Goin' to the Chapel

Day 21 of the 31 for 21 Challenge

  

On Wednesday mornings, the residents of Shepherds Ministries attend chapel while our college students are in class. Usually chapel is led by a staff member, a volunteer group or a visiting pastor. But this past Wednesday, our first year students in Personal Development 1 practiced their newfound skills in public speaking by leading chapel for the residents with their teacher, Mrs. Kolkman.

I attended this service believing that I was going to take notes for this blog. That I was going to be an objective observer, someone watching from the sidelines.

But that’s not what really happened.

If you’ve ever visited Shepherds Ministries, or walked into Shepherds Enterprises while the employees were working, you already know that being just an “observer” isn’t really possible. The residents envelop you in hugs and big handshakes. They want to know your name and where you’re from. They invite you into their activities and interests immediately. 

Cathy, the woman sitting next to me near the front, asked me to tell her all the students’ names. I did, then thought, “I should be quietly taking notes,” so I moved to stand against the side wall, a great position for observing.

Mrs. Kolkman opened the service with a loud and joyful “Good Morning!!”  and the residents greeted her and the students with applause. A resident prayed and the singing began.

I was okay for a minute, still observing, silently listening to the voices around me – some singing Come, Now is the Time to Worship, some speaking the words, some droning, some tunelessly humming. I saw eyes closing, heads tipping back, arms going up in praise. 

Then Mrs. Kolkman started singing Yes Lord. I watched as our resident Tara, who’s maybe four feet tall, stood up and began swaying to the music. In the five years I’ve been here, I’ve only seen her sitting down. I started to really hear the lyrics:

“I’m trading my sickness.
I’m trading my pain.
I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord.” 

I realized as my eyes were watering and my heart was doing funny little twists in my chest, that I was witnessing genuine worship. That most of the residents understood these words in a very real and personal way and suddenly I wanted to feel that joy with them. I wanted to stop observing.

Mrs. Kolkman asked the residents, “Who prays? Who do we pray to? What is prayer?”  She explained that the first year students were learning about prayer and then she invited the students forward.

Each student had drawn a picture about what prayer meant to them. As, one-by-one, the students came to the front of the service, their picture flashed up on the screen in back of them. 

I heard, “Prayer is a sword fight with life.”

“Prayer is calling out the name of the Lord.”

“Prayer is asking God for protection.”

“Prayer is talking to God about problems”

“Prayer is peace of mind and reassuring myself that God will provide.”

Students read Bible verses to support their beliefs about prayer, and Crystal added, “I pray because God loves me.”

I heard shy voices, confident voices, sincere voices and one voice that I’m sure belongs to a future pastor.

After each student taught the residents what they knew about prayer and Mrs. Kolkman wrapped up the service, the residents shook their hands and called out, “Hey, you did good! Real good!”

I lingered. My hand scribbled some unintelligible notes, but my mind was on something else – prayer, disability, God, adoration of Him in its purest, simplest form…

I had stopped observing and started participating … and I wasn’t ready for chapel - for worship - to be over.

“Yes Lord, yes Lord, yes yes Lord, Amen.”

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Friday's Top Five: Simple Prayers

I decided to follow God at the age of 25. At the time, I was attending a church in Illinois with my husband. The congregation had been praying for my salvation for years.  I’m not sure if they were so excited that they finally “reeled in a big one,” or if they were so desperate for teachers, but my hair had barely dried from my baptism before they committed me to life service in the Sunday School department.

I remember standing in front of my new class of 4- and 5-year-olds wondering what on earth I was supposed to do with them. Most of these children were already quoting John 3:16 while I was left at the front of the class, wide-eyed and trembling, screaming in my head, “John?! Which John?! There’s four John’s in this book! What are they talking about?!!!”  I didn’t think I was going to last much longer than that one class, but God had other plans for me.  

I grew up spiritually with those little people at a pace someone who had never touched a Bible could handle.  I learned simple Bible verses and simple ways to apply them to my life.  I also learned that simple prayers uttered in childlike faith hold unbelievable power.  I never really learned to pray any other way. 

Over time, I learned all the big Christian words, I studied Apologetics, I read books by authors who knew the Bible inside and out, and I heard incredible prayers by my brothers- and sisters-in-Christ that sounded like rich, vibrant poetry.  But my prayers never changed. When I tried to make them sound “all grown up,” they never felt right – it was just not how He raised me.

In the last 21 years of talking with God, I’ve experienced His “no, this is not My best for you,” His glorious “yes, your will and Mine are one,” and the frustrating, “Wait, the time is not right and one day you will understand.”  

It didn’t matter that my prayers were simple – He heard and answered each one.

Will you join me in prayer for the college today? Will you add your simple prayers, your profound prayers, and your heartfelt prayers to mine to lift up the students, the staff and the program for God’s blessing before the new school year?

