JAMAICA - MILESAHEAD 2008 – Childrens Ministry
The childrens ministry went to New Haven, a home for developmentally disabled kids. When we got there, we didn’t know what to expect at all, and there didn’t seem to be anyone there to give us direction. There were 4 houses, each housed about 21 kids, and only 2 workers in each house. You could tell that the caregivers are very over worked, and at first none of them would even smile at usl You could tell also that some of our team didn’t quite know how to react to some of these kids. There were a lot of kids with cerebral palsy to varying degrees, some mental retardations, one boy with cancer, and a couple autistic kids.) We decided we couldn’t really do our lesson as planned so we all just started loving on them. I saw two boys in wheel chairs, went over to them and tried to talk to them. Neither of them would respond or even look at me. I learned from the caregiver their names were Javon and Renaldo, and that of the 83 kids there, only 5 of them have any relatives that come to see them – I knew then that these kids had to be starved for affection. So I just did what I would have done to my grandkids . I pulled their wheelchairs by my sides and started rubbing both their backs at the same time. We connected. As soon as I stopped, they both turned their heads and looked at me, and started rocking in their wheel chairs. So I continued– really we had a Touch Ministry.
Then I saw the physiotherapy room, so I ventured in and met Mrs. Cummings – this teacher was extremely loving, when I met her she was helping a little boy write a love letter. Then she introduced me to Carrie (who was severely crippled – but was very bright, and she had a beautiful voice, so I asked her if she would sing a song to me, she began singing…..”this is the day that the LORD hath made, I will be glad and rejoice in it”, that’s when I shed my first tear. After she finished we went outside and Mrs. Cummings brought the music outside, she put on a Christian kids CD, and that started the Dance Fest!!!! The kids all came over, they loved to sing and some of them could really dance, they started teaching us their moves. We had so much fun, during that time I saw tears in almost every team members eyes. When we first got there we were focused on how different these kids were from us, and then when we were all praising God, and dancing before him I realized—there is no difference — we are all God’s children - all of the same spirit! Wow, what a moment, I just felt Gods love pour out all over me. Here we were to minister to these kids, and it ended up that they ministered to us.
What an awesome God we serve!
Penny Richardson, Children’s Ministry Team
