Lifetime of service

Let me introduce you to a wonderful gal named Marilyn, pictured below with her camper at Joni & Friends Retreat. She is an inspiration to me. In the last year she has served on four missions trips and volunteers continually at her church. I had to find out how old she was and she told me she'll be celebrating her 81st birthday!

I commended her and thanked her for her service. I told her she is such a great example as so many will use age as an excuse not to serve. I asked if i could tell others about her and share her age. She was delighted and said that would be her prayer. She wants to serve as long as she is alive and she wants to encourage others to do the same.

Thanks, Marilyn!

Worship the King

Coming back from two weeks at Joni and Friends I was impacted with the thought that it really is all about one thing and that is worship. I really got to just watch and learn. I thank the Lord that I have many teachers who are so willing to teach me.

Marceaux

Why Don't you spend more time with me??

We just got back from two weeks of Joni And Friends Family Retreats. It was a great time seeing old friends and making new ones. One of our favorite friends is Ryan, pictured here. He is fun-loving with a gentle and yet curious spirit. When we get together we laugh alot.

One day, Ryan and I were talking about how wierd Marceaux is. Ryan ask me, "Why." I responded, "I don't know."  He asked again, "But why?" Now, Ryan has autism and likes to ask alot of questions and will persistanly keep asking. So this went on for awhile. Finally I said, "Well, that's just the way God made him." He proceded to ask, "Why?" I said, "I don't know. I'll have to ask him when I get to heaven." He again asked, "Why?" Running out of answers, I decided to ask him a question. "Don't you have any questions you'd like ask God when you get to heaven? If you could ask God a question, what would you ask Him?"  He said, "I would ask him why he doesn't spend more time with me."

I was shocked. Of all the questions we wonder in this world and all he wants to know is why He doesn't spend more time with him. I didn't quite know what do say. I didn't understand why he felt that way. So I asked, "Is Jesus your best friend?" He said, "Yes." Then I said, "Well, if you asked Jesus to be your best friend, he is always with you. He is always spending time with you."

I left that conversation still wondering why he felt that way. From what I know about peole with cognitive disabilities they are very concrete thinkers; they have trouble understaning the abstract. So concepts like God are somewhat hard to understand. What they do understand is what they can see, feel, and hear. They understand friends, family and friendship. People with cognitive disabilities get their understanding about God and experience Him from thier tangible relationships around them (no matter if they have a disabilty or not). So what I truly think Ryan was asking me was, "Why don't you (all people) spend more time with me?"

I think Ryan was speaking out of his heart's need for love and relationships. He needs to be shown that God loves him and that God wants to spend time with him. How will he know this other than from what he experiences from his relationships?

Take the opportunity to build a friendship with someone who needs to be shown who God is and that He loves them! Thanks Ryan for teaching me that lesson!

Discovery of GODs beauty

Discovery of those things that are from that which is outside myself. I have spent two years now with a camper and I finally caught a glimse of who he realy was made out to be. I was like hacking through the jungle. I did not know where I was going only one swipe of the machetty revieled that I was on the right path. The path was lead outside of myself and then into his heart. Easy to conceptualise but difficult to do. That intimate language that all of us have and that special place that we do not let but only a few. I came close in my campers heart. Just the simmplicity of cleaning his glasses and the joy that resulted was signaling that I was near. Milo spoke to his inner voice and the humerous reaction broke down those last few barriors. At last I viewed from a distance the true heart of my camper and what a sight. I bowed with complete admeration and respect because at last I had a true brother in Christ whom I would enjoy throughout eternity. Thank God for disability and the gift of moral courage that helped me persue the true beauty of my brother in Christ.

-Marceaux

On our way to muskegon michigan for Joni And Friends Retreat.

Somehow we ended up downtown instead of driving around the city