Autism - April Chapman

Category: Autism

14
Feb
2018

Jerilyn Shares Her Story

You know those moments where you are so proud of your kid, you could just burst?! I was blessed enough to have one of those today. The Austin Center for Exceptional Students (ACES) is the school Jerilyn has attended since 6th grade. She has been in their autism program, Rising Stars, and their Jump Start Program. Jerilyn’s essay was chosen to be presented to a group of former and current ACES teachers. Today she presented it herself! I want to share it with you.

Since I’ve been going to The ACES, it has helped me improve a lot. When I was in 6^th grade, I had a lot of problems. I would refuse to go to school and when I was at school, I would refuse to do my work in class. I would either refocus for long periods of times or get put into holds for being aggressive towards staff. I also used to use a lot of profanity towards staff when I was upset. I acted that way until I was in about 8^th grade. Now, I am a lot better, but I’m still working on improving.

The ACES has helped me in a lot of ways since then. The ACES has helped me to learn self-control, how to communicate politely, and has helped me to treat others the way I want to be treated. I used to say that I hated The ACES, but that was only because I wasn’t getting my way. Now I say that I love The ACES because I’ve seen how much I’ve improved and how much the ACES has done for me. I am so thankful I came to The ACES now because I am in such a better place then when I first got here. I give all my thanks to this school, the staff, and the teachers. Thank you, ACES.

At The ACES we…

Accept responsibility

Communicate politely

Cooperate willingly

Act safely

Respect boundaries

And Achieve our Goals

The ACES….where every student is #1

We fought so hard to get her to this school, but it was worth it! To all the parents out there with special needs kids who are worn out from all the fights…keep it up…one battle at a time. You know what’s best for your kid. Keep fighting until you get it. Kids deserve to be in an environment where they can succeed. Find that environment and pray your way through every barrier you face getting there.

Plenty of people have told me Jerilyn could do well in a typical school with supports, and I’m sure she would have managed, but a special needs school was where I knew she needed to be to thrive. I truly believe if our kids feel like they are always failing compared to those around them, they will see themselves as failures and it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, if we can place them in a school or program where they can be successful, they will believe in their abilities and then…the sky’s the limit! Watch out world…here comes Jerilyn!

13
Feb
2017

Best. Prom. Ever.

categories: Autism, Jerilyn

The Tim Tebow Foundation sponsors a prom night for Special Needs youth and adults. We had no idea what to expect, but it was better than Jerilyn or I would have dreamed. The entire atmosphere was so alive with love and encouragement.

Let’s start from the beginning…once you arrived you registered and received a “buddy” for the night. They had over 200 volunteers all dressed up in their best and ready to help their buddy through the night….which meant caregivers were actually given a break….and I will get to that in a minute.

Once the attendee received their buddy, the girls could go get their hair or makeup done, and the boys were offered a shoe shine. Each were given a corsage or boutonniere. Next, they were led to a limousine to catch a ride where they were delivered to the red carpet area.

Each person or couple were announced amidst cheers and proceeded to walk down the red carpet with the flash of cameras. They were ushered into the 29:11 Church, host for the event in Tempe, and could choose to go have a yummy Famous Dave’s dinner, pop into the activity room where they could sing karaoke or play games, or hit the hoppin’ dance floor.

Later in the evening, every single attendee was crowned King or Queen. You wouldn’t believe the smiles on their faces and how happy each one was! Then the base cranked up again and the dancing went into full swing again.

Meanwhile, the caregivers and parents were given a special treat as well. There was a respite room set up for us which included couches, movies, food, specialty coffees, and, drumroll please, massage therapists waiting to give you a massage. We were waited on and honored. What an unexpected gift!

My heart is full seeing how many people were blessed and humbled knowing how much the volunteers poured their effort into this event. Jerilyn couldn’t stop talking about how fun it was and how she just HAS to go again next year. She said it was the best night of her life. Wow! That does a momma’s heart good.

If they have one in your area, get involved! You will be blessed. Guaranteed.

29
Apr
2013

Ignite Phoenix

categories: April, Autism, Jerilyn

So much going on! This weekend I was able to present at Ignite Phoenix 14 on the topic “Parenting A Mentally Ill Child.” Ignite events are held all over the country and have become increasingly popular. Anyone can apply to be a speaker on a topic they are passionate about, but they only choose eighteen. The catch is you only have five minutes to speak, so your message needs to be focused and powerful.

