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M O V I N G Beyond Justice to Mercy THE STORY OF DEBRA MOERKE Before we even knew God, He used a TV commercial about foster care to put His finger on our lives. The commercial tugged on our heartstrings, and my husband Al and I decided to get involved. We had a safe home and lots of love to offer. So we said yes, filled out our applications, and in 1982, became foster parents. It was a life-changing decision because, over the next 18 years, we would foster more than 140 children. At first, we judged and harshly criticized the parents of our foster children. We saw horrific cases of abandonment, abuse, and neglect. We weren’t interested in the parents’ lives or circumstances—to us, there was no justification for such evil. We assumed every parent was a drug addict or on the fringes of society. Our attitude didn’t leave room for grace or mercy or forgiveness. But guess what? We had issues too, and God, who knew what they were, was about to shake things up in our home. Our hearts needed transformation and humility for where He would lead us (James 4:6). Through a series of difficult situations and marital distress, God got our attention and brought us to Himself. Acknowledging our sin, Al and I both accepted Christ as our Savior and asked Him to renew our marriage. As our relationship with Christ grew, it changed our approach to caring for the needs of our children and those we fostered. We could do more than just tend to their emotional and physical needs. We could care for them spiritually too. The more we learned about God, the more we knew we needed to extend His love and forgiveness to the abusive and neglectful parents whose children we sheltered. God offers His forgiveness freely— who were we to decide who was worthy of His gift? We were expected to share the love and hope of Christ in whatever way we could with every person He put in our path. But with some of the situations we saw, that was a difficult and confusing conviction. It seemed impossible. If that’s what God wanted from us, He’d have to teach us how to do it. So Al and I intentionally PHOTO BY AMY ELIZABETH PHOTOGRAPHY 20 Issue 01 / 2024 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
sought His heart in the matter, and as we did, God began to change us. We’d been fostering children for about 14 years when we faced our hardest test. We had just received an infant into our home and were settling in with her when, a few days later, a Department of Family Services (DFS) social worker called, asking if we had room to foster the infant’s four older siblings. We were all about keeping families together, so this was an easy yes. It was another yes that would change our lives forever. Our home was joyful as the Bower children* began arriving. There were squeals, giggles, hugs, and happiness as the siblings reunited over a week. The celebration continued until the last child, four-yearold Hannah, walked through the door on June 30, 1996. God offers His forgiveness freely— who were we to decide who was worthy of His gift? Something about little Hannah immediately tugged at my heart. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I trusted the Lord to guide me in caring for her needs as I knew He did for every child. Everyone adjusted to a new routine that included chores, family meals, and bedtime prayers. Going to church was a family affair. The children responded well to the hugs and affection that awaited them there every Sunday. I was also volunteering as a lay chaplain in the local jail near our home. I was on call for any incarcerated person who requested a chaplain, and I taught a weekly Bible study to the women there. God had given me a heart for prisoners. I wasn’t sure how that fit in with the call to be a foster parent but trusted that God knew what He was doing. * All names have been changed for privacy purposes and to protect the innocent. VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM Issue 01 / 2024 21
Page 1 and 2: REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL H
Page 3 and 4: ISSUE 1, JANUARY 2024 “But in you
Page 5 and 6: ISSUE 1, JANUARY 2024 CONTENTS 8 9
Page 7 and 8: Through the stories of Victorious L
Page 9 and 10: STEPPING FORWARD When God’s Will
Page 11 and 12: impaired, blacked out, and hit a te
Page 13 and 14: STEPPING FORWARD Give God Your Grie
Page 15 and 16: Syracuse, New York, was home, and h
Page 17 and 18: The Lord redeemed Lauren’s loss a
Page 19: TRANSFORMED LIVES Jesus spent the n
Page 23 and 24: PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MOERKE FAMIL
Page 25 and 26: STEPPING FORWARD SIT WITH JESUS May
Page 27 and 28: “I DODGED TRAINS, BULLIES, AND CO
Page 29 and 30: TRANSFORMED LIVES Three Cs That Can
Page 31 and 32: PHOTO BY ANNE SAY PHOTOGRAPHY ing u
Page 33 and 34: WANT TO KNOW JESUS? “Come to me,

Issue 1 | 2024

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