- Night Out is FUN
- As an event, it's a tangible expression of love
- As a parent of a child with special needs, I know first hand how difficult it is to find respite
But this past Sunday, I was reminded as to why Mark 10:14 Ministries as started in the first place. Mark 10:14 Ministries was started so that families with special needs children could come to church and feel welcome. The goal is to see families dealing with special needs as a "normal" part of the church body, not a "special" one, that we don't know how to "deal with"...
This past Sunday was Easter. Easter Sunday is such a busy, busy day at church. There is so much excitement as we celebrate Christ's resurrection . Along with all the excitement comes visitors, and this Sunday we had many. One of the visitors that came with his family, was a 9 year old young man with Autism. Oh my goodness... we were not ready. I wanted to be ready... I wanted to greet this young man and his family with love and assurance that we had a place for him during Sunday school that he would be able to feel God's love. Instead, I'm afraid that I looked like a deer in headlights when I was approached regarding Sunday school for this young man. What I had been praying for... families with special needs kids to come to our church... was now actually happening and I froze.
Scrambling around, I decided I would be his buddy for Sunday school. What an blessing that was for me! As I sat next to this young man, I knew that he was very uncomfortable, but it was time for the Sunday school to start. The Bible lesson was so very important. It was Easter Sunday!! The teacher was talking about the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior! I wanted him to hear this. I wanted all the children in the class to hear. I tried to calm him down by rubbing his back... (Wrong!! that just made him more squirmy, so I stopped that) As the teacher talked about the nails that were pounded into Jesus' hand, my new little friend looked down at his own hands and said "owe!" With tears in my eyes, I took his chubby little hands in mine and made little circles with my finger in his palms. I whispered "owie is right... it did hurt! But Jesus died on the cross and rose again because He loves you" Quietly he looked at his hands and said in a hushed voice "Jesus loves me". Wow! That's what it's all about!
Even though the idea of Jesus' love did get across to him, the class situation was way too uncomfortable. The buddy system is a wonderful addition, but isn't always the best approach for all children. For this little guy, there was simply too much going on:
- He had never been to our church before, so that was new.
- The classroom was full of strangers (except for his brother)
- It was Easter Sunday, so everyone was a bit excited
- It was very uncomfortable sitting on those hard chairs
As we develop Mark 10:14 Ministries at our church, I hope that we are able to come up with a room that is set aside for children with special needs. It's not that I want to exclude these children and put them in a room by themselves, but sometimes the regular classroom can be too overwhelming. Having a "safe haven" that is more low-keyed and geared to the individual child's needs rather than teaching a lesson to the whole class is something I hope that we can have in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment