The Next is Now Podcast with Justin and Moriah

Hey, welcome everybody.

Thank you.

This is uh Mariah and Justin Wackerman, and uh we're kind of shooting some videos here uh that go in tandem with the story videos that we've been sharing with Next Is Now.

Uh so in October uh we rolled out uh some of the projects.

We've been working on plans for a couple years, and uh in fact it's kind of I don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but I remember we had just started working on plans, and you came to me and said, we need to start working on plans.

And I was like, hey, let's talk about these plans.

And so now it's kind of cool to see them coming to fruition.

But you know, taking some time to talk about the why behind the what.

Okay, so we're doubling our parking, doubling our seating, uh, doubling our kid space, and then we're adding over 2,000 square feet of special needs uh sensory space.

And uh super fired up about that.

Um, but we want people to understand the the why right behind it.

So uh you guys shared in your story video of the ministry that you guys really started here at the church, um, special gifts, uh, which is adults with special needs that meet every Wednesday uh at the church, and uh it's just continued to grow.

So we're gonna talk about that.

But what kind of the spirit of this whole thing is we started with uh these short videos or three minutes, and you just get a snapshot.

But I wanted to do a little more long form, like let's kind of talk about the story behind the story and what more is going on, and frankly, learn more about you guys and the ministry.

And and I think a lot of people are curious, like how they might want to get them be able to get involved.

So uh we'll kind of talk about all that.

Uh and I'll start off uh a kick to you, uh Justin, because uh I've had the privilege of knowing you guys for a very long time.

I met Mariah when she was in high school, I think, or junior high, maybe.

I was uh I was leading a youth camp and she was one of the students, and uh I remember you well and your sisters, and uh and then uh I met Justin at the front desk of the fitness club.

I was the first shift, he was second shift, and we overlapped, and I liked you from day one.

That's true.

I liked you.

I liked you immediately.

Like you rolled in and you immediately started making things better.

And I remember like the job you work now, the guy who owns the company was looking for good workers, and I was like, listen, this dude never stops making things better.

That's just who he is.

Like, you could he can't turn it off, like he just makes stuff better.

And so uh we became buddies and we started the church, you know.

I was like, hey, why don't you come visit?

You know, come check it out.

I wasn't sure if you would, because I don't remember if you said, like, yeah, I'll do it, or maybe you maybe you kind of did, but I wasn't sure if you would, and and then you did, and you showed up and um you texted me the night before.

I was like, are we gonna be there tomorrow?

I'll be there.

Accountability, baby.

So anyway, uh then you showed up and then you saw Mariah, and then you started this is people think I'm making this up.

It's true.

You started, you joined the setup teardown team, hauling chairs in a cutoff t-shirt.

That is true.

I mean, dude cut off.

Yeah, you were a uh a physical specimen, right?

I mean, you're you're still beautiful a beautiful man.

I've got some miles on me now.

Lower mileage at the time, right?

Lower mileage.

A few more indentations in your biceps.

But true story, am I am I telling the truth?

Were you on the setup teardown team in a cutoff shirt?

Yes, it was pink.

And it came down to about just about a couple inches above the waist.

Was it an intentional thirst trap?

Or or were you were you really just trying to get the job done?

Be honest.

Uh it was not intentional.

Okay.

Um, but it definitely had a good factor to it.

It worked out.

It worked.

Yeah, so you weren't you weren't intentionally trying to impress Mariah.

You just it just you are what you are, and it is what it is, right?

Yeah, okay.

All right.

Do you remember the first time you spotted my man sitting chairs up?

I do.

But it was elaborate.

So um, we had a close friend that mentioned that there was somebody that might have shown some interest in my direction.

And I was not single, and I was like, eh, we'll just let that one go.

Not married.

Not married.

No, a couple months, nothing serious.

It was already kind of like on the downhill.

And I was like back into the bell curve.

Yeah, and I was like, yeah, you know, it's not really morally correct to like, well, sure, I'm going home and I'm like scrolling his Facebook, and I'm like, okay, who is this guy?

