Were you one of the 70 people that we had to turn away for this dinner? I have to admit, it's by far the worst part of our ministry. Building capacity at Smokey Point (for serving dinner) was 180 people. As the tables were full, we kept noticing that guests continued arriving. The men were so generous with their accomodations, they kept going into the back room and rolling out more and more tables. We ended up with 33 tables (seating 7 each)...about 230 guests! WOW!! If you missed the music, they were fabulous! We danced the night away!
Voices of the Village (pictured lower left) include everyone who wishes to participate in their music performances, at whatever level of ability. One of the pastors did this transparent drawing...and it was like magic. It really conveyed the story he shared about how much God loves us. The most amazing part (beyond the message) was how long the guests sat quietly and attentively to the encouragement. You could've heard a pin-drop...and that's amazing for these guests. Immediately afterwards, one gal got up and stood alone and responsively sang 2 verses of Michael Row the Boat Ashore. Very powerful evening. Here are a few pics and watch for our live video footage to be uploaded to youtube soon.
Friends being reunited at an event...what a special moment. Thank you to 100+ volunteers and partnership of Smokey Point Community Church and their In His Image Special Needs Ministry.
Thank you to the members of Voices of the Village! You did a terrific job! See you in two weeks at the Walk & Roll, Run!
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Meet my friend Heidi. She is reallly wonderful. This past week I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with her. Whenever I am feeling down or overwhelmed with my work, I've mentioned before that the best therapy I know is to spend a little hands-on time with the people we serve. Heidi has a way of quickly bringing me down to reality. This week was her birthday. She doesn't live too far and appreciates ANYONE with a listening ear. Even the ear of my little grand-daughter Genesis. Genesis doesn't care that Heidi doesn't read all the words on the page, she loves it because Heidi turns the pages faster. Eating with Heidi and shopping together takes patience, and after an afternoon together I feel more relaxed. It's like taking a break from the busyness of the world and taking time for someone/something really important. Heidi is full of gifts of the heart. Spending time with a person who has special abilities doesn't take away from your life, it adds to it. Heidi has so many lessons to teach me, and I look forward to the years to come with her. Happy Birthday Heidi!!
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