Respite Care allows the Bowman family the opportunity to make a difference without a long-term commitment.

Many families feel called to help children in crisis. These families have a heart for providing foster care, but their schedule or stage in life means providing long-term care isn’t feasible. Caleb and Amie Bowman know this situation all too well and have found short-term and respite care to be the ideal solution. 

Caleb and Amie first became interested in foster care in 2010, when they provided transportation for a young girl in care who attended their church’s youth group. “She was such a sweet girl, and we were heartbroken to hear the things she’d experienced,” Amie tells us. “We wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids like her by showing them the love of Jesus in how we cared for them.”

But when the Bowmans became fully licensed foster parents in 2014, their life circumstances presented a daunting challenge. “At that time, our oldest was two and we were expecting our second,” Amie says. Add in Caleb’s busy schedule as a pastor, and the Bowmans simply couldn’t commit to long-term foster care. They chose instead to offer respite and short-term care.

“Respite and short-term care appealed to us because it was a great way to support foster parents and their kiddos while giving us the flexibility to say ‘not this time’ if things came up in ministry,” Amie says. “We’ve learned that respite care is a vital part of foster care. So many families truly love the kiddos they care for, but also desperately need rest! It’s a blessing to come alongside foster families and offer that much-needed breather.”

The Bowmans also offer police protective care, something they say has been a hard but rewarding experience. “What drew us to this form of foster care was the weighty thought of children being uprooted from all they know and being taken to a house full of strangers,” Amie tells us. “The thought of how terrifying that would be spurred us on to offer a safe, kind, loving environment for these kids as they face a very uncertain future.”

Caleb and Amie are grateful for the blessing of providing short-term and respite care and have loved getting to know the children who enter their home. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to show the love of Jesus to those in great need; loving without expecting love in return,” Amie says. “We are so glad for the kids we have met!”