Opportunity

I'm in the middle of camp, at my favorite spot on earth, and my tradition every summer now for 13 years.  Every year is different with it's own stories and ways we see God working in the lives of the staff, the counselors, and the children who come for a week at a time of outdoor fun but also get to hear about God and His crazy love for us.

(Getting ready to tell parts of the Bible story as the campers go on a night hike around the lake. They did such an awesome job!)

It's my happy place. Or at least one of them.  :) 

But I must take a break from camp for a minute to fill you in on something else.

There was a period of time a few years ago where I felt like I was at an in between phase in my life.  I knew I wanted to be more deeply involved with the orphan and adoption but I had no idea what that was supposed to look like.  I prayed over and over "just show me what you want me to do - I'm willing to do whatever that is! - I just don't know what that looks like right now." And as most of my friends know, He was faithful and has answered those prayers in the form of both of my jobs - both as a nanny to seven boys, four of whom came home through adoption, and at the Empty Cup coffee shop where all our net profit goes out in the form of adoption grants.  I love it.  :)

Happy boys. 😊

(Apparently it was braid-your-hair-to-the-side day this particular day at the Empty Cup. 😂 All us baristas always have a great time working together!)

Now I have another opportunity to expand what I know about working with children from hard places, and to use what I will learn both in my job, and at camp, and hopefully be able to be a source of encouragement and a resource for anyone who works with children in any capacity.

This spring a friend and I went to a conference called Empowered to Connect, put on by Show Hope and featuring the methods created by Dr. Karyn Purvis from Texas Christian University (TCU). (More on that in a minute...) Show Hope's website describes this conference like this: 

"The Empowered To Connect Conference is a two-day conference for adoptive and foster parents, ministry leaders, and professionals designed to help them connect with children from hard places in order to help them heal and become all that God desires for them to be. This conference is ideal for adoptive and foster parents, those considering adoption or foster care and those who are serving and supporting others, including social workers, agency professionals, church staff and ministry leaders, counselors, therapists and others all involved in adoption and foster care ministries or services."

This conference is so so good!  Good for anyone who works with children in any way - all children, no matter their background.

This was the second time I had been with my friend.  Both times I left feeling like I had just seen the tip of the iceberg and craved to know more about the methods Dr. Purvis has created.  This time, I couldn't shake that feeling.  I knew that TCU has a training for professionals a couple times a year but didn't know if I qualified as a "professional" (as in, I'm not a licensed counselor or therapist).  I felt God prompting me to at least email them and ask. I did, and explained who I was and what I do and did they think there was any way I could at least apply for the training course?  They wrote back and said there would be a training this fall that anyone was welcome to apply for.  So I filled out the application still not knowing what chance I would have of being accepted. 

I wasn't. 

End of story. 

Thanks for reading.

Hahaha.

Just kidding.

After waiting a couple months and then one more extra week due to the fact that they had many more applicants than expected - over 300! - I got the email that started out "Welcome Participant!"  

!

So in August I will be starting a ten week online course, an hour long phone interview, and finally a week of intensive classes at TCU in October!

What exactly is this course?

Good question.

Dr. Purvis developed a method called Trust Based Relational Intervention.  I am going to let TCU's website speak for me and help me describe TBRI.

What is TBRI?

TBRI® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI® uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. While the intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research, the heartbeat of TBRI® is connection.

Who is it for and who should use it? 

TBRI® is designed for children from “hard places” such as abuse, neglect, and/or trauma. Because of their histories, it is often difficult for these children to trust the loving adults in their lives, which often results in perplexing behaviors. TBRI® offers practical tools for parents, caregivers, teachers, or anyone who works with children, to see the “whole child” in their care and help that child reach his highest potential.

Why use it?

Because of their histories, children from hard places have changes in their bodies, brains, behaviors, and belief systems. While a variety of parenting strategies may be successful in typical circumstances, children from hard places need caregiving that meets their unique needs and addresses the whole child.

(These three quotes all from 

http://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/ )

TBRI is geared for use with these precious children from "hard places" but as I have learned more about it, "hard places" is a lot more broad of a term than you might think.  It also can include the child who's mama had a rough pregnancy or even a difficult birth.  Or a child who has walked through his parents' divorce.  And really, the principles it teaches are excellent to use with any child at all!

I am so excited for the chance I have been given to take this course and become a TBRI Practitioner, excited to be able to use the principals as I work with all seven boys I nanny, and excited to see how else God will ask me to use what I learn.

Will you pray with me that I will do my best to make the most of this opportunity and learn and absorb as much as I can, and to trust that God will provide all I need to get me there? I have seen Him provide in amazing ways before for other friends in other situations and if He had me chosen as one of the participants out of the 300 or so applicants, I know He wants me there and will provide for me too!  :)

Ok, back to camp and getting crafts ready for this coming week. Sad that our main craft lady won't be there this week but super excited that one of my favorite sidekicks will be helping me out in her place...