USA (MNN) — May is National Foster Care Month.

Being a foster parent is a special calling. It’s a job that often requires the strength of Hercules, the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, and a heaping dose of a “good sense of humor.”

Andrea Harrison is the foster care program director for Buckner Children and Family Services in Dallas, Texas. “We really try to work with our families on different techniques that they can use, different ways they can really talk to our kids about the love of the Father, because when they think of that, they’re thinking about their own biological father [and] that they came from an abusive background.”

For Harrison, the message of foster care is sharing the wealth of love. Real love goes beyond good feelings. It’s a commitment enveloped in sacrifice, forgiveness, and understanding. First, she describes the kids they help. “We serve the children that are going into foster care through Child Protective Services, so the children we serve are abused and neglected.” Those issues bring their own challenges, but there’s already something in place to answer them. “We believe that, as a Church, we should be able to step up and be able to help and be able to care for those kids.”

Read more of the Mission Network News story here.