Dear Readers,
This blogpost has been floating around in my head since last Sunday, and every time I've thought of it the word "safe" has come along with it. With the word "safe", I've thought of this quote from Narnia:
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
That has absolutely zero relevance to the rest of this post, but I love that quote. I love Aslan and all that he represents. But that's a post for another day...
Today I want to tell you a story.
Last Sunday I was enjoying my time in the sensory room for kids with special needs. We have Sunday School, games, snacks, and the occasional craft in that room. There's a lot of laughter and a lot of singing and a lot of smiles. The Special Ministries at our church is so welcoming; and although my brothers don't need to attend their classes, the fact that they were even offered was the biggest reason we chose to attend there. We loved that this church valued its members and families with special needs and went out of their way to make them welcome. Special Ministries is truly an amazing place.
Sometimes the walk into the classroom isn't so amazing, though. I sometimes feel like special needs families experience life through a bubble, looking out on the world of civilians. It's hard when they have to step out of their bubble, because most of the civilians just don't understand.
Last Sunday one of our dads (whose daughter is one of my favorite students) walked into the classroom with a sigh. He explained that his daughter had had a meltdown just feet from the door, but that they were working to get her in as soon as possible. I hesitated in my ball-throwing for a moment before stepping out after him. I didn't really have a game plan, I just thought I'd see if a different face could capture her interest enough to get her up off the ground. I felt the bubble pop as I walked toward this family, with their daughter laying on the ground with her shirt covering her face.
She was unimpressed with my excitement over all the fun things we had planned in class that day. We got her up, and she bolted. Right into a family. I only looked at the woman she ran into for a split second before racing after her, but that split second was enough that the tears came hot in my eyes. If they fell they dried quickly, though, because I was running and reaching and trying to stop her from getting hit by a car as she rushed into the road. Her dad intercepted us and we formed a barrier around her as they tried to locate their car. The whole time, I could hear her mom behind us, explaining, apologizing,"She has Autism".
When I walked back up from their car, I looked around kind of stunned. There were probably five men working as "greeters" and traffic control in the area we had just raced through--yet none of them assisted. I have a feeling one or more of them asked what was wrong, hence the mom's constant explanations.
But still.
If you saw a five year old running out into the road about to get hit by a car, would you wait to ask permission before running after it?
No. You would run. You would want to protect that little one.
This student is my age and size, so it didn't make sense to the viewers that she was running. They stared and gasped and asked if everything was alright, but they didn't jump in and meet the need. Their stares and questions made it worse.
This family needed someone to sprint after their daughter and hold her from running farther. There were five men standing around.
Yet it was left to an 18 year old in heels to make the attempt, and fail.
If her dad hadn't of been there she would have gone farther.
The look on that woman's face that brought me to tears? There was no concern. It was anger. Her expression was that of hot red anger, the kind of anger someone giving you the finger on the freeway might display.
This is so far from being okay.
The special needs families aren't the ones who created the bubble--the civilians did. They pushed these families into their bubble by their lack of compassion, unwillingness to educate themselves, and their fear.
I don't think they did it maliciously. No one standing around that Sunday understood what was going on--they weren't making a hate statement against Autism. The problem isn't the civilians themselves, it's the lack of education.
I'm so heartbroken that my church offers this beautiful safe haven for these families, yet one step outside that door and they are met with ignorance and misunderstanding.
Want to know how to make your church accessible to special needs families? Don't just create another bubble for them; educate the general populace of your church. Teach a class on disabilities and how to serve these members of our church, our world. Require everyone who becomes a member to spend one Sunday in the Special Ministries classroom. Make pamphlets with one sentence blurbs of information about the five most common disabilities in your church. Don't want to put that much energy into it? Get pamphlets from Joni and Friends.
Maybe if these resources were in place, one of the greeters would have recognized this student from his one Sunday in the classroom and chased after her. Another might recall that one-sentence fact about Autism and realize he could help.
And maybe we just need to wake up to the needs of people (with and without special needs) in general. Are we all so self-focused (even on our way to church), that we don't see the need right before our faces? Angry-eyed woman walked right into us--this dear student didn't have to go far to run into her. She was right behind me, with my butt in the air as I bent over and tried to get my friend off the ground. This student's whole family surrounded her, I honestly have no idea how angry-eyed missed it.
When you go to church next Sunday, walk around with your eyes wide open. You don't even have to step inside the Special Ministries classroom or chase after a student to make a puncture in the bubble--just smile. Wave. Ask how they're doing. Life can be hard for these families, and many of them leave the church due to the lack of understanding and compassion. Please don't be one of the ones who sends them away.
