Intro teas before. Here is another snippet from her home with little Ellie!

<Everyday Fostering> Sharing from HFG foster parents

*Title : "Auntie, I Won't Buy Toys!"*

My 9yo foster child, Ellie has a dream - She wants to be a nurse when she grows up!

Last week, I gave her some stickers (we have a reward system to encourage her to study... A tough one for most foster kids) for a great achievement in her spelling test. She stuck them triumphantly on the book. In our reward system, she can "exchange" one page of stickers for a present costing about $10.

I asked her, "You have worked hard and got a few pages of stickers already! What would you like to get?"

She thought for a while and said, "Auntie, I know!!! I won't buy toys! I will buy p4 assessment books for next year!" I was taken aback as this was obviously not what I expected! I assured her, "Don't worry, I will buy the P4 assessment books for you! You don't have to use your stickers." She quipped,"Thank you! OK I will use the stickers to buy the P5 ones instead in case nobody buys them for me when I go home." She then hops off to her usual activities!

I was left flabbergasted at the dining table (but trying to hide it of course). This was not an answer one would expect from a child! But yet, it speaks volumes about how she sees her life. She is deeply proud of her improvements in her studies. She used to fail throughout and the sight of books was a reminder of her failure. Now, with help from our family, her wonderful school, bucketloads of her own hard work and dollops of God's annointing, she passes exams as a norm and even got an award for her small pull out class! She walks differently now - her head is much higher, she is more empowered and confident! Unlike any 9yo I know, Ellie's drive to build a better life makes her choose to do assessment books because she knows she is still weak. Through her grit, she has improved by leaps and bounds. We have been amazed by what God has done in Ellie's life.

Now as a foster parent, I worry - Who is going to help her family buy her those assessment books when she goes home? Even if she can get them, will there be someone who can help teach her why she got certain questions wrong? Will there be caring neighbours to help her through her life?

Ellie wanted to thank us because she now feels far more hopeful for her future. So I told her, "When you get to polytechnic, you can come and buy me a Teh O Kosong!" We don't need very expensive gifts. I just wanted some way to have her come back and tell me that she is doing well. I hope I can rejoice then that she has reached one more milestone! We are praying fervently that God will prosper her and keep secure her hope and a future!

And it really takes a village! Ellie is going to need more than my family... I am praying that God will bring kind people around her and other children like her and help them reach their dreams! 

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