My twin sons are now 13 years old. What a faithful God I have. The boys who couldn’t say a word are speaking; the boys who were not independent, now can do their daily work independently; the boys who didn’t socialize, now have friends. When they were in junior kindergarten, they attended special class and after a few months, they went to Surrey Place, an autism school they attended for 2 years.
After that, when I started looking for a school, all I was offered were special classes. I knew something was missing - they couldn’t socialize because all the kids had disabilities and they always had an adult helping them so they didn’t get independent. But thanks be to God, I met a coordinator from Extend-A-Family who helped me discover Inclusion, and made me see that my sons have a right of inclusion. The coordinator accompanied me to many schools – but each still wanted to place Daniel and Jason in special classes. I recall this one school we visited – after hours of discussion, the principal still refused to allow my twins to join the regular class stream. The interesting thing was behind the principal’s desk, I saw a poster with the scripture verse Psalm 121:1: “I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
I knew that even though the schools will reject my twin boys, God will be my help. I left the meeting with tears in my eyes, but with hope in my heart, knowing that I was standing on the firm Rock, Jesus Christ. After much prayer and trusting God, we finally got a school that welcomed Daniel and Jason and allowed them to enroll in the regular class stream! This was the best thing that happened to them! The boys who were previously so dependent on staff, became more independent and they had a circle of friends who fought for them, helped them, taught them, and made them try different possibilities. By the end of the year, they had made so many friends and everyone in our neighborhood loved our two sons. God was at work and the story was just beginning.
By the time Daniel and Jason entered middle school, they had built great friendships -so the new school was easy for them to transition too. Daniel started Air Cadets and made friends there. He also tried riding on a engineless plane. And in 2020, Daniel attended an art class with me and to date has produced over 400 paintings. We published a scripture paintings book in 2020 with 100 of his paintings and it has encouraged many who bought his book. He has come a long way with academics and music as he can play the piano and guitar.
Jason, on the other hand, has done so well in his academics. The boy who couldn’t write a single letter is writing sentences. The boy who didn’t know danger on the road is now a responsible brother to his siblings. He is the defender in the family and will always remind me if I cross the line and scold a child if they d wrong. He protects his brother and sister and looks after them. At first I thought he needed someone to look after him, but God had a better plan. He has given Jason that task. He likes paintings too and loves to bake with me.
Their sister Hosanna is the icing on the cake which God gave to us 10 years after the birth of our sons. She has brought so much joy and laughter to our family and we thank God for her. We named her Hosanna as a worship to our God. She was the perfect baby who slept through the night, breastfed until the age of two, and had no sickness. God gave us 3 years of calmness, and our boys became more independent and caring looking after their baby sister.
I just want to encourage you today that if you are reading this blog, it is no coincidence that God has chosen you to read this. It’s God’s way of telling you that whatever you may face in life, God will make you bloom where He has planted you. He says He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be with you always, no matter what life throws your way. He is faithful and as He says in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.
So trust Him today. He who called you is faithful.