Please pray for the new students as they’re packing to leave for college. Living away from their families is such a big adjustment for them. Many of the students never thought attending a college was an option, so they may not feel emotionally prepared to leave home and live with strangers for a good part of the year. Pray that God calms their fears, readies their minds for new schedules, new ways of doing things and new things to learn, and stirs up excitement in their hearts as He reveals His plan for their futures.

Pray for the returning students as they’re about to start either their major area of study or their internships. They already know the stress of college, the joy of making new friends, and the personal satisfaction of gaining in wisdom and knowledge. Pray that God helps them recall all they learned in the last year or two so they start school with confidence in their many abilities. Also, pray that these students bring real benefit and blessing to their internship sites.

Pray for the parents of our students. Letting go is hard. Pray that God brings them comfort in their sadness at saying good-bye, peace in their decisions to trust the staff at Shepherds College with the well-being of their children, and security in knowing that we place our faith in God and He is in control of this special school.

Pray for the faculty and staff of Shepherds College.  We know the value of the lives being placed in our care. Ask God for stamina to get through the tough, homesick days at the beginning of the year and all the important days of learning and growth that follow. Ask Him for sensitivity and discernment to better meet the individual needs of the students as they’re adjusting to this new phase in their lives. Ask Him for patience and wisdom as we face each day head on with all the challenges, adjustments, insecurities, excitement, enthusiasm, melancholy, happiness, busyness … everything that He chooses to pour into it.

Finally, please pray for Shepherds College as a whole. Our school is unique and we’re breaking new ground with every step forward. Pray that God blesses our efforts to bring a much needed service to people with intellectual disabilities. Pray that our campus provides a comfortable, welcoming and safe place for students to learn and grow towards Appropriate Independence.  And most importantly, pray, that in everything we do, we bring glory to God.

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”  John 14:13-14 

Thank you, dear friends.

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Friday's Top Five: What We're Missing, Part Two

If you read last Friday’s post, you saw how much we were missing our students. Well, we haven’t moved very far from that point yet. We want them back! And we’re so excited that their return date is less than a month away!

As we thought about our students, we realized there were a couple more things to add to that list of what we miss about them. So, here you have Part Two.

1. Student interactions

Students interact with multiple groups of people on a daily basis. They interact with teachers, staff, Shepherds residents, visitors, their community, and other students. It is encouraging for us to see the students act appropriately within these various relationships and grow their friendships.

Some students lack the knowledge of acceptable social behavior when they first come to Shepherds College. They may not be able to maintain eye contact during a conversation. They may try to hug a complete stranger. They may misinterpret someone’s nonverbal communication. Now, seeing these students look people in the eye and shake their hands shows how far they’ve really come. Learning how to respond in social interactions helps our students maintain healthier relationships, and those relationships are a good indicator of the progress these students are making.

2. Taste-testing the Culinary Arts masterpieces

Here’s a major plus for having a Culinary Arts program on campus: free samples!

Now, this may seem a little self-serving to you, but we love our student’s culinary creations! Not only because they taste so delicious (and believe me, they do!), but also because they hold important value for the students. It’s something that they made all on their own. Each beautiful presentation and every encouraging compliment is a new success and adds a little bit more confidence to the students’ character. Seeing the students take satisfaction in their work makes us smile, and getting to taste the results is just an added bonus. In other words, make sure you visit us on pumpkin cheesecake day!

3. Enjoying the Horticulture students’ landscaping

The Horticulture students do a wonderful job of helping to beautify our campus and our surrounding communities. It’s quite normal to see these students digging in the dark earth and planting the gorgeous flowers and plants they have been tending to in their greenhouse. Although we are still reaping the delightful benefits of their work now, we miss seeing the students tend to their plants. It’s their tender care that helped those plants grow, so it makes us a little sad that they are not here to continue showering their beautiful projects with attention. We can’t wait to see the greenhouse full and active again!

4. The students’ prayer lives

Whether they’re asking for prayer or promising to pray for you, the Shepherds College students daily demonstrate that prayer is a major part of their lives. These students have much faith in prayer, and it excites us to see how the power of prayer has affected their relationships with Jesus Christ. Friendships also grow when the students pray for each other. Praying for someone shows that you care about them, and our students realize that.

During my week of visiting Shepherds College, I joined the students for their chapel session. The time was spent worshipping together with music. While some students were focused completely on the music, other students took the time to worship God through prayer. They were silent, focused on their conversation with their Savior. It was a moving moment and truly expressed what prayer means to these students.

5. Their joy

When the students are here and the school year is into full swing, there is so much joy on this campus. Smiles, laughter, excitement, encouragement, fun, confidence, energy: all of these contribute to this wonderful sense of joy. We miss that. We miss the life and happiness that joy brings to our classrooms, our dorms, and our offices.

So, enjoy your summer, students. And be ready to bring all of that joy back to our campus! We’ll be waiting.

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.org.