You can make it safe. Your Blogger,
Claire
Showing posts with label Special Ministries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Special Ministries. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
On my soapbox..
*Know if you are taking the time to read this, I am grateful for you! I apologize if our views do not align about this treaty, but even if they don't, I'm still thankful you stopped by!!
Dear Readers,
You may not know about it, or even care about it. But the U.N.'s Treaty for Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities was defeated.
The saddest part, to me, is that so many of the organizations my family and I support were vehemently opposed to this treaty. The treaty was going to require that churches have x amount of parking spaces for people in wheelchairs. It was going to mean that buildings had to be accessible. And oh my goodness, a lot of people were opposed to that! I mean, why would we want people in wheelchairs to have access to church?!? This greatly upset many!
The treaty was also going to impact education for children with disabilities. These were the main things the homeschool organizations we supported were opposed to. They did not want the U.N. telling them what to do in their churches, because that might mean that religious freedom comes next. They don't want people taking their children away from them because they choose to home school.
I, too, do not want my religious freedom touched. I do not want the government telling me what education option to choose for MY child. But from what I understand, this treaty was not going to touch that.
This treaty was, however, going to make churches accessible. And this was the real kicker for me. Because, really, guys-- Why aren't our churches already accessible?!
If we, as a church, claim to love the least of these, then why aren't we filled to the brim with wheelchair accessible parking spots? Why doesn't every church have a special needs ministry? Why do we have to be forced by the government to make room for people in wheelchairs in our churches?! I am embarrassed that anyone even had to write this treaty. Because the Church should be setting the standard for how people with disabilities are treated; not the United Nations. How sad. How truly, truly sad. There are so many children and adults in the United States who have a disability. With this disability comes so many struggles that the church could help them through!! Families with a newly diagnosed child are hurting...in fact, many families with special needs children are divorced. It's estimated that about 85% of families who have a child with Autism get a divorce. Might this rate go down if churches made more of an effort to reach out to these families?
I have been blessed with a wonderful family who recognizes that Arizona's public education system is not the answer for us. They have taken the initiative and have provided us with an amazing blessing: the ability to home school. Not all families, however, are able to do this, and I realize that.
There are children all around the world with disabilities who stay home from school because their parents don't know about services for the disabled (or there isn't such a thing in their country). These children are called a "burden to society"...but they have so much to contribute if only given the chance! I am sure this treaty is not perfect, because government is not perfect. It may not do much for these children...
But what if it did?
What if this treaty made sure that all Deaf children had access to sign language, and all children with disabilities were able to go to school? What if this made a difference in the lives of the millions of Disabled children and adults in the world? What if....
But that "what if" can't happen, because this treaty was defeated. That hope that I held in my heart was stomped out by the very organizations I supported. Generation Joshua, The Home School Legal Defense, The Busy Home School Mom...they all followed their political party so strictly that they forget to follow our true leader, Jesus. Jesus didn't tell the paralytic's friends to stop lowering him down from that mat...he honored their efforts by blessing their friend.
I pray that soon we will all be able to see through God's eyes--eyes of compassion and love first for others, with ourselves merely as an afterthought, if we have to be a thought at all.
But until then, I am thankful that even when we make mistakes and forget to love first, God is just as loving and full of forgiveness.
If you have already made up your mind to be against this treaty, I ask that you look at it from someone else's eyes. It's too late to get it passed, I know, but it isn't too late for you to decide you are going to start LOVING before you blindly follow.
Your Blogger,
Claire
P.S.--I'm blessed to attend a church that has a wonderful special needs ministry. If you are interested in learning more about Disability ministry, please visit: http://scottsdalebible.com/ministries/special-ministries and Joniandfriends.org
Sunday, February 26, 2012
My week and random thoughts from Claire
Dear Readers,
Just have to say...sometimes ( I mean a LOT of times!) I can't believe all the pain of the world, and it crushes my spirit. But then there are times like this week, when I can't help but jump for God's greatness! Times like when Mason goes to Special Ministries with me, and we get to worship with 17,000 other Christians, and --oh, yeah- you read that right! He went with me!!
He has wanted to go because every night I come home with bunches of stories to tell, and he has been wanting to meet all these people who have become so dear to me. So...he went. And I feel so thankful that he did go. Of course I have many reasons for this, but the main one is that now he gets it. When I come home from Special Ministries, I feel like I want to laugh and cry at the same time. You see, these people make me laugh with their hilarious jokes, and I can't help but smile as I think of all the ladies who told me my brother was "pretty cute". I love going there and helping the other people at our table sign the songs so our Deaf friend can feel more involved. I love going there and meeting new people every week who love so much and seem to have enough hugs to go around four (or ten!) times. I love hearing everyone praise the Lord together, and I love singing "Silent Night" in February because its one of the student's favorite songs.
