Whirlwind Zoo Trip!

Host Mom Sarah had muted the New Mercies group chat, where hosting requests are sent out. She and her husband were on pause from hosting—she was eight months pregnant and physically couldn’t host at the time. But somehow, that day, the group chat unsnoozed.

An Unexpected Request

A message came through: Five children needed care for a few hours until their Host Families could pick them up. Sarah, sitting in class at IU Fort Wayne, saw the request and texted back, excited to hear about a need she could help meet! The back-and-forth began—figuring out which school the children were coming from and where they needed to go next.

Class ended, and Sarah jumped into action. She drove straight to the New Mercies resource closet to grab car seats, then picked up the first two middle schoolers. After that, she swung back for three elementary-aged children. Now she had five kids in tow, three different Host Families to coordinate with, and no clear plan on how to pass the time until pickups.

To the Zoo!

That’s when another idea came—what about the zoo? Sarah quickly texted to get passes, then realized they were all the way across town at a staff member’s house near Purdue Fort Wayne. Another detour. More group chat messages. More miles driven. Finally, passes in hand, she loaded up the three youngest kids and took them to the zoo for an impromptu afternoon adventure.

Piece by piece, everything fell into place. The first Host Family met them in the zoo parking lot. Then Sarah took the last two kids out for dinner, meeting their Host Family at a restaurant. It was a whirlwind of driving, texting, and logistics, but somehow, every need was covered.

God's Providence

Sarah later reflected on the day, amazed at how God orchestrated it all. She hadn’t planned on helping that day—but God made sure she saw the message. She didn’t have to bring the kids home, but she could step in and meet a need right where she was.

“It was a lot of texting,” Sarah said. “But everything fell into place.” Even in the busyness, God had already lined up exactly what those precious children needed. And He made sure Sarah was in the right place at the right time to be a part of it!

There are many different needs that volunteers meet at New Mercies. Each person brings their talents and their schedules, and we get to participate in God’s work to coordinate everything so that children are cared for and parents are served.

Want to find a volunteer role that fits your talents? Email us today!