Not Your Typical Thanksgiving Week Post

image from here

I haven't been able to get this image out of my mind.

This darling little girl, Jhessye Shockley, has been missing from her Glendale, AZ, home since October 11.  No one really had any idea where the five-year-old had wandered off to, only that her 12-year-old sibling had been in charge of the three younger kids while Mom, Jerice Hunter, went to the store.

This story immediately struck a chord with me--how many times have I left an older sibling in charge while I ran a quick errand?  I prayed for her safe return all day and the next, then I took the time to remind my older kids how easily this could happen to them. 

Then the story morphed--someone had seen her get into a car with a lady. Now it was a child abduction case.  Long story--Mom screamed at the press, at people, at anyone, to get her child and bring her back. She claimed prejudice against her situation in life, her race, anything and anyone else she could blame for her child's disappearance. 

Then the story changed again when Mom's record became public--conviction and jail time for child abuse. Jhessye's three older siblings were taken by CPS and placed in foster homes.  Between October 11 and Halloween Mom had another baby, who was immediately whisked away as well.

Yesterday, the story changed yet again.  Jhessye's home had become a yellow-taped crime scene and the Glendale police held a press conference, stating that Jerice Hunter had been arrested as the primary suspect in her child's disappearance, with "little to no hope of finding Jhessye alive."

I know we live in a terrible world, filled with horrible people who make unbelievable choices, but I keep having a flash of this image:  Little Jhessye's last moments, whatever they were, were filled with the inexplicable knowledge that her MOTHER was doing this to her.  Her mother.  I get physically sick each time I think of it.

Many of you who have read my blog for years know of our foray into the world of foster care, and how I ended up abandoning my attempts to protect these innocent children.  Occasionally I regret that decision, especially when a story like this surfaces, but ultimately the safety of children rests squarely on the shoulders of those in whom God placed that trust--the parents.  No amount of government intervention or counseling or rehab can save these innocent, sweet babies from those who should be loving them.

I can't wait to ask God this question--Why?

Pray for Jhessye Shockley's four siblings today.  Pray that they will find homes where they not only will be loved for the rest of their lives, but that they will find a place where parents will keep them safe.