But it also makes me cry. Sometimes I just have to cry because I can't believe God has brought me here. I can't believe He has let me use this beautiful language to bring His Word to someone else. Sometimes I just cry I feel so blessed my heart could burst.
But sometimes my heart bursts and a torrent of tears comes out. Sometimes I look at this woman I'm interpreting for and realize "Oh.. she has no idea what I just said!"--because she doesn't know enough ASL to get by. Sometimes I'll feel so helpless and upset that she has no means of communication with those around her.
Sometimes I hear stories that break my heart. Sometimes I watch a girl have a seizure.
And when those things happen, I go home and write it all down in my prayer journal, praying for each of them.
And Mason got that. He started telling Mom that is was hard, but that he loved it. And, of course, I finished his sentence and said "You want to laugh and cry at the same time, right?" I feel so blessed to have these triplet brothers of mine who really do get it. And I'm blessed to have a place that contains so much joy as Special Ministries! I'm learning so much and treasure each minute.
This week we went to the Rock and Worship Road show. It wasn't nearly as fun as it could have been because my Dad wasn't there, but it was still pretty amazing. My favorite part was the crowd. 17,000 Christians worshipping the Lord together is a powerful thing! I palpably felt the Lord's presence. Arms in the air, voices lifted, so and so band playing glorious music--I felt that must be what Heaven is like! Although... when I first heard Lecrae, I didn't like him. But his love for God was so strong he ended up winning me over! I just hope I never have to interpret a rap concert. :O
I read a few blog posts on a girl who shares my name. Only this girl has rhabdomyosarcoma, and has just been told there is nothing more they can do for her. It breaks my heart to hear the anger, fear, and brokenness in her mother's posts. The fact that she shares my name serves to remind me how easily she could have been me. And I hate how ugly, and scarred, and bruised our world is! But then I have an experience like last night, and I realize that no matter how many tears are shed, lives are taken, or babies abandoned, this world belongs to God. Satan is not going to win!
So stay strong this week, friends, as you want to laugh and cry at this temporary home. Please remember that it is all in God's hands, and that He will have victory! One of the hardest things about advocating for orphans is that I can't help but wonder "If God has a perfect plan for everyone, what is His plan for those who are stuck in an institution for their short life??" And although I still don't have an answer, I kow this- God is going to take those little ones into His arms once they are in Heaven. Even if their life was so short and so broken, He is going to make all of that disappear when they reach Heaven. I know He is, in the end, going to take the victory as He holds His precious child! And the Marcia's of the world will realize, once and for all, that they are loved. I find peace in the fact that even in the most hopeless situations, God will win!
Much love,
Your Blogger Claire
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~Romans 8:31-39 (taken from Biblegateway.com)
Just have to say...sometimes ( I mean a LOT of times!) I can't believe all the pain of the world, and it crushes my spirit. But then there are times like this week, when I can't help but jump for God's greatness! Times like when Mason goes to Special Ministries with me, and we get to worship with 17,000 other Christians, and --oh, yeah- you read that right! He went with me!!
He has wanted to go because every night I come home with bunches of stories to tell, and he has been wanting to meet all these people who have become so dear to me. So...he went. And I feel so thankful that he did go. Of course I have many reasons for this, but the main one is that now he gets it. When I come home from Special Ministries, I feel like I want to laugh and cry at the same time. You see, these people make me laugh with their hilarious jokes, and I can't help but smile as I think of all the ladies who told me my brother was "pretty cute". I love going there and helping the other people at our table sign the songs so our Deaf friend can feel more involved. I love going there and meeting new people every week who love so much and seem to have enough hugs to go around four (or ten!) times. I love hearing everyone praise the Lord together, and I love singing "Silent Night" in February because its one of the student's favorite songs.
But it also makes me cry. Sometimes I just have to cry because I can't believe God has brought me here. I can't believe He has let me use this beautiful language to bring His Word to someone else. Sometimes I just cry I feel so blessed my heart could burst.
But sometimes my heart bursts and a torrent of tears comes out. Sometimes I look at this woman I'm interpreting for and realize "Oh.. she has no idea what I just said!"--because she doesn't know enough ASL to get by. Sometimes I'll feel so helpless and upset that she has no means of communication with those around her.
