We could never fail to mention our overwhelming fun we had with Lindsey over the past seventeen days. We had goals to do a lot of things with her, and accomplished most of them! The first big thing we did was go to a pumpkin patch and pick a few of those. We all had a blast! Earlier that same day, we ate at Chick-Fil-A (one of our new favorites–delicious food, very clean, born-again Christian owned, and closed on Sunday) in Shrewsberry because we had a couple coupons for free sandwiches. It just happened to be their fifth anniversary week, so they had a few fun things that afternoon. Lindsey was able to see a couple of “cows” in the restaurant.
Just look at that smile on her face!Andrea and Lindsey also had a few baking days...
Lindsey also met some new friends…
Visiting a farm with Hannah, Catherine, and Olivia TurnerAn evening with Jenna and Alyssa Starr
Raking leaves with Kate McCleary
Sunday night was our “last hurrah” before she left. The Mullers, missionaries to Mongolia, came and reported to our church just before they head back to the field early next month. They are from Fairhaven, so they were able to take Lindsey back with them. We had a lot of fun and fellowship with the Mullers and Eebee (a college friend from Mongolia) Sunday afternoon and evening. We invited them to our home for lunch, and had pizza with them after the evening service. This morning, on their way back to Chesterton, they picked up Lindsey, and we all said our goodbyes. What a great last couple of weeks we had! Maybe Andrea can tell a few more interesting stories in the near future…
Lindsey is my little sister who has Down Syndrome, and one of the most precious people in the world! Just before her birth, the doctors held a special conference with my parents and explained that Lindsey would probably never breath her first breath. They proceeded to advise my parents to abort Lindsey. When my Mom and Dad calmly said no, the Doctor insisted even to the point of growing frustrated and angry. Unaffected, my parents again said, no, we understand she may not live, but we have peace about that. (That “…peace of God, which passeth all understanding,…“) The doctor gave up…good thing…leave my sister alone! And now, Lindsey is a precious eighteen year old, who has accepted Christ as her Saviour, and lives a wonderful, active life of serving the Lord and blessing others! And to think that Doctor would have had her aborted…
She attends the sixth grade at Fairhaven Baptist Academy, and loves her teacher dearly. In fact, one of my goals of her coming here to visit Dustin and I, is to regain my “favorite person” status I had held for so long, but since marrying and moving away, I fear her teacher has dethroned me! Of course I am joking, (I think Linz has many “favorite people”!) and truly, I am grateful she has such a caring teacher along with a class full of true friends. These are the children who love Lindsey so much they want her to be in their class. And they choose her to be on their team for contests knowing she will never win the competition! When she has a birthday party, there are more presents than any of us ever deserve! And through the tough time of losing her mother, it goes without saying that these people, among so many others, meant much to her.
Now, if any of these classmates were dubbed “Honor Roll Students”, Lindsey has them beat. For though not in percentages or grade point averages, it is in devotion and time where she has them far surpassed. Why, they dread homework usually; do only what is required of them most times; and never insist on doing homework, when a diversion is proposed. Lindsey on the other hand, is religious about her homework. She willingly goes to the school library carrying a heavy, pull-behind suitcase for a backpack, spreads all of her books out, and writes loops on notebook paper for hours if allowed! “How much homework do you have tonight, Lindsey?” “Four homeworks.” And often she must be convinced to finish up and go home when the time comes!
She attends Sunday School, and all other services faithfully at Fairhaven Baptist Church, and finds many opportunities to serve the Lord. She goes to a nursing home facility with friends on Saturdays to see and hug “the Grandmas and Grandpas.” Then during the week she empties the trash in the school office each day along with helping out in the cafeteria at various times. And for that “work kitchen” part (cafeteria), she is about as religious as with her “homeworks”!
To top it all off, she is the pride and joy of her family, and dearly loved by so many friends from Church. She is a blessing to more people than I probably ever will be, and has the uncanny ability to draw smiles on more faces than I could ever wish to do!