There were a few reasons this event was so important for me. First, as many of you know, I have been a speaker for years on social media and mobile technology, but this was the first time God gave me a platform to speak on something from my personal life. I feel like it is God’s true calling on my life, with my big dream being to speak to women encouraging them in their faith, regardless of circumstances.

The second reason I was excited to speak at this event was because it is so far reaching. It was a sold out event, filling 850 seats plus it streams live to many more. After the show, they post everything on YouTube, which also get a lot of views. I felt like my message could really get out there. Don’t worry…I will be posting it here as soon as it is up on YouTube. (UPDATE: It’s already been posted. I’ve included it at the bottom of this post.)

The night of the event went really well. We had some crazy and funny topics being presented such as Chicken Personality Disorder and OMG Fighting Back Against Hyperbole. I was near the end of the event with one of the more serious topics. As much as I love to make an audience laugh, my topic was the one that made them cry.

After the event I had the privilege of meeting other families who have faced similar struggles. It’s encouraging to speak on a topic that seems to be “taboo” in our culture and yet find so many people that either relate or who are filled with compassion and an eagerness to help.

I also want to update you all on how Jerilyn is doing in Texas. Fabulous! She got to use the Rope Course last week and, of course, impressed everyone with her ability to climb absolutely anything. Most days I talk to her she sounds stable and she really enjoys the school there. She is still having her ups and downs and hasn’t been able to hold on to a roommate, usually because she ends up getting upset at them. I know she still isn’t participating in group therapy sessions either. However, she is doing better overall, which is the goal. Baby steps, baby steps. Thank you again for all your prayers.

I want to end this post the same way I ended my speech: “Let’s stop the silence. Let’s start talking about mental illness. My daughter needs this conversation to start. Don’t let it end here.”

please install flash

17
Mar
2013

Still Hospitalized

categories: Autism, Jerilyn

Jerilyn is still inpatient at the behavioral health hospital. Today makes three weeks. There are a lot of agencies and people involved in her care, and I’m encouraged to know they are sending representatives out to check in on Jerilyn. The inpatient psychiatrist decided after the first week, and after taking Jerilyn off all of her meds, that he was then going to release her.

You may interpret this as good news. It was not. His very limited view of Jerilyn consisted of two meetings with her, one in which she refused to even speak to him. His future outlook for us was bleak, stating she would be in and out of psychosis throughout her life and that we would need to accept she would require 24-hour care.

It is extremely frustrating to me that a psychiatrist can have such an arrogant attitude when he has had such limited interaction with a patient. Not all psychiatrists are like this, but those who aren’t, are in the minority, at least in my experience.

Once he told me they were releasing her without any med to regulate her mood disorder, I made a couple calls and apparently all the different agencies, including DDD and Magellan, came down hard on the hospital. All of a sudden, they stopped talking about releasing her and instead we got approved to start a new medicine.

The thing about Jerilyn is when she is in a new environment she has a “honeymoon” period where her behaviors are better than normal and she stays fairly compliant. Unless a hospital is willing to wait it out, they won’t see what we see regularly. After two weeks in, the “honeymoon” was over and she became non-compliant, refused to take meds, and ended up having a major meltdown where she kicked a few holes in their walls. Yep. Honeymoon over. Reality has hit.

We have another big CFT meeting on Tuesday that will be held at the hospital itself. Jerilyn has been approved for a RTC (Residential Treatment Center) by Magellan and this next week will probably consist of meeting with any of the four RTC’s in the area willing to consider taking on Jerilyn. I’ve been told, by others involved, the likelihood of any of them accepting Jerilyn is very slim, based on her high level of need. If this turns out to be true, we may be looking at out-of-state options.

Although Jerilyn has said once or twice that she wants to come home, she most often is saying she wants to live in a hospital. I struggle to understand why anyone would want to live in a hospital but my best guess for Jerilyn is it is where she feels safe. She needs the intense structure a hospital with a constant 24 hour rotating staff can provide. Also, the “real world” has a ton of moving components all the time, which can be tough for anyone to handle, but Jerilyn’s capabilities are limited and there are too many uncontrollable factors out here. Those uncontrollable factors such as a

rainy day,

sisters who aren’t perfect,

the need to wait her turn, or

the desire to be treated like a teenager even though she is mentally and emotionally a small child still.