Sometimes I hear stories that break my heart. Sometimes I watch a girl have a seizure.
And when those things happen, I go home and write it all down in my prayer journal, praying for each of them.
And Mason got that. He started telling Mom that is was hard, but that he loved it. And, of course, I finished his sentence and said "You want to laugh and cry at the same time, right?" I feel so blessed to have these triplet brothers of mine who really do get it. And I'm blessed to have a place that contains so much joy as Special Ministries! I'm learning so much and treasure each minute.
This week we went to the Rock and Worship Road show. It wasn't nearly as fun as it could have been because my Dad wasn't there, but it was still pretty amazing. My favorite part was the crowd. 17,000 Christians worshipping the Lord together is a powerful thing! I palpably felt the Lord's presence. Arms in the air, voices lifted, so and so band playing glorious music--I felt that must be what Heaven is like! Although... when I first heard Lecrae, I didn't like him. But his love for God was so strong he ended up winning me over! I just hope I never have to interpret a rap concert. :O
I read a few blog posts on a girl who shares my name. Only this girl has rhabdomyosarcoma, and has just been told there is nothing more they can do for her. It breaks my heart to hear the anger, fear, and brokenness in her mother's posts. The fact that she shares my name serves to remind me how easily she could have been me. And I hate how ugly, and scarred, and bruised our world is! But then I have an experience like last night, and I realize that no matter how many tears are shed, lives are taken, or babies abandoned, this world belongs to God. Satan is not going to win!
So stay strong this week, friends, as you want to laugh and cry at this temporary home. Please remember that it is all in God's hands, and that He will have victory! One of the hardest things about advocating for orphans is that I can't help but wonder "If God has a perfect plan for everyone, what is His plan for those who are stuck in an institution for their short life??" And although I still don't have an answer, I kow this- God is going to take those little ones into His arms once they are in Heaven. Even if their life was so short and so broken, He is going to make all of that disappear when they reach Heaven. I know He is, in the end, going to take the victory as He holds His precious child! And the Marcia's of the world will realize, once and for all, that they are loved. I find peace in the fact that even in the most hopeless situations, God will win!
Much love,
Your Blogger Claire
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~Romans 8:31-39 (taken from Biblegateway.com)
 |
| I love my Readers! : ) |
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Blessings in Special Ministries
My dear Readers,
I have been so excited to write this post!
One of my favorite parts of blogging is that when I feel sad that such a good thing is over-vacation, volunteering, Christmas, etc.- I can always relive it on here when I write it all down! That may sound goofy, but it is fun! My other favorite part of blogging is the off chance that someone reading this might be encouraged. Or feel pressed to adopt one of the precious orphans I feature. Or, just- enjoy the life stories I so love to share!
So. I can't wait to share my first visit to Scottsdale Bible's Special Ministries' Bible study with you!
First of all...it was amazing!!! It was kind of like meeting Bridget, in my opinion. (here's a link to that blog post if you're new here! :) ) I think they're similar because in both of these encounters, I felt like God was so clearly there. This Thursday I felt so sure that God has planned for me to be there it was just exhilerating!
For those of you in AZ, you HAVE to visit this Bible study. (Thursday nights, at Scottsdale Bible Church, 6:30-8:00) It is the most amazing thing. All the people there are just precious! They had just met me, and yet several of them mentioned me in their prayer requests.
I wasn't even there but a few seconds when a girl came up to me and started talking to me all about sign language, and how she would love to hang out with me, and how she was so glad I was there. Then later, as I was interpreting she just came up and started signing everything I signed! I don't think I have ever made a friend that fast in my life! She was so sweet. But they were all sweet. They all were so sweet to me from the minute I walked in the door- I felt so loved!
And as I was detailing all of this to my mom afterwards, she told me that that was the beauty. That is the beauty in Down Sydrome and some of the other challenges these people faced. They are so pure and loving. I wish all of us could be as kind as that!
I loved interpreting. Love love loved it! It's the best feeling in the world to know that you are making God's word more accessible to someone. And I love it. But the hardest part about it was the prayer requests at the end. Each person told their table leader their prayer request, and then the table leader would pray for each of the people and each of their requests. There were about 7 tables....and each person had about a dozen prayer requests! Fingerspelling all those names and trying to make sure my friend understood what I was saying was quite a task! And I'm so glad that I got the oppurtunity to do it. Because listening to each of the people at my table's prayer requests was the best thing in the world! Caregivers, parents, friends, family, pets, others at the table, ME,- they each had so many people who they loved, and who they wanted to pray for. I think one of my favorite things I got to relay to my friend was when I got to tell her that one of the people at our table had requested to pray for her. By this time she was watching my signs more attentively than when we started,and I knew she got what I was saying when she smiled.
