Fostering Tea Session (Kian Seng & Carol)


Joint HFG Intro tea with The Salvation Army Singapore on 21 Sept 2019. The following is a summary of their sharing.

Kian Seng and Carol’s hearts were moved a few times until they had no doubt fostering is God’s will for them. Carol is a homemaker and Kian Seng works as a teacher. Kian Seng’s first encounter with a foster child was with a 17 year old student in their school. They later met a sister from China and were touched and encouraged that she was fostering children in Singapore. It struck them that she was a foreigner but still willing to take care of children in need outside of their country. But when a foster parent from church asked them if they were interested to foster and at that time the answer was still a clear cut NO as they had 3 young children!
God had other plans for them! A 6 year old boy, Terry, came to church with his grandmother. He had behaviour issues and would roll on the floor during church services! Terry's mother had abandoned him. At K2, he is unable to read abc.
Carol started to help through teaching basics such as abc. Progress was very slow. Despite previous misgivings, Carol started to wonder about fostering Terry to provide him structure and stability. At that time, they were preparing for mission work and this seem out of the question.
But things changed quickly! Terry was physically and emotionally abused. It was clear that he needed to be taken out of his natural home environment. Kian Seng and Carol began to seriously consider fostering Terry!
It wasn't easy to start... there was a huge opposition from their parents. Their own kids also were not ready. The couple prayed about it and spoke to church elders. Finally, the story of the good Samaritan moved their hearts and they decided to foster Terry. They did not get any support as Terry was not a government case. They got a lawyer friend to help effect the care.
Kian Seng and Carol shared about their joy in seeing Terry progress. There were challenges with handling children fights, dealing with bad habits, and Terry's developmental issues such as bedwetting. Their focus was to help provide structure for Terry so that he can grow well and have a better future. God gave grace for their family to carry on fostering even when it was challenging. They saw God’s rich provision! Church members blessed them with either material things or sponsoring school needs. Even Terry's family was moved by God's love!

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