True Impact Happens Through Connection

Kevin Enders
3 Apr 2024
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connection

When my wife Michelle and I first got saved over 15 years ago one of the very first outreach projects we did with our church was delivering Thanksgiving meals to families in need. All of these years later I remember that day so vividly. This wonderfully kind woman answered her door and eagerly invited us in – even though at the time I was so out of my element, I felt right at ease connecting with her. She wasn’t just grateful for the food we were bringing but for the friendship and connection we were offering. Even now I can […]

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HopeConnect™ hides the Word of God in the Hearts of Children

Kevin Enders
11 Mar 2024
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You never know when God is going to bring a word or promise back to you – after all He is always writing the most amazing stories. It was back in 2018 when we were on our 4KIDS staff retreat when God began the story of HopeConnect™.   A flicker of hope At the time we had just finished the Christmas season and our church did some incredible work with Operation Christmas Child where we sent gifts to kids in crisis all over the world as we shared the hope of the gospel.  During our annual staff retreat, we always […]

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hopeconnect

Ignite Hope in the Lives of Others

Kevin Enders
13 Feb 2024
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hope

This past Christmas Season and into the New Year, I kept hearing messages of “light” and “hope.” As I sat in church for our Christmas service I was struck by the message that the light of the Holy Spirit illuminates hope all around us.    Hope that is promised  It got me thinking about hope and the differences between the hope of this world and the hope God guarantees for us. Pastor Dan Hickling recently broke this down in a poignant way when reflecting on 1 Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who […]

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A Paradigm for Redemption

Kevin Enders
9 Jan 2024
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We all have a brand new year ahead – and for most of us that looks like new goals, dreams and plans. Come January we are all envisioning what the New Year could be like, but what if I told you that right now, even in the midst of a new year, you have a neighbor who is hurt and abandoned in a ditch. It’s easy to overlook this neighbor, and after all you are busy and on your way to planning a big, new year ahead. Does this story sound familiar?    Your neighbor  The parable of the Good […]

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paradigm

The Warmth of A Home

Kevin Enders
14 Dec 2023
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warmth

We have this tradition at 4KIDS where every Christmas season we gather all our foster and adoptive families for big Christmas parties in our different regions. One part of that Christmas party is our gingerbread house competition. We break out into groups and decorate all of these gingerbread houses, which with hundreds of kids in one room, you can imagine, is quite the sight!  Home in the Warmth One of my first years going to these Christmas parties as 4KIDS’ President, there was a young boy who eagerly recruited me to be on his gingerbread house team. His little brother […]

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Who Has Been Adopted?

Kevin Enders
7 Nov 2023
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I can remember one of the very first 4KIDS events I attended over 15 years ago now, where 4KIDS VP of Engagement, Tom Lukasik, asked the room a poignant question. He asked us, “How many of you here were adopted?” Just a couple of people raised their hands while the rest of us waited. Tom then said, “Remember, if you follow Jesus, you’ve been adopted into the family of God. So, who here has been adopted?” We then all smiled and raised our hands.   The heart of adoption It’s such a simple illustration, but a powerful reminder that every […]

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The Power of Collaboration

Kevin Enders
16 Oct 2023
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Do you ever have a luncheon or a conference to go to that you find yourself dragging your heels toward? Maybe you think nothing new will come of a seemingly ordinary opportunity, and I have been tempted to think the same way especially in the busyness of life.  But what I have learned in a powerful way these past few years is that being where God wants you to be, whether that is a lunch or a conference, and being receptive to what God might have for you there can lead to incredible outcomes. Being spiritually sensitive to the people […]

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Far From Home in a Shipping Container

Kevin Enders
11 Sep 2023
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As I am writing I am in Upstate New York this summer, and while here, we visited the St. Lawrence River. This is a massive river and a popular route for shipping containers. As I watched these massive boats hauling hundreds of shipping containers, I was reminded of a story from 4KIDS.  Stuck in a shipping container… Just a couple of years ago, a little girl came to a 4KIDS Foster Family in Palm Beach County, and the trauma she had endured prior to arriving at their home was heartbreaking. This little girl had traveled all the way from Guatemala […]

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shipping container

Investing in Young Adults

Kevin Enders
9 Aug 2023
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young adults

I had a blast bowling with some of our young adults recently! Taking an evening to talk with them, laugh, teach, encourage, and enjoy their company was such a poignant reminder to slow down and really listen to these young adults.    About TIL 4KIDS serves young adults in the community who have aged out of foster care with nowhere to go. At 18, many of these young men and women are simply not equipped or well supported enough to really thrive on their own. 4KIDS Transitional Independent Living (TIL2:25) provides a home and a community to teach, train up, […]

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Connecting with Kids

Kevin Enders
12 Jul 2023
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Summer offers families the chance to slow down and reconnect – something I know we look forward to all year long. My family heads to upstate New York every summer and it’s a long-standing tradition filled with precious memories that I know make an incredible impact on our ability to connect as a family.   Connecting through traditions Whether you are heading to North Carolina, the Northeast, or staying local and enjoying things like the beach, there is an opportunity to build tradition with our kids. For 4KIDS Foster and Adoptive Families this idea can often be challenging as we […]

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