One Sunday morning just a few weeks ago, a 15-year-old boy stood in front of the congregation at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Florida (which happens to have been the home church of Chuck Colson) and asked for someone to adopt him.
”My name is Davion,” he told the crowd of 300, “and I’ve been in foster care since I was born … I know God hasn’t given up on me. So I’m not giving up either.”
Davion’s mother was in jail when she gave birth to him. He never met her, but a few months ago, Davion decided to search for her name on the Internet. He found her mug shot. He also found that she had passed away just a few weeks earlier.
But Davion didn’t want to give up on having a family. He had moved more times than he could count, and the group home where he lives doesn’t feel like home to him. He can’t join a sports team because he doesn’t have anyone to drive him to practice. Davion’s caseworker had been working to find him a permanent home in the past, but Davion’s behavior issues had made it difficult.
This summer, Davion decided to make some changes. After hearing of his mother’s death, he let go of his hope that she would come back for him someday. He’s taken the initiative to improve his grades, his health, and his behavior to become who he believes he is meant to be for the family he believes God will bring to him.
Davion’s group home manager, Floyd Watkins, says, “He’s starting to put himself out there, which is hard when you’ve been rejected so many times.”
Davion even took the initiative to ask the church if he could speak to the congregation. Although he was nervous before he spoke and wasn’t sure he wanted to go through with it, he decided to take action and ask if someone would adopt him.
On October 15, when the Naples Daily News reported on this story, a couple families had inquired about Davion, but no one had stepped up to adopt him. The website also reported that anyone interested in more information about adopting Davion can call Eckerd Youth Alternatives at 866-233-0790.
There are over two million children in the U.S. who, like Davion, have been affected by a parent’s incarceration. Many prisoners’ children circulate through foster homes and struggle with the desire to have a ‘normal’ family life like their friends at school have. God has called His Church to serve and love these children.
With Christmas just around the corner, incarcerated parents all across the country have signed their children up for Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program, which allows mothers and fathers behind bars to send Christmas gifts and a message of love to their sons and daughters.
Every year, thousands of churches accept the challenge to serve these children by purchasing, wrapping, and presenting gifts on behalf of their incarcerated parents. Volunteers get an opportunity to share the Gospel with these kids and tell them that they have a family in Christ. These churches discover the joys of ministering to children who are desperate to feel loved and remembered.
For information on how you can get involved in Angel Tree this Christmas, call 1-800-55-ANGEL (2-6435) or visit angeltree.org.
