Sharing God's Love

One woman from our congregation, Karen R., recently traveled to Eastern Europe and Central Asia to share God's love with families with children with developmental disabilities. Here is an update from her.  (Names of people and locations have been altered for safety's sake)

Dear Family and Friends,

In late April I led a small team of three to a country in Eastern Europe to teach parents of children with developmental disabilities, as well as school teachers, therapists, psychologists and church workers.

We started our trip out in City A for four days where we were hosted by a local Baptist Church. We were so impressed by the way they are reaching out to minister to their neighbors who are widowed or disabled. The ministry began nine years ago after a family in the church was in a car accident that left the mom a quadriplegic. The family began to discover others who were confined to home because there are few ramps and elevators in the city. The church built a long ramp around the side of their building and started inviting these homebound people to church, even helping with transportation.  The father of the family is now a pastor/leader of Ministry to the Disabled at the church. The church started an elementary school open to children with and without disabilities. Because there was no rehab center in their city of 450,000, they opened a brand new rehab facility in August 2016. This Baptist Church is defending the defenseless. It was exciting for us to support this wonderful church by providing training for church volunteers, school teachers and therapists at their rehabilitation center. One young woman in another part of the country heard about the training and rode a bus all night to get to come.

After an all-night train ride to City B, we were picked up by a missionary from Oklahoma and another missionary from Oregon. One of these families has nine children, five with Down’s syndrome. Four with Down’s were adopted in this eastern European country. We freshened up at their home and headed to a church in a nearby town where a team member and I spent the day in one-on-one consultations with autistic children and their parents. We both had thirteen 30-minute appointments. Three things struck me:

1. Doctors had given parents the diagnosis of autism for their children, but gave no help or hope.
2. The parents’ heartache was evident in each family, though the love for their children was strong.
3. Out of the thirteen children I saw, only two had fathers living at home. Too many times fathers who cannot handle the diagnosis leave the mother alone with a child everyone tells her is hopeless.

When I looked into one mother’s eyes filled with anguish, I felt compelled to tell her, “GOD loves your child so much. He loves your child more than you do.” After seeing this mom’s reaction, I began telling each of the parents how much God loved them and their child. I wanted to give them HOPE, but I had such little time. Thankfully this was set up in a small church that will be following up with each of these unchurched families.  We were the link connecting these people with a church who loves them. It was a beginning.

The following three days in City B we spoke at a large conference in another city sponsored by a group of mothers of autistic children. The mothers group of autistic children is well-organized and determined to bring help and education to many families and teachers, not only in this country but in surrounding countries. At last year’s conference, there were 180 in attendance. This year there was 500+ in attendance. Last year there were 1,800 who watched the conference on live web TV, this year there were 4,000! We were blown away! I spoke to one teacher who was thanking me, and I told her I hoped she learned a couple of ideas she could use. Her response: “Oh! I’m going to use ALL OF IT!” After the conference and a lovely visit with another beautiful missionary family from Oregon, a team member and I flew to a country in Central Asia where the religion is 97% Shia Muslim.

A Country in Central Asia -- Late April - Early May

Honestly I had some questions throughout the planning of this portion of our trip, but I always felt like God called us to go. I was delighted to see a familiar face when a doctor knocked at our guest house door 10 minutes after our arrival. He was our host when I was there in 2013, and though he wasn’t our host this time, he voluntarily took on the responsibility of caring for us. He invited us to his home for dinner with his beautiful family including a newly adopted daughter with special needs. We appreciated the time he spent with our team, praying with us, guiding us and encouraging us.
We gave a 3-day training for teachers, therapists and psychologists. On the afternoon of the third day, one of our young translators told me that an attendee wanted to talk to me privately. The young translator, her sister and I went to the tea room with R** who began telling me about her daughter, H** who was consumed with hatred and bitterness toward her father because he’d deserted them. I asked if the daughter had special needs. No, the daughter was normal.  After listening to her story, I began sharing with R** that God is LOVE, and listing some of His characteristics. Then I listed some words she’d said about her daughter: hate, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness—and sin. I wrote out John 3:16 on a piece of paper and explained that Jesus, God’s Son, was the only way to bridge the gulf between sin and God’s love. Suddenly the young translator looked at me and exclaimed, “I get it! I get it!”  (Praise the Lord!)

We turned our attention back to R** and I wrote out several more verses knowing her daughter speaks English and could read them. By this time R** had tears quietly falling down her cheeks and I asked her if she wanted to pray. She said yes. So I dropped to my knees beside her and prayed a salvation prayer—which both young girls prayed out loud. Afterward, R** sobbed as she hugged me. Then she looked me in the eye and said, “God brought you here for me—and my daughter!”

Sometimes we never know why God sends us to certain places in the world, but this time God gave me a little view. What a thrill to see God in action, orchestrating circumstances for hurting and searching hearts on the other side of the globe for His will and purposes. This is what it’s all about. This is why I go.

I gave R** my small New Testament with a note inside with my name and email, and I’ve already been in touch with her and her daughter. (Our hostess was at the next table and heard every word. The doctor and his wife plan on following up with her.)

Before the day was over, the young translator told me that she is Muslim but she believed everything I told R** was TRUTH. I wrote out John 14:6 on paper to take with her, and again got on my knees to pray. When I finished, an English teacher was standing next to me listening. I have no idea what she was thinking, but she heard Truth.

Before leaving this country in Central Asia, our hostess told us that the American Embassy and the Minister of Education of the country want us to come back, all expenses paid by the American Embassy including airfare and accommodations as well as the attendees’ costs. The Minister of Education sees much value in our teaching on developmental disabilities and wants more training for workers, teachers and parents about inclusion of these children in the schools. God has more work for us to do. I’m ready!