Either myself, or my sister, Kim, have been visiting with Jerilyn at least every other day. It’s challenging since this hospital won’t allow anyone under 13 to visit, or even sit in the waiting room, which means that I have to have someone here watching Ainsley and Daisy so I can go see Jerilyn. Visiting hours are only from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, but with travel time it takes about two hours. Both my brother and sister have dogs/cats so I can’t drop Daisy off there. Sometimes, I really wish I was still in Florida with my awesome supportive friends I could always count on. I feel like an island out here in Arizona. Ironic isn’t it….I actually lived in Fleming Island, Florida….but this Arizona desert is my island since I so often feel alone. I especially want to get out there to see Jerilyn as frequently as I can since we don’t know if the next chapter for us includes an out-of-state placement.

I’m going to ask you to please keep praying for the right placement for Jerilyn. One that can handle both her physical and behavioral health issues with love and compassion.

23
Feb
2013

ER Slumber Party…Sort Of

categories: April, Autism

….Only discrepancies are that you get no slumber and it is no party.

Tonight I sit in a tiny ER patient room hoping and praying that tomorrow will bring an admission into a behavioral health hospital for Jerilyn. She has been struggling and honestly, could have been admitted a couple weeks ago, but behavioral coaches had just started working with her and I wanted to give this solution a chance. Actually, what I wanted to do was prove that “behavioral coaching” was going to fail so that the ‘Powers That Be’ residing over Jerilyn’s out-of-home placement would wake up!

Exactly what I said would happen, happened. She became increasingly non-compliant with the coaches. No incentives, no consequences move Jerilyn once she has made up her mind. It was a short school week since they had off for President’s Day on Monday. Nevertheless, Jerilyn was non-compliant three out of the four mornings for school. Meaning…she wouldn’t get up and go. I had TWO behavior coaches there to help and still…nothing.

Sidenote: All you parents of normal kids who are thinking to yourself…well, you just need to give her better consequences…trust me, we’ve tried whatever you are thinking. 🙂

What she probably needs is an out-of-state placement because apparently no residential treatment centers in state can meet both her autism needs as well as her behavioral health needs. Of course out-of-state means out-of-budget to these agencies so we have to try and fail every other avenue before they will consider what those of us who understand Jerilyn best, already know.

During the worst meltdown yesterday in this room, she lashed out at me verbally for a good 15 minutes before her behavior coach suggested I take a walk. I left and only made it a few feet before I saw the looks of pity/understanding from the others outside the room. One of the guys told me to hang in there. Oh no…he showed compassion. I can stay strong as steel until compassion hits my heart and then I can’t stop the tears. Strangers bringing me tissues and patting my shoulder help and make me cry harder all at the same time. Mostly I am just so sad that Jerilyn needs more help than I can give her. I honestly don’t take her words seriously, it’s the pain behind them that kills me. She doesn’t want to be alive because her world is filled with pain and overwhelming challenges that neither her, nor I, can just wish away.

When I came back to her room, she was so sad. “Mom, I didn’t mean the things I said. I don’t know why I can’t stop. I’m so sorry.”

“I know Jerilyn. It’s okay. I forgive you.”

This time and next time.

Please Lord, open up a placement for Jerilyn that is going to be a safe environment for her with a doctor who has wisdom and discernment. If there is a medication out there that would help her, please lead us to it. If there is a out-of-home placement that would improve her quality of life, please help us find it. Bind Satan from his relentless attacks on her and on our family. Strengthen us. Surround us with your warrior angels. Supply us with your peace that passes understanding that we might be witnesses to the truth of Isaiah 43:2.

When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.

09
Feb
2013

Mama Bear Is Getting Ready To Roar!!

categories: April, Autism

I’m not going to lie to you. Life has been super hard lately. Prepare for a lot of acronyms in this post. I have been fighting a battle since November with DDD (Department of Developmental Disabilities) and Magellan, the insurance company that covers behavioral health services for Jerilyn. We applied for an out-of-home placement called a RTC (residential treatment center) in November. Jerilyn’s psychiatrist suggested a TGH (therapeutic group home), which is a level below the RTC, mainly because he felt like there were a lot of kids in RTC’s who were really just delinquents, not children suffering from mental illness like Jerilyn.