And he didn't he didn't say a name.

He was like, it's somebody, you gotta figure it out.

And I'm like, okay, well, you know, I got this guy over here, let's down here.

And I end up finding this guy, and I'm like, okay, here's the deal.

Nathan Crawford.

I said, if this is the guy out of your 700 Facebook friends, if it's this guy, then I'm breaking up with my boyfriend tonight and I'm going for him.

And he's like, that's the guy.

Come on.

And it worked out.

I was I was talking to a uh lady today, um, and she met her husband in church, and she said uh her husband spotted her in the service, and she's like, you know, I don't think they can spot each other anymore because it's so dark in there.

I was like, that's why we do that.

So if you want to meet somebody, you gotta serve.

No, it's it it was it's been really cool to see a front row seat to your guys' uh relationship, and you guys are special people, and now I have uh two girls, and um, you know, thanks for just you know sticking around.

You know, obviously sometimes in churches people move away or they uh transition out, and often it's what where God's leading them, but it's all always nice when you have people that kind of go the distance with you, and um, you know, we're far from a perfect church, I'm far from a perfect leader.

We have lots of things that we're really trying to improve on, but you guys have given lots of grace, and um and I'm just thankful for uh what you're doing with uh special gifts.

I remember, you know, we you know, Sean Ferguson, who's on on the spectrum, he was on that video, uh, high functioning, and um, you know, just a wonderful guy, had this desire to make space and include uh people like himself.

And so we're like, hey, you know, he's got leadership talent.

We want to draw that out of him, but we want to make sure he's adequately supported.

And uh so we reached out to you guys, and you guys like uh said a wholehearted yes and jumped in and um talk about that journey.

So where it kind of started, how it started, and what the journey's been like.

Yeah, I mean, it started with uh, I mean, just like you said, a conversation.

I mean, it was um, you know, Ryan reached out and said, Hey, you know, we got Sean.

Um, could you guys meet?

And, you know, the when he kind of gave us the high level, I think one of the best things to know that Mariah and I were on the same page with this is we I felt like we were kind of, you know, like you were saying, we had been going to the church since the launch.

And, you know, you had these ups and downs seasons of becoming new parents and and just, you know, a lot of myriad of things.

And I just remember, you know, we got that text message and I felt like we had been on the sideline for a little bit.

Um, and when that hit, I don't even think Mariah and I really talked about it before we both were like, yeah.

And um it was just a no-brainer.

It was just, it was just, it just felt right.

I mean, just something right uh right in our heart.

And um, so and then I mean, we set up a meeting and it was an equivocal yes as soon as we met Sean and heard his heart, and there was no continuing the conversation.

It was just like, well, when do we want to start?

Let's start in two weeks.

And you know, that was you know the start of the group.

Where does the passion for for folks with special needs?

Like I think I think people uh are, you know, any healthy person, you know, you see someone with any kind of special need, your heart goes out.

Right.

Um, and there's there there's a an a sympathy or an empathy, but like to go to make the commitment you guys have made and to go to the levels you guys have gone, there's a drive there.

Where does that come from?

Um, for me, I remember being in middle school, and there was a um, there was a girl that was in the lunchroom that she would join us in lunch, and then she would go back to her class.

And um, I wanted to spend more time with her, hang out with her, and her class was a separate class.

She was in, at that time it was called a multiple disabilities classroom.

And um she would spend the day in there, and she would come out and spend time in the lunchroom or certain classes.

Um, and I fell in love with her and her personality, and so I would go in during my study halls and I would go hang out with her.

And then I met a whole bunch of different people, all with different needs, and um I spent a lot of time in there through this is my seventh grade year, so seventh grade and then eighth grade.

And then going into my freshman year of high school, um, I already knew what I wanted to do.

I was like, I want to work with individuals with special needs.

Um, at that time I was wanting to work with kids, but I was, you know, a kid myself.

