Mentoring and transitions

We had an awesome holiday time and now, spoiled as we are, an awesome vacation.  L went to respite and one night stayed with her sisters in her original foster home.  There is a tiny bit of guilt in not taking her with us but the logical, sensible side knows she can't even handle going out to eat, so to take her on a trip would be a disservice to her.  She wouldn't succeed and none of us would have fun.

So, we took a much needed break to San Diego.  It was the best trip we've taken as a family with children.  It was relaxing and fun and we didn't try to squeeze too much out of each day. Just took it as it came and it went great!!  We ended up at SeaWorld one day and the beach the rest.  Perfect in my book.

L's mom has been doing her part to get her children back.  We talk on the phone at least once at week at length.  She says she's never seen L so mentally healthy and wants to know everything we're doing.  This week when we spoke I could sense some of the fear in getting L back because she has been so uncontrollable.  Soon L will be going to her mom's apartment for the weekends and back to our home during the week.  This will probably continue until school is out for the summer.  The case manager has mentioned mentoring and her mom would really like me to mentor her.  Others have really warned us against this because you become to 'vested' and it can become frustrating when things don't go like you envisioned.

This view on mentoring makes sense but doesn't strike me as a 'Christian' decision, if I may. Is that really our worldview??  "Don't want to get too invested in these people because I might show them a bit of Light and Salt."  Now, there needs to be some really hard and fast boundaries but goodness sakes, I'm being handed the opportunity to show some love and I think there is a duty to do it.  So hopefully, we find a middle ground somewhere and I can help, but not enable or be held responsible if her parenting doesn't hold up.

And in other news, Trent and I have resorted to going to a Sunday School class instead of church service.  The class is so good and the teacher is such a good leader AND teacher that it's hard to pass up the biggest opportunity we have to learn and be discipled.  Next week we have a pastoral candidate to preach.  As Trent says, may he have survived 1993 and may he not be from Idaho Falls.  Uggg.