Special Needs Mutual

Since school started I have been involved with helping the special needs kids at their mutual every Thursday. It has deffinately been a challenge for me to go every week and to get the hang of it, but I know in the end I won't regret it. 

In August, when SNM started, I was really nervous about it and didn't want to do it, but i knew it was a calling espcially for me from Heavenly Father and other than that I couldn't say no anyways haha. The first day I went we got to choose our friend sort of. We were divided into different classes and then they handed us a pile of friends names and a picture of them. I chose Mariah. She suffers with down syndrome, but is a really sweet girl. She hasn't been to mutual for a few months so I have been going back and forth being other girls' friends.

It has been hard to go every Thursday and a lot times there are things I would rather be doing and have missed out on, but I know I will be blessed for serving such great people.

Right now I have a friend named Brandy. She is about 30 and is in a wheel chair. She can't talk much, but she is really sweet. Brandy has a little board attached to her wheel chair that has the alphabet and some common words you would use in a sentence. She uses this to communicate with people by pointing to the letter either to spell out the words in the sentence or she points to a word that is already on the board. This takes a lot of thinking because you have to keep the letters she pointed to in your mind so you can think of the word in your mind haha she is patient with me though! Soon Brandy will be getting an electronic talker so that she can just think of what she wants to say, but in the mean time I get to exercise those brain cells! haha.

So far for mutual we have had a few dances and 2 weeks ago we put together a road show for them. They did an awesome job at it and I was really amazed that we could put it together in only 2 weeks! For the most part though, we have regualar classes where our teacher of our class will teach a lesson. Oh and I forgot, every week there are treats! haha The leaders bring treats every week because a lot of times thats how they can get the special needs kids to come. One girl in my class only comes for the treats so when we are about to end the lesson she always asks to say the prayer so she can hurry and get a treat. haha she is so funny and sweet. 

I also help another girl when Brandy doesn't show up. Sami is 14 years old and loves me to death. We are great buddies and is always excited to see me. Her mom is one of the leaders so she will always tell me the latest of what Sami has been up to. Sami makes me laugh a lot and she loves to talk about chicken...I think that is her favorite food. haha 

It is still hard for me to keep going every Thursday, but I keep going and never regret going after I come home. It has been a great experience for me and anyone that gets this calling and says no will be missing out on a great testimony builder.

Well, I got to go to SNM haha! Bye :)