Hope From the Broken by Tricia Kline — Book Review

A friend from church loaned me this book and asked me to read it. Wanda Fulp is her cousin.

Daryl and Wand Fulp are ordinary people with an extraordinary call from God — a call to serve special needs children in Guatemala. In this book they describe the way God led them to this special mission step by step.

The Fulps attended a Christian college and married. At first Daryl served as a youth pastor and church planter. Both wanted children, and they started with two of their own. Touched by a television commercial, they felt a desire to help more children by becoming foster parents. They fostered 23 children over the next 13 years, and adopted two of them. By this time they were a family of seven — five biological children and the two they had adopted. At this point, they were drawn to international adoption, particularly adopting those close to being considered “unadoptable” because of their disabilities. They adopted some of these children themselves and began working for The Shepherd’s Crook, a ministry that advocates on behalf of hard-to-place international orphans. While in the process of adopting another child from Guatemala, the Fulps traveled there and became filled with a desire to return and help others.

In 2008 Daryl and Wand started Hope for Home Ministries (https://hopeforhome.org/). They sold their home and most of their belongings in order to move to Guatemala. They now operate several group homes where special needs children receive much needed care. Over time the ministry has grown to help older people (because we are all children in the eyes of God) and meet other needs. The book details many times when God answered their prayers by providing what was needed to continue and expand the ministry. However, they do not sugarcoat the costs of following Christ. At one point Daryl says:

:“We have to understand that some of the greatest growth periods of our lives have been through struggle, through grief, through pain.“

He emphasizes the need for all Christians to remember their mission and calling:

“Christ did not create us to be comfortable … He created us with an urgency that the world is dying, that there is a message to be told, and we have a limited time to do it.“

WARNING: Don’t read this book unless you’re prepared to have your comfort disturbed! It may be the beginning of your own God-given call! Their website (listed above) gives opportunities to donate to their ministry or sponsor a particular child

For more about special needs parenting see:

Nothing is Wasted by Lore Cottone–Book Review

eat, sleep, save the World by Jamie Sumner–Book Review

Autism and your church by Barbara J. Newman — Book Review

Nothing is Wasted by Lore Cottone–Book Review

Lore Cottone’s story is a heartwrenching — the journey of a mother facing the complicated life of a child diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, bipolar disorder and depression. The many problems of her oldest son, Graham, eventually led to addiction and self-harming behavior.  He spent his eighteenth and nineteenth birthdays in jail, and his twentieth birthday in a mental hospital.  At times he was homeless.  Over the years, she and her family struggled to discover how to help Graham.  They tried homeschooling, counseling, medication, mentoring, rehab and more — hoping each time that the final piece of the puzzle would fall into place, solving his problems.

Finally, realizing that Graham and her other sons are grown, Lore discovers that as a Christian, the only way to find peace is to give her children into God’s care, to trust him fully.  As she puts it:

“They were all young men now.  We had done the job of raising them in the faith of our loving God.  Now they needed to make choices.  They needed to own their faith.  I was called to pray but not to worry over their decisions.”

All parents face this dilemma at some point, but how much harder it is when you see your child floundering.  Eventually Graham’s life settles down.  He moves to California and finds a church.  An older man offers to rent him a room in his house and they become friends.  He is accepted as an intern in the church’s ministry school and attends community college.  Finally, he is medication and drug free and functioning well.

Lore describes Graham’s story as a miracle.  Not all stories will end as well.  The lesson to take away is not that God will eventually fix all our problems — it is to trust Him and His purposes, even in the midst of our personal chaos.  His plan cannot be thwarted.  Nothing is wasted.

VERDICT:  3 STARS.  This is a very personal memoir that will appeal to parents facing similar issues.

For another book on special needs parenting, see this post:

eat, sleep, save the World by Jamie Sumner–Book Review

 

eat, sleep, save the World by Jamie Sumner–Book Review

Since this book is subtitled:  Words of Encouragement for the Special Needs Parent, I didn’t expect it to find it personally relevant.  However, I was pleasantly surprised.  If you are a parent at all you will be able to relate to some of the topics and struggles that Jamie Sumner describes.  Her son, Charlie was born with two challenging conditions:  Beckwith-Weidman Syndrome (a rare genetic disorder which affects the pituitary glands, causing the baby to be very big among other problems) and cerebral palsy.  Because of this, Charlie had (and still has) difficulty eating, walking and communicating.  His infancy was full of different therapies, financial challenges and finding (through trial and error) which strategies worked best in minimizing and controlling his disabilities.  Most of us will never have to deal with problems that are this overwhelming.

On the other hand, mom guilt?  That’s universal.  As is bullying, seeing and appreciating your child for who he or she is, accepting help when you need it, bouncing back from making parenting mistakes and being thankful for blessings.  As parents we all learn that there is so much about our child and his or her life that we cannot control.  The virtues we need are also universal:  patience, hope, persistence, gratitude, humor and resilience.  As a parent of adult daughters, this book took me back to many times when I struggled to survive and make sense of what was going on in my child’s life.  Trusting God is the only way to make it through.  As Jamie puts it:

“This kind of faith is … the most natural thing in the world because happiness and faith come with trusting someone upon whom you are dependent.  And dependence, when viewed as it should be, is a beautiful thing.”

There are reflection questions at the end of each chapter.  This would make a great read for a small group of parents, whether their children have special needs or not.  The author weaves in stories from Scripture in a way that is both creative and pertinent.

VERDICT:  5 STARS

If you would like to purchase this book, follow the link below:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/eat-sleep-save-the-world-P005817838

 

The Lutheran Ladies received a free copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review. Disclaimer pursuant to FTC 16 CFR Part 255