However, during the whole approval process with Magellan, their own doctor stated they would approve the TGH (still with me?? Therapeutic Group Home), but made a note that Jerilyn most likely would not be accepted into any because her needs are too intense. In the notes, their doctor said that a RTC would need to then be considered at that time, although likely with the same results. Yes…too intense for a TGH or RTC and the teams that works there, and they wonder why I’m struggling over here by my lonesome.

Fast forward to now and a million meetings I’ve had with our team, which includes people like her behavioral therapist, DDD Coordinator, Intensive Case Manager, Magellan representative, company doing the Functional Behavioral Analysis, the respite or habilitation company, and our Family Support Partner. We’ve had to move these to our large dining room table to fit everyone at this point!

Jerilyn is in desperate need of hospitalization again, but I’m not sure what to do. As an in-between service (“in-between” = the time it will take to get big wigs in each of the companies to develop an out-of-home placement solution) we are receiving a “wrap-around” care solution. This means behavior coaches will be coming in and out of my home daily to help with Jerilyn.

I really wish I had the freedom to write all of the things I really want to say, but I don’t, so I’ll just say pray for Jerilyn. She is in a very rough place. One of the main reasons we need to be in some type of residential care (that actually knows how to care for children like her) is because we need to undergo another med change and these can be brutal, both for her and then of course, for us.

She is in a place of asking to return to the hospital, which is a big indicator of how much help even she feels she needs. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for us. The hospital we usually go to has a SIX PAGE wait list to get in and I’ve heard that others in the area have the same right now. UGH!! Our country needs mental health reform!!!! They have thrown out the possibility of sending her out-of-state to a place more suited to her needs, which I am fine with, my main concern is getting the RIGHT placement to get her the help she needs and deserves NOW!

Next week, I will begin the process of contacting congressmen and senators in our state, trying to get them to make a call on Jerilyn’s behalf. I’ve heard this can get things moving a little quicker. For some odd reason they don’t want the spotlight on their failures to provide adequate care for a child. :Pondering: You don’t want to make Mama Bear mad because this Mama can fight when I need to. Having a psychopath for an ex will teach you how to not back down from a fight, if nothing else! I am fixin’ to reign down some terror if solutions don’t start appearing soon.

Let me try and at least end on a good note….Daniel is flying into town today and will be with us for a month which we so desperately need and have been looking forward to! Hopefully he brings some much needed peace in here as well. 🙂

09
Oct
2012

My Gideon Experience

categories: April, Autism

As many of my Facebook friends know, I have been asking for prayer regarding Jerilyn’s schooling for the last couple months. On the first day of school this year her school initiated a psycho-educational, which is a fancy way of saying a TON of tests to determine her current levels of functioning and her special education eligibility. I felt the school was initiating this because they no longer felt Jerilyn was in the correct program. She has been in a high functioning autism program for two and a half years and is currently in sixth grade.

I took some initiative and went to visit a few schools, since I had the impression they would be looking at a new placement for Jerilyn. One of the schools, The Austin Center for Exceptional Students (ACES), was recommended by her behavioral therapist but was a private school option.

After taking a tour of ACES, I couldn’t imagine a better place for Jerilyn. For one, they didn’t blink an eye when I laid out her diagnosis on the table: autism, bipolar, low intellectual functioning. This alone is impressive because it tends to scare off the weak at heart. 🙂 Another appealing aspect of this school was its incorporation of animal therapy, not only within the classroom setting, but with actual stables next to the play yard filled with horses, pigs, chickens, goats, ect… which children can visit during their recesses and lunch. If you know Jerilyn, you know this would be her dream situation. Time with animals would be an excellent motivator for her.

I knew it would be an uphill battle to get the district to agree to send her to ACES because it would be out of their pocket at an estimated $20,000-$25,000 a year. The district held a meeting specifically to discuss Jerilyn and different placement options. They came back asking that I go view a few programs they had at the junior high level. Junior High for Jerilyn….early….I couldn’t imagine it being a good fit, but I was willing to keep an open mind.