So um a lot of times it was just kind of bonding and spending time with people around my age and in the high school, and I would still go um to the study hall classroom.

And I ended up, there's two different families, and I would work with them on the weekends or after school.

Um, so I would just go, I'd hang out, I would take them to Subway, Stephanie Selby and Subway all the time.

Um, we would go to the dollar store and we would work on like, you know, social skills and what it looks like to spend money and the value of money, and we would um how to order our meals and those kind of things.

But a lot of it was just like I enjoyed it so much.

Um, and so I just kept finding ways to spend more time with those individuals.

And it just, I mean, it just continued on.

I graduated from OSU with my background in special ed.

And um I mean, I've just found my way to do whatever I can to spend time with them.

You know, so both of my boys are are on the spectrum.

And one of the hard things about it for me has been I don't feel like I'm a natural, like when it comes to um whether it's communicating with them or helping them learn.

Like it's I it's what I watch my my wife, Shaylin, and it's like it's like she just knows what to do.

Like instinctively, it's like her instincts are are almost always right with them.

And I feel like uh the things I tried to do early um were like just counterproductive.

And so then it then I started trying to like get in my own head and were like, what would you do?

Do the opposite, you know?

And and so I know it's it's kind of brutal, you know, because because it's like you know, you early on discovered a knack that you had uh even before you were fully trained, and of course, and so that that's a gift that you have, and and and not only kind of intuitively knowing what to do, but also getting a lot of fulfillment and joy from it, right?

And then then you add the skills to it, and now you're a force to be reckoned with, right?

You can really do some good.

Um, what what advice would you give to someone uh asking for a friend here who who isn't necessarily have the natural or the knack, but has the desire, like wants to um maybe it's a niece or a nephew, or maybe maybe they would serve in the ministry, but they're like, hey, I don't, you know, I I don't always know what to do.

I feel self-conscious or frustrated uh because is this isn't a natural gift, but I I want to be a part of the solution.

What what advice either of you, I'll kind of throw it in the middle, what what advice would you guys have?

Yeah, I mean, I think uh some of the things like not like you know, having as much experience as you know, Mariah, um, but tagging along with her early on with uh a lot of kids is like I think the first thing is leading with love and just like naturally just you know um just just loving them, you know, and I think meeting them where they are.

Um I think you know, some of those are some of the you know the most important things in my opinion of just you know, um showing them that you see them, you know, like you know, exactly the same as anybody else.

Um, and that they're unique, um, they have gifts, um, you know, they have um, you know, special abilities.

Um I think that's uh some of the most important things.

Yeah, like it one of the things I found with with our boys is um sometimes I really have to go at their pace, right?

And become comfortable at their pace.

Like, and and sometimes it's okay to push their boundaries on like, hey, let's let's do this, you know.

But like um it's funny, I was watching the video that you posted uh of when you guys showed the the the facility, right?

And you're like, I wish I'd have kept the camera rolling because afterwards they started really lighting up.

When they're watching it, you know, they're like sitting there watching.

It's funny, like with with our with our boys, I want them to show enthusiasm as I feel it, but it sometimes comes like 30 minutes later, you know, or a day later, or a couple weeks later, you know, that you find out, wow, that you know, that thing had more of an impact.

Whereas, you know, with say neurotypical or people that maybe uh from a social standpoint are a little further along, we tend to give each other more immediate feedback.

Um, and that that doesn't always happen, you know.

So, like with um with the boys, I've kind of had to learn, like, instead of me trying to force or superimpose my pace um on them, that I give them space and and sort of try to vibe with their pace.

I think that's really important.

One thing I want to point out is being a parent itself is hard.

So um when you say that you're trying to do the opposite of what you think, I know you're kind of I know the joking matter behind it, but also like you're doing an awesome job.

I mean, those boys are doing great, and they really are so lucky to have both you and Shaylin.

Um, it's really cool.

It's been really cool to see the growth that they've made.

