I Wish

“The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

                                            

Dreams. They allow us to step away from reality for a moment and imagine amazing possibilities. When we’re dreaming, we don’t have to worry about the bills that need to be paid or the pile of laundry that needs to be washed or the exams that need to be taken. We are just free to imagine.

Shepherds College is the fruit of dreams. It was born from desires for a unique program that catered to young adults with intellectual disabilities. It may have seemed like an impossible dream to some people, but with hard work and God’s provision, that fantasy became reality. Now that Shepherds College is in operation, it is a primary launching pad for other dreams.

Imagine the day you find out that you’re going to have a child. Such hopes and aspirations would originate. You would want certain things for your child, and you would imagine your child’s life heading in a specific direction.

Then, imagine the day when you are told that your child, this child you are eagerly expecting, has a disability. How heartbreaking that must be. How frightening. In that one moment, you feel as if everything you’ve hoped and planned for came crashing down. That perfect little world of wishes you created has been smashed into a million pieces. And you’re not sure if you will ever be able to dream again.

But there is a way to transform those dreams and turn them into something new.
 

Last week, I led a tour for a couple that decided spur of the moment to visit Shepherds College. This couple had just found out about Shepherds Ministries the day before, and they were overflowing with excitement about the college. You see, their granddaughter has Down syndrome.

When they learned of their granddaughter’s diagnosis, I’m sure some of their dreams for her were crushed. They had to rethink what this little girl’s life would be like. They had to let go of some of the plans they had for her.

But as this couple visited Shepherds College, I believe some of those old, forsaken dreams started to come back to life. The couple saw the greenhouse and culinary arts classrooms where students learn a craft and refine their skills. They saw the beautiful housing options that teach students how to live with others and handle responsibilities. They heard about the graduates who are now employed and living on their own.

I think that couple could imagine their granddaughter here, learning and growing and becoming more independent than they may have believed possible. I think they reinvented dreams for their granddaughter that day. Dreams of success and happiness.

Shepherds College can do that. They can take old, broken wishes that seem unattainable and change them a little to make them possible. That’s what they’re all about – seeing abilities instead of disabilities and understanding that all people are designed with a specific purpose in mind.

I included a quote at the beginning of this article. It’s a beautiful quote about reaching for dreams that seem beyond our capabilities. Some people get discouraged by ideas that seem unlikely or impractical, so they just stop thinking about them. This quote urges you to stretch for those crazy ridiculous dreams. In fact, it says your wishes should scare you, and if they don’t, you’re not dreaming the right kind of dreams.

When I imagined doing an internship at Shepherds, I was a little frightened. I’d never been away from home before. I knew very few people in the area. I had no idea what church I would go to or if I would make friends. Who would be my roommate? What kind of work would I be doing? Most importantly, would I regret my decision to come?

There was no way I could discover the answers to these questions unless I just went for it. I needed to reach for my dream, and if I made it, then I would find all those answers I was looking for.

What about you? Are you dreaming big right now? Do your dreams include Shepherds College? Maybe your son, daughter, student, relative, or friend has intellectual disabilities. Are they discouraged? Have their wishes been crushed, broken, discarded?

Shepherds College can reshape those dreams, repair them and make them brand-new. It might be a little scary at first to imagine trying something so different and new, but that’s the beauty of big dreams. They’re supposed to frighten and excite you all at the same time. If you get past that fear and trust God with your big dreams, incredible things can happen.

Shepherds College can help students dream again – big, beautiful, fantastic dreams. And these dreams can come true.

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

A New Perspective

We all know what kind of feelings a W-4 form usually conjures up in us: dread, frustration, nervousness, loathing. You get anywhere near one, and you feel like you’re about to break out in hives. Maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but honestly, filling out a W-4 form (and considering the outcome) can be tedious, irritating, and just overall unpleasant.

But not here at Shepherds College.

There’s a new and unprecedented significance to W-4 forms at Shepherds College. A few weeks ago, I observed a communications class for the second year students. I am a mass communications major, so I was really excited to attend. What I wasn’t ready for was the remarkable focus topic of this class.

If you’re not familiar with Shepherds College, suffice it to say that everything in this program is fashioned with the goal of being applicable to life. This communications class was no exception. The students were learning about different communications situations everyone has to deal with when they’re on the job.

And the day I happened to be there, they were practicing how to fill out a W-4 form. As I watched the students fill in their information, I was struck with the value of these pesky, little forms. Just being able to fill one out reminds you that you have a job. Your very own job.

As we grow from adolescence to adulthood, we often dream about what we want to be someday, what job we will have when we grow up. Being employed is something that is extremely important to most adults in our world, but think about the impact a job would have on someone whose dream of being employed was once crushed or buried far away.

People with intellectual disabilities sometimes have broken dreams of holding down a job or being on their own. Maybe they were told over and over again that they couldn’t work a job or be independent, and at some point, they started believing it.

But here’s the thing: they can do those things, and Shepherds College wants to help restore their dreams. We believe that everyone was designed for a purpose. God makes no mistakes, and He has a phenomenal plan for each one of us.

I wonder what those students were thinking as they filled out their W-4 form. Were they imagining the job they would have one day? Were they memorizing the steps, so they would know what to do when it was no longer a practice form? Did their dreams grow bigger that day?

I do know what several of them were thinking when their teacher explained the choice of being a dependent or supporting yourself. A few of the students were so thrilled by the prospect of financially supporting themselves that they blurted their thoughts out in the middle of class. This is when Annie gave her famous quote about her desire to live on her own. Others agreed with her and marked their forms accordingly.

Dreams were encouraged to grow that day. Dreams that may have been dusty or discounted in the past. Dreams that were a little rough around the edges, but all they needed were some sanding and polishing to make them really shine. Dreams that these students can now view as a valid possibility.

I don’t think I will ever look at a W-4 form the same way again. Instead of conveying negative emotions, a W-4 form will represent hard-work, accomplishment, and empowerment. It will remind me that with God, all things are possible.

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