Although Jerilyn will be thirteen in January, her age is deceiving because she functions on a much lower level. I think we all remember the hell junior high was as we attempted to navigate the social waters. Imagine doing that without appropriate understanding of social skills.

After viewing the different programs, it was pretty obvious that no ONE program was equipped to deal with all the complexities of Jerilyn’s needs. Fast forward to our meeting today. I had between five and six support people coming for “our” side, knowing the district would have another five or six as well. It was going to be a crowd. I was viewing this as one of our most important meetings ever because placement was on the table.

For those of us with special needs students, we understand these meetings don’t always go in our direction. It can feel like a tug of war. The school is advocating for as many of the district dollars to stay within their purse. The parent is advocating for their child’s best interests. This is not to imply that the schools don’t want a successful solution for your child, it’s just that they have to weigh the costs and that agreement on the “best solution” can be difficult at times.

I planned on having a whole team there to advocate for Jerilyn; her behavioral therapist, DDD specialists, education specialists, and her intensive case manager. They all started cancelling on me late Friday night and when I walked in this morning, only one of my “team” was able to attend.

I was so discouraged and began second-guessing my decision to forgo hiring a formal advocate to come with me. I literally teared up in the first 10 minutes of the meeting. I felt defeated and we had only just begun.

I’m not prone to succumbing to a defeat, I am a fighter, but I felt like I didn’t have any fight in me this morning, exactly when I was going to need it. As the school went over their results from all their testing they kept using terms which made me feel like they were going to attempt to leave her in the current program and try to incorporate in some new supports.

Then the discussion changed from test results to placement options. Her school psychologist led me in explaining to the district representative my thoughts on all of the programs/schools I visited. Then she opened up the door for me to tell them why I felt ACES was the best fit for Jerilyn. Although the district rep had a few more questions and an additional placement suggestion, she eventually agreed that ACES was a good option for Jerilyn.

We still need final approval from the Director of Special Needs who is on vacation for the next couple days, but no one thought that would be a roadblock. So…it looks like we are good to go! Jerilyn will be heading to a new school in the next couple weeks where I hope and pray she is able blossom and learn in ways she never dreamed possible.

If you wonder why I titled this post “My Gideon Experience” take a few minutes and read his story here.

The takeaway for me today was that God didn’t need a “team” of people to fight the battle. He took me at my weakest, so even I couldn’t steal any of His glory. He does deserve ALL the glory. He moved mountains today for my child. Praise be to God forever and ever, Amen!

07
Sep
2012

Summer Update (After Summer Is Already Finished)

categories: Autism, Family

Yes…that’s right. School started a month ago and I am just getting around to writing the summer blog posts I’ve had in my mind for two to three months now. What can I say? I am a VERY good procrastinator.

First, let me tell you what I thought summer was going to look like. I thought that Jerilyn would stay in Arizona for two weeks with my mom and attend a summer camp while I was driving out to Florida to spend the summer with Daniel. That was the original plan but like I always say…I literally believe God laughs when he hears plans come out of my mouth, because they very rarely become reality.

With about a day or two to go before I was set to leave Phoenix I had an appointment with one of Jerilyn’s therapists. After describing our current family life, which I have to tell you, was not a cheery description in regards to Jerilyn wanting to even BE in our family, the therapist suggested I let Jerilyn stay in Phoenix with my sister, Kim, for the summer. Many of you are aware that I adopted Jerilyn from my sister when Jerilyn was almost three.

Kim had been asking to spend more time with Jerilyn and Jerilyn had been making it very clear to me that she would rather be with her “real” mom, so the therapist suggested letting them spend some time together. Sometimes letting people experience the “greener” side they believe exists, is the best way for them to discover that it’s not as green as they imagine. That is the short version of it all, but trust me, it wasn’t an easy decision to make.

Jerilyn stayed back with Kim in Phoenix for the summer, I called it a “social experiment.” These were the things I was hoping would come from it…

Jerilyn would realize how much she does want to be a part of our family.

The experience would open up opportunities for her to attach to us.

My sister would accept that the best place for Jerilyn is with us.

My sister would go get a mental health evaluation for herself.

There would be some healing in the relationships between Kim, Jerilyn and I.

