Goodbyes and Hellos

Sam, Melissa, and Grace had their first day of school today! It was the first day of the much-anticipated, much-prayed for Therapy House preschool.

Sam and Grace are both in the class, and they had a great first day. After the morning session, they have lunch, and then Grace goes to 'after care' while Sam has to two hours of one-on-one behavioral therapy. Melissa is an aide to the children affected by autism (they have developmentally "normal" kids along with the autism spectrum kids in the same classroom).

It's a new schedule for us... Melissa has to get up around 6:10 and then leave the house by 7:10 in order to get to the school on time, which is in the TCU area. That means the kiddos have to be in bed MUCH earlier than they're used to. Sam has the hardest time adjusting to that. As i'm writing this, it's 10:12 pm and he's still in his room making noises! (Last night he didn't go to sleep until well after 12 am.) It will get better as they fall into the routine, though.

On a different 'first', we also had our first Sunday helping with the 'Breaking the Barriers' ministry at Richland Hills Church of Christ. This is the special needs ministry that Sam (and we) have been blessed by since we've been attending there, and we've been feeling that we need to be involved in whatever way God wants us to be. Melissa will be helping in the adult classroom, which has around 8-10 students, mostly affected by Down's Sydrome, and a couple have seizure disorders also. They're beautiful people that we've already come to love and look forward to getting to know. I will probably be helping on the classroom floor with the younger kids, going into the classes and helping as needed. Melissa's mom also is going to be doing that as well. Melissa said that as she was there, she had a joyful peace about being in the classroom. That definitely comes from knowing you're doing what God wants you to do (and what he's prepared for you to do!)

We will miss our beloved ones at Fortress on Sundays. We have been there for over eight years! It was hard to leave, but we will still be actively involved and in contact with our loved ones there.

Besides getting much needed therapeutic interaction for Sam, the thing I love about us being involved with the school and the special needs ministry is this:

that we're finally taking the battle on the OFFENSIVE.

The enemy thought he could make us curl up and shut ourselves off from everybody and everything. Yes, we were devastated when we learned that our boy was going to be 'different'. We despaired to learn that the hopes and dreams every parent has for their child, which we always blissfully assume will just happen, were going to be a grinding battle every step of the way for our boy. There have been many times when we wanted to throw in the towel and cloak ourselves in self-pity, misery, and depression. And there are still times when it's hard.

But with God's help and the help of amazingly loving friends and family, we are able to get up, brush ourselves off, and march forward one baby step at a time. We have a faith that is not weaker, but it is stronger. We possess both a desire and an ability to now help others affected by autism. And we do it all giving glory to the God that created us and continues to guard, protect, love, and guide us.

What the devil thought he could weaken, he instead made stronger. He thought he could make use renounce and blame God, but instead we love God even more. He thought he could make us retreat from the battlefield with our tails between our legs, but instead we press bravely forward, knowing we possess the spiritual armor and weapons necessary to triumph.

So please be in prayer about the following things:

• That God will bless our family and keep us safe from physical and spiritual harm
• Blessings for our marriage and our finances as we deal with high costs associated with Sam's therapy
• Blessings for the new Therapy House preschool, its staff and the children
• Blessings for the Breaking the Barriers ministry at RHCC and our involvement there
• Continued healing for Sam, emotionally, physically, and developmentally...that he will continue to develop appropriate speech, notice and desire contact with people, and that he will flourish in his new school/therapy environment.