Is There Such A Thing As Dreaming Too Big?

So, one thing that I love, love, love, love, love to do is watch crime shows. You name it I probably watch it. One of my favorites though is definitely Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. This show mainly focuses on cases involving minors and/or adults involved in sex crimes, i.e. rape, sexual abuse, etc. The kids featured in the stories come from different backgrounds, not necessarily predominately lower class or whatever the case may be. 
I also love kids. I love to babysit, play with kids, and I volunteer with the Good News Club at the local elementary school, an after school program that teaches kids about the Good News of Jesus Christ. So recently I've been thinking about long term plans, I'm a planner and always have been. My major in school is Early Childhood Education, and while I think that it would be such a joy to teach kids, I've also thought about doing something more. How cool would it be to open a home for kids in an underprivileged area? Some of the stories on these crime shows show kids in foster care who have such a terrible time. I thought it would be so cool, such a privilege and such a joy to run an orphanage where kids could have a loving home for possibly the first time in their lives. I know that an orphanage is only a temporary home but for some kids it could be the first, and hopefully not the last, home that really shows them the love of Christ. Then the other day I watched an episode of Criminal Minds where the team profiles and tracks down a couple running a child prostitution ring. What a terrible thing! It astounds me sometimes what this world is that we live in. The terrible things going on that I live oblivious to! Then I thought, maybe these shows are giving me an unrealistic view of what society really is, maybe this really isn't a huge problem. Until I found this CNN video reporting on child trafficking in Atlanta. Atlanta! That's only like 2 hours away from here! I know people from Atlanta! To think that this sort of thing is going on right in our backyards and we know nothing of it nor do we feel like we can do anything about it! So what if I opened a home in an underprivileged area high in crime, trafficking, and runaways. A home for kids in foster care or runaways, kids wanting out of exploitation and prostitution. This thought excites me but it also scares me half to death! I don't want to fear for my life simply walking out of my front door. I don't want to be scared to go to the grocery store. This situation is not really the best for raising a family. Do I want my children exposed to such violence at an early age? Do I want to live there at the home? I cannot possibly focus and invest in the children of the home as well as my own children. But could I bear to do this for just a short while and then give it all up? Could this home for kids even be possible? How would I get the word out to kids on the street that they have a safe place to go to? I guess, just like with everything else, I'll just have to learn to trust in what God's plan is for my life. Trust that whether it involves a home for kids or not, it will be the best for me and that he will provide in whatever situation he puts me in.


For more information on human and child trafficking visit these websites:
www.childrenofthenight.org
www.endhumantrafficking.org
www.polarisproject.org
http://humantraffickingatlanta.wikidot.com/

In 2006, the mayor of Atlanta launched the Dear John program in an effort to combat this terrible injustice.
http://www.atlantaga.gov/mayor/dearjohn_111006.aspx