links I'm loving in special needs ministry {9/24/12}
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Every Life Matters
A special needs parent's response to "I don't know how you do it"
4 Ways to Build Relationships with Parents
All of these are true for parents of kiddos with special needs too!
What You Can Learn from Disney about Ministering to Kids with Autism
Three of the ladies I worked with, Amanda, Kym, and Karen, had recently traveled to Ukraine with willing hearts to do all they could to help children with special needs there. Amanda had seen firsthand the conditions the children with special needs lived in while spending time there adopting her two boys. She came home willing to do what she could to help the others left behind. Kym and Karen, both physical therapists with huge hearts for children and special needs, said, “Let’s go help them.”Dear Santa, All I Want for Christmas is a User's Manual for my Kid
You see, Santa, here’s my dilemma. My daughter, Helene, is autistic. She knows who you are — sort of... I am torn. Do I let her go on believing you are nothing but a cartoon character? Or, do I encourage her to behave her best and send a hopeful letter to the North Pole, wishing for a magical delivery? Because, Santa, my daughter (like many other children on the autism spectrum) has a very small circle of trust, and I am lucky enough to be in the circle.Bad explanations of the Bible kill the soul. The truth gives light and hope!
God may be pleased to use you to help me see Jesus and to give me a heart that longs to be with this Jesus who has authority over everything – like a boy with multiple disabilities who he doesn’t heal, and a wife with the constant specter of cancer over her, and all the sinful failings of my heart that is prone to wander.Bible People (printable)
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| Go to the link above to print your own! Great for Sunday school or parent-led family devotions. (Thanks, Amy Fenton Lee for pointing out this great resource.) |
A special needs parent's response to "I don't know how you do it"
On good days, I get up in the morning and cut my losses and struggles from yesterday (because when you parent a child with special needs, there are usually daily losses and struggles). I look my kids in the eye, breathe out a prayer, hug them, and hold on a while because they are worth it, and our life is blessed.God Heard, God Remained
On hard days, I lock myself in the bathroom for five minutes, and cry over the fact that my my daughter Evangelline doesn’t talk, or that Polly hasn’t made any real friends yet, and I look my kids in the eye, I breathe out a prayer, hug them and hold on, because they are worth it, and our life is blessed.
The story of Hagar and her son reminds me that God does hear the cries of one suffering boy and his mother.Template for Movable Visual Schedule
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| Click the link above to go to The Inclusive Church to learn more and download the template! |
4 Ways to Build Relationships with Parents
All of these are true for parents of kiddos with special needs too!
What You Can Learn from Disney about Ministering to Kids with Autism
CNN recently reported that 1 in 88 children in the U.S. have some form of autism. This means there are many children in your community who have autism. Are you being intentional about providing a place where they feel comfortable and have their needs met?