Loneliness in our estimation, is one of the primary emotions that a parent with a special-needs child faces. The isolation that a parent can feel is on multiple levels: Other friends not understanding their situation, being the primary care taker for a child with special needs all day, not having many people to talk to about their situation and many more. It can be very isolating.
We would like to announce our new support group/ministry:
Meaning: TOGETHER IN HOPE
Here in Guadalajara, we will connect with parents who have special needs children to 1) support their emotional and spiritual needs 2) Provide activities for their special child to feel loved and 3) Help them locate and get the equipment they need for their child.
Two activities that we would like to do annually:
1) Summer courses for all ages- Summer courses are very popular in Guadalajara but so far, not many are available for special needs kids. This year we will be doing a “trial run” with kids ages 4-11 for one week only, it will be VBS themed.
2) Annual Winter Gala- We want to make our special needs children feel loved and important. That is why we came up with an idea of doing a Winter Gala (Ball) for them and their families. It will be an event that they can dress up for, get family pictures, and receive a gift from their “wish list”.
As in all things that we do, our primary hope is that people will be drawn to Christ in a way that impacts their lives and those in their community. We want to shine His light so brightly that people will ask us the reason for our joy and our hope.
To begin this ministry we need to raise start-up funds of $9,500. This will cover cost of equipment needed, scholarships for special needs items for those who can’t afford them, cost of renting a building for our meetings for the first year, and the “Christmas Gala”. It is our hope that only the initial costs will need to be raised by us and that by next year we will be self-sustaining.
Please pray for us as we begin this ministry and also, please consider giving. Here is the link where you can make a donation: https://www.converge.org/give/605510
Much love to you all! Thank you!