Learning to Live By Faith

I have been living on the Camp Daniel grounds for about a month now. I have been sleeping on an air mattress because I didn't have a bed. Jen and I decided that we would put two futons in our cabin because of the limited space. Tony said "I know someone will give you a futon, I bet it will even be the same color as Jen's futon." Tony had complete faith that I would get one so I didn't worry about it. I knew God would provide in his timing. I was learning to trust God for a basic need, my bed. Yesterday, a guy from church drove up from Green Bay to drop off a futon. He even put the futon together for me. I have a bed. Praise the Lord! And get this, it's the same color as Jen's futon. I never would have thought anything of it. The fact that Tony mentioned the color before I got the futon was a big deal. This was just a God thing. I believe that God does little things like that in our lives all the time. We need to be paying attention or else we will miss them.

I wondered why I didn't get a futon right away when I moved here. If there had been a futon here, I wouldn't have had to go through the process of learning to trust God. This was just a small step towards trusting God with more important things in the future. If God can take care of the little things, then I know he has the big things in His hands.

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The Prayers of the Disabled pt1

The church as a whole isn't equipped, isn't ready to minister to people with disabilities. We really need to get awareness out there because we are missing a vital part of the body of Christ. This disability ministry is not an option, it is what God called us to do. Those are the people that Jesus spent his time ministering to. A friend of mine told me this story about something that happened to a church a few years back.

There was a church that had a thriving disability ministry. The people with disabilities would pray for the church and that God would bless it. God answered their prayers because the church body grew and was very blessed. Then the church board decided to cut their budget. The money that was going towards transportation for the disability ministry was put towards something else. These people had no way to get to the church and the disability ministry kind of fell apart after that. When the people with disabilities weren't a part of the church anymore, the church was missing out on something big. Those with disabilities were not there to pray and bless the church and the body. The church attendance dropped quite a bit. The church was no longer thriving and blessed as it had been.

This is such a great picture of how the church is and will be blessed when the whole body of Christ is working and ministering together. This is also a great picture of what the church is missing out on. That is how 95% of churches are operating today. How can we get people to catch onto the vision? How can we get people to see them the way WE see them?

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Experiences That Have Shaped Me part 2

The second experience that changed me was with Karen. Karen was a girl with special needs who was in my class. I remember, in middle school, we had a class where we sat four kids to a table. Karen was chosen to sit at my table. I don't know why she sat at my table but I guess God knew what he was doing. During the time that Karen sat at our table, it wasn't always easy, but I learned a lot from the experience. I learned a lot about patience and kindness. I wish I could ask the teacher why she picked Karen to sit at our table. God continued to plant seeds within me. That experience was just another small step toward disability ministry.

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Experiences That Have Shaped Me part 1

I have been thinking about my experience among people with disabilities when I was a kid. There were two people with disabilities that shaped my childhood. I grew up with both of these kids. The first kid was Matt. I can remember being friends with him in kindergarten and first grade. We rode the bus together. As we got older, it wasn't so easy to be friends with him. The other kids on the bus made fun of him. I was never brave enough to do anything about it, but I wish I had been. Oh well, I guess each experience prepares you for the next. I cam remember being in class with him and I noticed that he had big hands. He had trouble holding a regular pencil. I told my mom about this and she decided that we were going to buy him some school supplies.

I think I was only in fifth or sixth grade when we did this. We went to the store and bought him some folders and bigger pencils that would be easier for him to hold. Then we dropped the supplies off in his mailbox so he never knew who it was. We dropped things off in his mailbox at least twice.

My mom has the gift of giving. She uses her gifts to make things and she gives them to others. I was blessed to grow up around this and my parent's hospitality. Our home has always been open to others. My mom works at HoneyRock Camp and there have been many camp staff in our house over the years. I learned that community is really important for our lives. I learned how to love on people just by opening up our home. My mom doesn't realize how many seeds were planted in me for disability ministry because of what we did for Matt. I am still processing all that God has done through that experience. God was putting a special place in my heart for people with disabilities even then. It was an experience that I will never forget. Thank you, Mom. I am forever grateful.

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Mexico On My Mind

Mexico is on my mind today because my mom is going to Tijuana, Mexico on a mission trip. This will be her fourth trip to Tijuana. She is going with a group and they will be working with Spectrum Ministries. Mexico was my first mission trip and it changed my life. That was the first time that I saw the poor. Sure, I saw a homeless person on the street back home, but I didn't really SEE them. God really opened my eyes on that trip. If you have been to a place where people have nothing, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I saw families who lived among the trash. I saw dirty children running around with hungry bellies.

I have had the privilege of working with the amazing men and women on staff with Spectrum Ministries. The Spectrum staff are radical because they live out their faith daily by following what God has called them to do. They took that step of faith. They love on the people around them by providing basic needs, food and clothing. Providing those basic needs opened the door to build relationships with people in the community and many came to Christ. This ministry has been around for the last 30 years, all because one man said "YES" and took a step of faith. It was an honor to work alongside the staff for three summers.

Mexico was the beginning of a radical transformation that God did in my heart and life. I came home and tried to tell people about it but they just didn't get it. God had opened my eyes to the suffering around me. The thing that blew me away was that those children had nothing, and they were some of the happiest kids I have ever seen. There was an inner joy that flowed from them.

I went to Camp Daniel for the first time a couple of summers after Mexico. That week among people with disabilities changed my life forever. That week in Mexico prepared me to recognize special things among people with disabilities. They have experienced a lot of suffering and pain and yet they choose joy. Whether you have been to Camp Daniel or not, if there is a person with a disability in your life, things are different. Life can get really hard sometimes, but they are the best gift God can give you. They will teach you about daily service and sacrifice, by serving them. God working through weakness like that changes your life. And if you try to tell someone about how people with disabilities have changed your life, they don't get it unless they have experienced it for themselves. I pray that more people will open themselves up to catch onto the vision that has become my life. Embrace weakness because God will speak to you in ways you never thought were possible.

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