And I love, I mean, I love seeing my boy Hudson on Sunday mornings and what's up, Mariah! I'm like, hey man, how you doing?

He's snuggled up in his blanket, still giving those hugs.

Um, no, they're awesome though.

And I, I mean, it's been really cool to see the growth they've made.

And that obviously that comes down to you and Shaylin.

Um, but yeah, kind of going along with what Justin said about um, you know, if you don't have that quote unquote gift, I mean, there's plenty of areas in my life where I'm like, oh, I don't know how people do that because, you know, God doesn't give everybody all the gifts.

Like you get, you know, you get the things that you're good at.

Um, and I am, I am proud to say that it's something that I'm very passionate about.

And I do believe that God gave me a gift to work with individuals with special needs, but more so, like he said, just loving on them, I think is really what creates that bond.

Um, some of the people that I've gotten closer with in the group, um, one person in particular, she's pointed out that a lot of times she may not talk back to us.

She might just be looking at you, she might be sitting aside.

And really, she's like, I'm listening to every word you say, and I hear you, and I don't have the words to communicate back to you right now.

But like, it's so funny because then like four days later she'll text me and it'll be like this big long thing, and I'm like, oh, that's that's what we were talking about in group.

And she's like, Well, yeah, I didn't really have the words then, but now I have them.

So, like, a lot of times people think, oh, if they're not communicating with me, they don't want anything to do with me, or they maybe I'm not I'm not doing this right because they're not talking back to me.

Like, when really uh it's just working different in their brain, and it they might need to process things in a little bit of a different way.

And I think like part of group and stuff, I'm like, uh my sister showed up a few weeks back and she was like, I I've been, I've met some of the kids that you've worked with, but I don't really know what I'm doing.

I'm like, just be you.

Yeah, just love them, have fun, hang out, call some bingo and sing some worship songs.

And she's been back every week since, and she's like, I just love it.

And that's the thing is you don't have to be, you know, specifically gifted in this area or know all the definitions of what different abilities are and how to work with them.

I mean, it's it's just loving on meeting where they're at.

So give us a feel for the group.

So you guys meet on Wednesday nights.

I mean, you guys have 20 or more, right?

More.

Yeah.

That come.

What's it like?

Like take us in there.

You want to start?

Uh go ahead.

Okay.

Um, oh my gosh.

We have um, so we have a variety of all different needs.

We have higher needs, lower needs, um social, not as social, super loud and high energy and quiet and calm, and somehow it just works.

Like it's just the most beautiful chaos.

It's so fun.

Um, a lot of what we do, we kind of I've I've figured over the last few months that a schedule seems to be best, so they know kind of what to expect.

Um, so we've kept it consistent with a worship song.

Um, Sean actually leads us in a little Bible study.

He goes over a verse that we keep consistent through the whole month, and then we discuss in, we have different discussion questions on that same verse so that they can dive in and really understand, like, kind of like you do in your services, how to um get further than just like reading the scripture.

Like, how can you apply it to your everyday life and how can this relate to us?

And so we do that, and then we do an intro.

Um, we kind of turn our chairs into big circle and we do our name and an intro question, and then we spend the last like 45, 50-ish minutes just hanging out.

And so we have a different activity each week, and it's just whether it's games, crafts, outside, karaoke is a big hit, dance parties.

We've got a fall party at the end of the month.

We're gonna we're gonna turn on a um, we have a few different idea songs, but like a fall type song, and we're gonna learn the dance as a group, and then we're gonna have glow sticks and have like a glow stick party.

Um, so we've got some fun things.

The leaders meet every first of the month, and we plan for the whole month.

Um, and yeah, and then we close out in prayer.

It's really cool to see um them pray for each other.

A lot of times we'll be like, anyone have a prayer request?

And someone will come forward and be like, I do.

And you're like, okay, go ahead.

And they're like, God.

We're like, oh, okay, we're into it.

Like, it's really cute to see.

But no, a lot of them, um, I mean, we had someone last night ask, um, we said it with this Bible verses in First Corinthians, and he's like, What does First Corinthians mean?

