Desperate for Respite

I love the logo for my friend's new non-profit organization, Desperate for Respite.  I love the colors of it, the brightness, and how it's so very perfect for the purpose for which it provides.

I have stared at the float thingy (can't think of the proper name for it, so "thingy" will have to suffice for now as I'm too lazy to google, "name of life saver round floaty thingy") for a while now, and only right now has it "clicked" for me the story it tells.

Why I love that logo so much.

It's because it RESCUED me.

And if by divine intervention, this picture of my son, and the word "RESCUE", is on the actual website for Desperate for Respite, http://desperateforrespite.com/home.

It reminds me of when that ring buoy (yes, broke down and googled the proper name for it) was thrown to my family by a church, to rescue us.

It was nearly 10 years ago as best I remember.  Autism has made the past a bit fuzzy in parts, but suffice it to say it was a while back.  My husband and I had moved to Texas for his job, and we didn't know a soul.  We didn't even know about our youngest son's autism at that point.  All we knew was that we were a yuppie family with two perfect children and we had life safely tucked in our pocket.

Funny how just like that, autism can rip a hole right in the bottom of that pocket and make all those perfectly planned dreams disappear!

With a diagnosis of autism sinking in, and no family near, no friends, and no church, our "yuppie" was quickly turning to "yucky".

We met a few people, tried a few of their churches, and it became glaringly apparent how fast we were drowning in the sense that we were indeed alone in this battle!   If a church asks you to leave because of your child, you might as well just give up, right?  Eventually, we found a church that did its best to accommodate the needs of our son, but try as they might, they were simply not equipped, and we were not yet fully equipped ourselves, to help equip them!

So, we turned to the ever-accepting, always-equipped "Home Church".  And did that for a few years until I stumbled upon an e-mail from one of the few "autism" friends I had met. Actually by that point, "autism" were the only friends we even had. Funny how your kid touching, mouthing, and breaking everything in typical people's houses, doesn't ever garner a return invite. Or phone call.  Or anything.  Ever again.

Anyway, my friend was as "Desperate for Respite" as I was, and had found a church that had a free respite night once a month.  She cautiously asked me if I thought it was legit and if we should try it out.  "Free" and "Respite" are not in the autism dictionary we learned the hard way.  So to actually see both words in the same sentence was unheard of.  They probably wanted a kidney or something in exchange.

We'd have given up both!

A church had dared to throw out a "ring buoy" to "rescue" families who were drowning.

Wow.

I'll never forget calling the number to sign my son up.  The woman on the other end of the phone asked me which month I wanted to sign my son up for.  I replied, "All of them."

I'll never forget showing up that night with my son.  The woman on the other end of the counter asked me for any special instructions.  I proceeded to give his life history. Telling her what autism was.  That he would strip, etc. What to do for all the "if's" of autism.  She finally politely cut me off and said, "We are prepared.  We will take care of him... Go."    Not only was a church willing to step way out of their comfort zone to serve in such a way, but they actually stepped further out in being trained and prepared for the disabilities they might be serving.

Double Wow.

I'll never forget what we did after we finally decided to make a run for it and leave before they changed their minds.  Nothing.  We were finally set free but had forgotten how to fly.  So we drove two miles down the road, pulled over in the Home Depot parking lot, and sat there waiting for the call that Brandon had stripped or something autistic like that, and we needed to go get him.  I think finally after an hour we realized they weren't going to call us.  So we must have gone to McDonald's drive thru or something equally as romantic as that. We most likely took a nap right there in the car.  Again, the fuzzy spots of the past autism creates.

And I'll never forget when we returned to the church to get our child.  We came back early so we could sneak in and perhaps stop them from sacrificing our son to some gods they worshipped or something.  We were so desperate for respite that we never even checked out what kind of church we were taking him to! And I think at that point in our lives, we didn't care what kind of church it was! 

But what we saw instead, was a room full of loving people laughing and caring for a whole host of differently-abled children.  And a man standing in the far corner of the room where a wall telephone was, alongside our son who was handing him the receiver part back and forth.  Back and forth.  Back and forth.

That man we later learned, was the Pastor of the church.

Triple Wow.

I'll stop there with the "Wow's"  simply because I'm not sure what four "Wow's" would be called...

If we were not already Christians, we would have accepted Christ just by the example of that church, those volunteers, and that Pastor.

We joined that church because of their example of bein' what they're Preachin'.

We were a family in need of love, acceptance, tolerance. We were drowning.  They threw us a ring buoy. We grabbed it. And they pulled us into their fold and rescued us.

Which sounds a lot like what the mission of the church should be.

I know it's God's mission.

Simple as that.

Churches don't need to make it any more complicated than that.

God sure doesn't.

"Grab the ring buoy I am thowing you.  Accept it.  Hold on to it and I will pull you into my Kingdom..."

Simple as that.


Which brings me to the present....   And my friend's mission.

Families are still so very desperate for respite.  Churches are called to not merely serve who they want to serve, who they feel they should serve, or who can give back to the church because they were served.  No.... I may not be the most theological person in the world, but I think I do know that the purpose of the church is to serve who God puts in their path, when they put them in their path, and for as long as they are in their path. Not when they're better prepared to.  Not when they get enough of a particular group to justify the cost of serving them. Not when it's safe or easy to serve them.

Oh how it pains me to hear otherwise in churches today!  So very many churches!

How we seem to make so very many excuses for not doing what we are called to do!

We're not prepared.  Ask for help to get prepared.

We not equipped. Ask for donations to get equipped.

If it ever seems harder than that, try being the individual with a disability or their family who cares for them without help.

What if we're sued?  So what?  How many people in Jesus' day were persecuted?  Jailed?  Did that stop the cause of Christianity?  Did even death stop Jesus?

It costs too much!  The cost of not doing what you are called to do is greater.

We have a new mission, a new direction, a new focus!  God's mission is the same today, as it was yesterday, and as it will be tomorrow.


I get goosebumps just thinking of the possibilities of what my friend and her group can accomplish for the Kingdom and for our community by simply saying, "You know what?  There is a need.  We have a ring buoy. We're throwing it out there and we are going to rescue some drowning families. And maybe, just maybe, in doing so, we ultimately pull them into God's Kingdom as well..."

No, not goosebumps.

Tears....


If you are a church, professional, or are breathing, - please consider donating to my personal fundraising term for them, simply being, "The Rescue Fund".

And you know, if you tilt that picture a click or two to the right, with my son's straws, you have the ultimate mission of that group as well.....

Desperate for Respite:  http://desperateforrespite.com/home

Go ahead, donate to them!  I Double-Dog-Dare you to!

Your donation will help put a "D" at the end of the word in that picture above!

What better mission for anyone to do for another person.  What better mission for any church or group to help support in their community!




By Michelle M. Guppy
I do not write on behalf of Desperate for Respite, I just write about them without asking first....
   (smile)