He stood in front of the visiting staff with his hands steepled in front of his chest and bowed. Staff responded with applause – a dad in the Strong Families Program had completed a Kung Fu demonstration during a home visit. He smiled in response and thanked them. This is just one example of how families are sharing their lives with staff during visits.
“When COVID hit Cancun, so much had to be paused,” explained Amy Kelly, Back2Back staff. “One of the big tasks was home visits by our social workers. When restrictions were lifted, they immediately scheduled visits at the beginning of 2022; they see two families a week.”
Social workers spend time in their homes, praying over the families and getting to know each member on a more intentional level. Families are always excited to share their space with staff, often cooking food to share with them as a thank you.
Staff always bring a bag of fruit and other small food items on their visits to thank the families for opening their homes. Recently, one of the fathers, who previously taught Kung Fu classes, did a demonstration for them, and the staff were delighted.
“It is a special time to share more of their personalities and interests, and the kids love sharing their pets during the visits, too!” explained Amy.
As the visits continue weekly, families are reminded they are not just statistics in a program, but valuable moms, dads, and children with stories and giftings that matter.