And I was like, Oh, that's actually a book in the Bible.

And he's like, Oh, there's books in the Bible.

And I was like, and we kind of went into the depth of what the Bible looks like.

Um, so things like that, they're really picking up on scripture and then closing out in prayer.

It's really cool because, you know, at first it was just us kind of closing the group in prayer and have a good week.

And now, like each week they're raising hands and they're like, hey, this is going on in my life.

Can you pray for this?

And so we're really getting to know them and their lives and their families and being able to pour into them more than just like hanging out and having fun.

Well, and I'll add to I mean, like everything you just said, but like honestly, I felt like, I mean, last night specifically, we were in, I mean, we're already outgrowing the space that we're currently in.

And but like, we just functioned like a family at Thanksgiving.

Like, I just felt like everybody loves each other.

You know, it's tight quarters, we're maneuvering around and playing games and this and the other, but it literally felt like a 30-person family gathering.

And that's what the most amazing thing is is just seeing the love that everybody has for each other.

Um, and I mean, we just could not do it, not only without the members, but like our leaders.

Our we have a top-notch leadership team that we just have to give a shout out to because they're incredible.

I mean, they like Ryan and I are all in, Sean's all in, but we've got three or four leaders that are just all in as well.

And it's just been amazing.

So I feel like we have uh a dream team.

Um, and it's just it's amazing.

That's awesome.

So, okay, think about somebody who's listening who's like, wow, that that touches my heart.

I'd like to be a part of that.

Um, what what areas are there for people to get involved?

Like what if you had 10 people uh sign up, you know, what would you do with them?

Like what what would be uh when what and what are the needs?

Like what what are the specific needs that you guys have that would help, you know, you guys be able to do more, do better, or you know, again, close a gap?

Like what yeah, talk about that.

Um, so I think one of the things that we've talked about is sometimes Justin and myself will tend to kind of float around a little bit because when we do have a group of Uno and a group of, you know, a Bible study, or they're doing like the uh we have a fishbowl where they ask questions.

So we'll have like, you know, a few different activities going on.

And I find myself not being able to get as like sit down and play Uno because I'm more so checking on, okay, so and so is kind of wandering, let's go check in and see how they're doing and kind of pull them back in, or someone has to go to the restroom, let's go walk them down the hallway.

Um, and so honestly, like floaters, someone that would just want to come in and just hang and be present, but also be available to just kind of like jump in as needed.

Um, we also have we bring snacks each week and like waters each week.

So if someone wanted to, you know, pick out some fun snacks or the activities for the week.

Um, also we are not tech savvy.

And so each week we get there an hour early just to figure out the tech for the week because it's there's always something different.

There's a different cord in the wrong spot, or there's something is always happening.

And so I'm like, I'm over there, Dustin, Ryan.

Um, we get it figured out most of the time.

I travel with a whiteboard.

Yeah, see, I'm like free to text.

Much easier.

Um, but someone that was like tech savvy, it was like, okay, I'm not maybe I'm not comfortable like all in, but I can be on the sidelines and help run the PowerPoint.

Like um, if anyone is vocal and we always do a worship song, we play YouTube, but like if someone's like, oh, you know, I play guitar or I sing, like, come on in, sing us a song.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I think, I mean, the other thing I I would just say too is just like, if you know someone that could benefit from this, like tell them.

You know, you don't have to be going to the church, you know.

That's the other thing.

It's just word of mouth.

Let people know uh that, you know, we have this thing in motion, and you know, we want that person uh and that caregiver, anything like that.

We want them to be a part of this.

Um, so just you know, reaching out.

I feel like everybody knows somebody that could benefit from it as well.

I think one of the misconceptions with a church like ours is people like show up and they just go, Oh, they don't need any help, or there's no room to jump in.

Absolutely false, right?

Like, I mean, think about let's pretend I said 10 people, imagine 50 people signed up, right?

I mean, you have like like you got we'll call it 25, whatever.

