Who are the Children We Serve?
Children placed in Rancho Jireh certified foster homes have been removed from their homes because of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect. Some children are in reunification with a family member and need a temporary, short-term home. Other children cannot return to their biological families because of the circumstances of their case or the absence of a family member; these children need foster parents who will be there until they turn 18.
These children need to be placed in stable, consistent, and loving homes. With your help and the love of Jesus Christ, we can offer these children an opportunity to heal, and hope for a new future.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
Rancho Jireh has children in placement from age five to eighteen in quality, Christian homes throughout the San Diego and Riverside area. It is rare that treatment level foster children are under the age of five. Children in the Rancho Jireh program can have the following diagnoses:
- ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)
- Depression/ Dysthymia
- PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
- Adjustment Disorder (Difficulty Adjusting to Changes)
- ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder)
At treatment level foster care, children usually require additional support services not available at a lower level of care. Some children take medication; some go to therapy or see a psychiatrist. Because of the trauma these children have experienced, they may be assaultive, they may tantrum, they may be defiant, they may destroy property, they often lie and steal, and sometimes, they run away.
Meet Benjamin.
His mother took young Benjamin, a four-year-old, to the emergency room. He suffered from first and second degree burns on his torso, legs and hands. He also had a broken jaw and a black eye. Inconsistencies in the mother's story led to a child abuse investigation, resulting in confessions by his mother and her live-in boyfriend. Mom admitted that she had been high on speed. The boyfriend confessed that he had been angry with Ben's mother when he placed Ben in the bathtub and turned on the hot water. As Benjamin screamed and tried to get out of the tub, the enraged boyfriend shoved and pushed him back under the scalding water. Several minutes later, the boyfriend relented and pulled Ben out of the tub. Several hours later, Benjamin's mother brought him to an emergency room because he wouldn't stop crying and skin continued to peel off the burns. Benjamin was placed in a shelter and subsequently placed in the home of his grandparents. After a brief stay, they asked authorities to remove Ben stating he was a very angry child, who spit, threw food, and cursed.
Benjamin was placed with Rancho Damacitas, a group home ministry of Thessalonika Family Services. Within the caring, therapeutic environment, Ben began to learn acceptable ways to express his feelings and control his behaviors. Ben recently moved to a Rancho Jireh foster home where love, persistence, and God's grace allows him to continue his growth. One of the lucky ones, Ben has found a safe place to heal many emotional scars resulting from a very rough start in his life.
Meet Christine.
Ten-year-old Christine loves to do crafts. Her mom is in prison. When she visits with her dad, she worries he might find out where she lives and take her back. She fits right in with her foster family--you would never know she is a foster child. Sometimes she worries that she will have to leave her foster home, but her foster parents lovingly reassure her that she is stuck with them--and God is healing her wounds caused by abuse from her mother and father in the security of a Rancho Jireh foster home.
Jake and Beth. Jake is eight; Beth is seven. They were both so excited at Christmas this year--the first one they had ever spent in a home. While with mom and dad, they lived in a car, which was often parked at rest stops. Jake loves memorizing scripture in the A.W.A.N.A. program at church. In a Rancho Jireh foster home, Jake and Beth decided to make Jesus an important part of their lives. They talk with dad on the phone and tell him about Jesus. Only God knows where that might lead...
Monica. She just turned sixteen. She is pretty and sophisticated and wants to live with a family. She is moving from a group home to a Rancho Jireh foster home and she is really excited about it! When you meet this charming and intelligent girl and listen to her plans to attend college and enter the medical field, you probably would not guess that her past included sexual abuse and drugs.
Why should you become a foster parent and provide a home for one of these children?
The problem of abuse and neglect of children is so big; some ask...What can I do to make a difference? While foster parenting can be difficult and challenging at times, here at Rancho Jireh we have seen many success stories. Together, and with God's help, we can make a difference in the life of a child. God has a plan for every child's life; He promises in Joel 2:25, 26, I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten... and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you.
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