I have always believed that God has had a plan for Cole from the very beginning. Though I was devastated when I learned that he had Autism, I have never loved him any differently. He has a captivating presence wherever he goes, twirling and squealing; uninhibited by the opinions of others. His loving and tender personality has won the hearts of many who have gotten to know Cole. He has no pride, no fear, no judgement; he accepts everyone without question and has an unexplainable understanding of God that I am envious of.
Over the years we have come to realize that God has given us a tremendous gift through Cole; the gift of acceptance for those who are different than we are. In Canada it is widely expected to show some level of tolerance for individuals who live with a disability. In other parts of the world, these differences are rarely understood or accepted.
This March we are travelling to Guatemala as a family to work in a home for children with disabilities. Most of these children have been abandoned by their parents because they don't necessarily even know what their physical and mental needs are. They don't have access to a diagnosis and support to learn how to manage the illness or disability. If medications are needed, they are often too expensive for the family to provide. There is no Ministry for Children and Families in Guatemala to distribute government support to families. Children with Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and other disorders are often abandoned because there is just no other options for the parents who have other children to look after as well. Most orphanages do not accept these children because they are not government funded and run off of donations which is not enough to cover the expenses of raising children with extra needs.
Joy Filled Homes is one of only a handful of organizations that is working to provide care for the forgotten children of Guatemala. Take a moment to check out the link on the side of my blog under favorite websites to see for yourself how they are changing the lives of these children. If he was born to a different family in a different country, Cole could be one of these kids. Instead, God gave him to us to teach us about how much He loves these precious children, how His heart aches for their pain when they are abandoned and die alone.
There are ways to help the children in Guatemala who are in need of miracles. We are going to spend several weeks there in March and April to spend time with the children, loving on them and blessing them as God made them. Our desire is to serve at the home, fixing some of the many maintenance issues in the facility and improving the building to the best of Steve's handyman capabilities. I will bring all the resources that I posses to increase the Individual Education Strategies for each child and offer my limited experience to support the speech and physical therapies. Most of all, we want to share the love of Jesus in a practical way through servant hood.
If you know in your heart that you want to help in some way, contact me about doing that. You can join us in our mission by supporting us financially and in prayer.
I will keep you updated on my blog. You can also reach us at kaybe79@yahoo.ca .