How about how many what'd you guys have last night?

Uh including like volunteers and stuff.

Yeah.

Probably like 45.

Okay, so 45.

If you have 25 to 30 of um these these special gifts individuals, they have caregivers.

So you so you just double your opportunity to serve right there in terms of how can we communicate with them, how can we support them, how can we bless them.

You know, we're doing Wednesday night, you know, maybe uh at some point we add another night of the week or we add another space.

Like the the opportunities are endless in terms of scaling and and how we can reach more and serve more and not even just qu uh quantitatively but qualitatively.

Yeah.

And so we'd love to have the problem of having too many people, right?

There it's really there can't be because, like you said, it's not a waste of time to come be there and just get in one person's world, you know, to sit there and make that connection and then to consistently show up.

And sometimes over time, all of a sudden you broke through with that person relationally and they opened up to you about that, or you know, uh all that.

So I I want to be clear, you know, you guys mentioned we have a dream team and we do awesome people on that team, but there is plenty of room.

If this is in your heart, if you're willing to jump in and serve, like we have absolute space.

Oh, yeah.

And and and you know, what happens when you have enough hands on deck or even maybe a little more than you need, it enables you to start coming up with ideas that are now possible.

Right.

Because when you're short-handed, you're like, well, we can't do that because you know, sometimes we're gonna go on vacation or we might get sick or our kids might get sick and we can't go and we don't want to shut everything down.

We we got to be able to have an you know an abundance of leaders so that you know we can start to come up with ideas that are doable uh because we have people there.

So if this is something like you guys mentioned, hey, we were kind of on the sidelines for a while.

It wasn't we weren't being hard-hearted, we just hadn't found the thing.

And all of a sudden the right thing opened.

If this is that for you, you know, go to our website, go to one.church, go to go to our surf page, sign up to surf, come in, check it out.

Um, you know, Justin and Mariah are great leaders, help you uh, you know, get a feel for it and then see what God might do with it.

Um anything you guys want to add to that?

Or I've got another question, but I I I don't want to.

Oh, I was just gonna add in too.

Like it, you don't have to be on the leadership team.

You can come once a week, you can come twice a week, you can come you mean once once a month.

Oh, yeah.

So you can come twice a week and just be by yourself.

Yeah, just you pray, you dream about you and Jesus.

Yeah.

Um, but yeah, I mean, just uh, you know, uh we can, you know, meet any capacity that you can give us, we'll you know, find your gift of how you can contribute.

Yeah, yeah.

Um, another part of the vision for this is that uh it goes beyond our church.

So it's not, you know, not about one church, it's about the body of Christ.

Yep.

So if you're a church in our city uh and you'd want to come take a look, come spend a day or you know, come uh network and collaborate and uh maybe some some things that we can share uh as we're learning them with others.

So feel free to reach out.

Um, we're doing these facility projects.

Um how do you guys feeling about it?

How are how is your group feeling about it?

And how will this, you know, these spaces help you guys?

Um, you know, I always say if you're doing a project and you have the right tool, it's not that hard.

Um, but if you don't have the right tool, it's like impossible.

Um, we've we have some facilities, we're doing the best we can with what we have, but we want to give you guys a better tool.

Um, could you talk, you know, in your point of view, as you guys have been looking, how how this what what difference will this make?

All the difference.

Yeah.

Um, yeah, we've we're in a space right now that is for the number of people that we have, it it would work.

It's just that the needs that we have in our group, because we have some that are so active and because we're moving around and we have some that are louder and it's echoing, um, because of that, the space isn't just it's not quite doing it.

But obviously, we're working with what we have and it's going great.

Um, but the thought of having this new space that is gonna provide accommodations for a group that's not gonna be super echoey so that people have to wear their headphones or step out of the room into the hallway and have like a quiet moment, um, and to not be kind of pushing chairs around to scoot past somebody else, um, just to meet their their needs and where they're at, but also like for them to know that like we did this for them.