These people at Special Ministries are living like Jesus. And it was such a blessing to be able to spend time with them. I can't wait to go back next week!
I just feel so amazingly blessed that God has allowed this.
And moments like Thursday night are such beautiful reminders to me that I am exactly where God needs me. Some days I wish with all my heart that we could adopt a dozen little children with special needs. And some days (like when Mason was recovering from surgery) I wish we didn't have to go through surgeries or therapies at all. But if we adopted a bunch of precious children, I couldn't have volunteered with Special Ministries. And if we didn't have to go through surgeries or any of the other things Cerebral Palsy comes with, I wouldn't be the same person I am today. We wouldn't be the same family,either.
And right now I really am so glad that we are exactly where God needs us! Because in His plan is an amazing place to be.
Your Blogger who probably just shared way more information than you wanted,
Claire
By the way- here is a link to SBC's Special Ministries site. I encourage you to contact Amy Daniels if you want to get involved! She's amazing!
I have been so excited to write this post!
One of my favorite parts of blogging is that when I feel sad that such a good thing is over-vacation, volunteering, Christmas, etc.- I can always relive it on here when I write it all down! That may sound goofy, but it is fun! My other favorite part of blogging is the off chance that someone reading this might be encouraged. Or feel pressed to adopt one of the precious orphans I feature. Or, just- enjoy the life stories I so love to share!
So. I can't wait to share my first visit to Scottsdale Bible's Special Ministries' Bible study with you!
First of all...it was amazing!!! It was kind of like meeting Bridget, in my opinion. (here's a link to that blog post if you're new here! :) ) I think they're similar because in both of these encounters, I felt like God was so clearly there. This Thursday I felt so sure that God has planned for me to be there it was just exhilerating!
For those of you in AZ, you HAVE to visit this Bible study. (Thursday nights, at Scottsdale Bible Church, 6:30-8:00) It is the most amazing thing. All the people there are just precious! They had just met me, and yet several of them mentioned me in their prayer requests.
I wasn't even there but a few seconds when a girl came up to me and started talking to me all about sign language, and how she would love to hang out with me, and how she was so glad I was there. Then later, as I was interpreting she just came up and started signing everything I signed! I don't think I have ever made a friend that fast in my life! She was so sweet. But they were all sweet. They all were so sweet to me from the minute I walked in the door- I felt so loved!
And as I was detailing all of this to my mom afterwards, she told me that that was the beauty. That is the beauty in Down Sydrome and some of the other challenges these people faced. They are so pure and loving. I wish all of us could be as kind as that!
I loved interpreting. Love love loved it! It's the best feeling in the world to know that you are making God's word more accessible to someone. And I love it. But the hardest part about it was the prayer requests at the end. Each person told their table leader their prayer request, and then the table leader would pray for each of the people and each of their requests. There were about 7 tables....and each person had about a dozen prayer requests! Fingerspelling all those names and trying to make sure my friend understood what I was saying was quite a task! And I'm so glad that I got the oppurtunity to do it. Because listening to each of the people at my table's prayer requests was the best thing in the world! Caregivers, parents, friends, family, pets, others at the table, ME,- they each had so many people who they loved, and who they wanted to pray for. I think one of my favorite things I got to relay to my friend was when I got to tell her that one of the people at our table had requested to pray for her. By this time she was watching my signs more attentively than when we started,and I knew she got what I was saying when she smiled.
These people at Special Ministries are living like Jesus. And it was such a blessing to be able to spend time with them. I can't wait to go back next week!
I just feel so amazingly blessed that God has allowed this.
And moments like Thursday night are such beautiful reminders to me that I am exactly where God needs me. Some days I wish with all my heart that we could adopt a dozen little children with special needs. And some days (like when Mason was recovering from surgery) I wish we didn't have to go through surgeries or therapies at all. But if we adopted a bunch of precious children, I couldn't have volunteered with Special Ministries. And if we didn't have to go through surgeries or any of the other things Cerebral Palsy comes with, I wouldn't be the same person I am today. We wouldn't be the same family,either.
And right now I really am so glad that we are exactly where God needs us! Because in His plan is an amazing place to be.
Your Blogger who probably just shared way more information than you wanted,
Claire
By the way- here is a link to SBC's Special Ministries site. I encourage you to contact Amy Daniels if you want to get involved! She's amazing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)