Last night was my first time to serve in the special needs children's ministry at church. It has been on my heart for a long time, especially since I would have been the parent of a special needs child had God not taken him home as an infant.
This ministry was started by parents of children with special needs who know that these parents usually don't have the opportunity to attend a church service, or if they do they can't attend together because one has to stay home with the child/children.
In this particular case most of the children in this ministry have special needs due to premature births. Two new children joined the class for the first time last night and also fit into this category of premature births. These precious children were born at 24 weeks and weighed one pound. They are now eight or nine. The fact that they are here is a miracle. They are however both blind, deaf, and can not communicate verbally.
The most rewarding thing is that each of these children, though facing life with many challeges, have such pure hearts. All they want is love and affection. Though they become very aggitated and sometimes aggressive (wouldn't you if you couldn't make others understand what you needed or what hurt) they also have beautiful laughter that comes from the most simple things.
Even though I came home with my hair going every which way, my muscles aching, and claw marks down my arm, I also came home with renewed hope, thankfulness, joy, and peace.
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