Like this isn't, this isn't just like, you know, this is a a unique space that they can thrive in.

And to know that the church cares that much about them to do something like this.

I mean, the amount of comments that we have heard that are like, there's nothing like this, or we've never heard of a church that that does this or goes all in for us, or like, why us?

Why, like, why, what is it about us?

We're just, you know, I've heard all these things which, of course, you and I are like, well, of course, it's, you know, God's called us to love everybody.

And like, we're not going to, no one should be left aside, whether it's, you know, ability or race or gender or any of the, I mean, we're called to love everybody.

And they they have this unique ability and need that they may have.

And it's like we're able to meet them in that need and be like, okay, here, this is for you.

And it's just, it's gonna be it's gonna be unbelievable.

We had a we had a challenge right a little while back because of the limitations of our facility, we're trying to accommodate all these ministries and trying to, and so I remember our conversations about okay, our group being moved um wouldn't normally be a big deal, but you have a group of people that uh struggles with change, you know, consistency is is massive.

And then also the feeling that we're cared about, we're valued, we're prioritized, you know, in a sense, right?

In a group of people that don't always feel that.

So um it's it's it's really cool.

It was cool from my vantage point, like even as we communicated these plans to feel the heart of our church, even like in the moment that we showed the pictures and the videos, fly throughs and everything, you could tangibly feel like you, I could hear the reaction.

I could hear uh the heartbeat like of our church of just how connected it was.

And I think we've, you know, we've all been really proud and excited about the night to shine work and everything, but I think we're all like, okay, that's great, but we've we can do more.

Like we can do something more consistent um and more ongoing.

And and to be able to make that statement to those families um to to have that tool in hand, I'm really, really excited about it.

And um I'm really thankful, even as we do this, that you guys have already put some put things in motion.

So it's not like, hey, we're gonna do this facility for this thing we might do someday.

You guys are already doing it um and leading it really, really well.

So we have this thing already going, and I'm just excited to see where it goes from here and um really, really thankful uh for what you guys have done.

And you know, you guys could you can do anything on on Wednesday, and I'm sure I know you guys uh feel a lot of joy and fulfillment from it, but it's also hard work.

It also is I've I've gone in there and I've felt like the it is a little chaotic at times, right?

You're kind of like, but you guys have a uh a really special grace for it, and um and there's no question that every person that's coming in there knows that they're cared about, that they're loved, and your guys' consistency and um your commitment uh and your compassion, all of that.

And I didn't plan for all those to start with C, but sometimes sometimes God shows off.

But all that's say, like all of that is it's making a huge difference.

And uh I'm excited.

You know, I got a uh 12-year-old, right?

So someday for in the near future, uh he's gonna join the special gifts.

He'll be in there.

And uh I'm I'm just thankful, man.

I love you guys and appreciate you very much.

Uh let me close in prayer.

And uh Lord, we just thank you, God, for all that you're doing in this ministry.

Uh, thank you for Justin and Mariah for bringing them together.

Uh Lord, for putting on their hearts uh this this thing that's heavy on your heart, that's close to your heart, uh, which are your your your children with special needs.

And Lord, we all we all have our our special needs.

We I have mine and we all have ours, but uh Lord, we see these uh special needs and these challenges that these individuals have.

And often uh, Lord, the nature of those challenges cause these people to be uh not focused on, sometimes not accommodated.

And so, Lord, I thank you that you've raised up people, Lord, that will stand in that gap, that will serve that need and will serve you and love you and serve them.

And Lord, I thank you, God, that you've led us to some good plans.

I thank you, God, that you're providing the finances for us to be able to do this.

I pray, Lord, that you'd help us to stay one step ahead.

Lord, someday I'm sure that we'll outgrow the 2,000 square feet, Lord, as we keep being faithful and you keep sending.

So I pray, Lord, you'd help us to be one step ahead on programming and how to make more room and how to serve more people for your glory and to do it well for your honor.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thanks, guys.

Cool.

Thank you.