Initially, Jerilyn was super-obedient at Kim’s house, so everything went peachy keen. That lasted for three to four weeks, after which, she started giving Kim the same daily opposition she gives to me. As the list of oppositional behaviors grew, the experiment started to show some signs of cracking. In the end, all of the things listed above that I was hoping for, did actually happen. Unfortunately, it was a little more than Jerilyn could handle. She ended up spending two weeks with my parents in California and then with just a few more days to go before I was due back in Phoenix, Jerilyn ran away from Kim’s house.

I’m not sure if I’ve written this before or not, but Jerilyn is a runner. She has disappeared or given us the slip more times than I can count. It’s always scary, but she tends to stay in our neighborhood, however this time she didn’t. She decided to walk the six miles back to my parents house, in temps over 100 degrees. The police were called and eventually Jerilyn arrived at the house driven by a stranger. Praise God that when she was out walking she came across a teenage girl walking her dog whose father actually worked with autistic children. This girl took Jerilyn to her mother who then drove her to our house. I believe God does have some special guardian angels around this child…and even they are probably tired!!

Jerilyn was admitted to St. Luke’s again where she spent a week and tried to come down from her manic state. I wasn’t surprised that she wanted to go back to the hospital because, for her, it is a familiar predictable schedule and she needed the structure they offer to calm her emotions down. It would have been a highly emotional summer for anyone in her shoes, but even more so, with someone who struggles so much to try and make sense out of our very social world filled with convoluted and confusing relationships. We are still struggling to have some balance.

I’ll end this post with a request for prayer. Please pray for Jerilyn “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that she may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19) Thank you my friends!

14
Feb
2012

Hip Hip Hooray!!

categories: April, Autism, God, Mothering

Hip Hip Hooray!! This last two weeks has been full of ups and downs…as my chaotic life is prone to be…and today I am going to tell you about the uppiest up of it all. Jerilyn qualified for services through the state of Arizona.

“Services….What are services?” you say.

Well, services include occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, habilitation (teaching life skills) and respite care. YES…respite care!! Oh and all of these services add up to about 90 hours a month!!

For those of you not in the special needs realm…respite care is basically babysitting or kid-sitting in Jerilyn’s case, which is not easy to find. I can’t just call up the local babysitter and expect them to be able to handle everything, especially on one of her off days. Our lives are going to be changing around here! I am so excited that I am sure I am overusing exclamation points….but it is a huge answered prayer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best part about it for me is an infusion of HOPE. Hope for Jerilyn’s future. Hope for our family’s future. I’ve known for a LONG time that I am incapable of being all that Jerilyn needs. The needs surpass me and often overwhelm me. I am so excited for Jerilyn because she will now have a team of people who actually know what they are doing and can help her. My hope for Jerilyn is that she will grow into a young woman who understands her challenges, sets boundaries for herself and succeeds in life.

It can only help Jerilyn to feel surrounded by more people who love and accept her for who she is today, and believe in her ability to learn and face tomorrow. The other great piece of news that goes with this is that services, as needed, will follow her into adulthood here.

Thank you God for moving us to Arizona. Unfortunately all states are not created equal in this area. None of these services were even made available in Florida. Please pray that we are able to line up the right therapists as quickly as possible for her. Thank you!!

27
Aug
2011

Update on Jerilyn…

categories: April, Autism

I wanted to update everyone since my last post, so many people have contacted me directly to ask how things are going. Jerilyn was admitted to the hospital almost two weeks ago. She is still there. They are changing her meds and trying to clarify her diagnosis. It seems like we are fighting a battle, but don’t know the enemy. Is it autism? Is it a mood disorder? Is it anxiety? Is it ADHD? Is it ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder)? I do know that she is in the right place with people that are aiming to do the best for her and help. That doesn’t mean it’s easy though.

It’s amazing how quickly your “normal” can change. Now my daily routine includes visiting hours from 6-7 at night. I usually bring a game for us to play, but we’ve never played alone. There are a handful of kids there whose parents don’t come and some that don’t even have any and have been tossed into the system.

I asked God to make us a light in this dark place and he is answering my prayers. I see Jerilyn reaching out to other hurting children trying to comfort them. I see other little faces light up when I come, knowing that they will be invited to have some fun with us. Jesus hasn’t forgotten them and I feel humbled that I can be his arms that give them a hug and his eyes that show someone cares. Please continue your prayers for us and for the other children and families.