Category: Outposts

Well, the Christmas season is upon us and whether or not there is snow in your local forecast, it’s still the most wonderful time of the year! Now, this exciting truth is not because of shopping sales and bonanzas or even beautiful trees and decorations. This time of year is so special because it is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior and King. This is what brings the joy of Christmas to life and why we give gifts, put up lights, sing songs and carols and tend to smile everywhere we go. :)

The great joy from Christmas is also very contagious and so this year we at Access-Life wanted to spread a little “merry, merry, merry Christmas” to our ministry friends and volunteers through a new local Outpost activity called a Jingle and Mingle. Actually, the folks in our East Tennessee Outpost started doing these Christmas celebrations several years ago but this year we thought it would be nice to extend the party to North Texas and West Palm Beach, too.

As a result, through some great area leaders, we hosted three Jingle and Mingles recently that featured a seasonal ice breaker game with prizes, a holiday snowflake craft, festive food and Christmas carols with the nativity story. God brought out 108 attendees in North Texas, 75 people in West Palm Beach and 70 folks in East Tennessee to celebrate Jesus birthday and be refreshed by His presence this holiday season.

We were so thankful for these great turn outs and seeing people Jingling and Mingling for Jesus from TX to TN and FL and hope you enjoy the picture collage from all three areas below. :)

Leanne and I were so privileged to be in town for this year’s “Spring Fling” held by Shady Grove Methodist on Saturday. This was the 4th year they have hosted this Access-Life Outpost event and while the weather was cold and rainy outside, the warm presence of the Lord blessed all who attended inside.

It such a blessing seeing folks participate in the carefully thought out, planned and executed crafts like rock painting, leather work, foam cross  and prayer bead activities and of course the variety of games and snack activities including ice cream were popular with everyone. However the group singing time was definitely a highlight for me. It was particularly inspiring seeing the participants sing “Jesus Loves Me” as they learned the sign language motions to go along with the words.

All of these things may seem small and even mundane to many but to God they were important as they encouraged, blessed and fill the lives of those attending with the good and wholesome gifts that He longs to give us all. This fact was brought to my attention in a unique way as at the closing of the activities a mom who had brought her daughter came up to Leanne and I with tears of joy in her eyes saying what a God blessed experience they had in just two short hours there. Our exchange was capped off as her daughter spontaneously sang “Jesus Loves Me” while signing out the words she had just learned.

You know, so many time we are looking for the big, serious or cutting edge things in life to make us feel we are doing something important but make no mistake God shines brightest in the simplest and most basic moments of life. Hopefully, the pictures included here will be a reminder of this humbling truth and encourage each of us to look for God’s presence and working in the wholesome and holy blessings He gives each day.

As it is the season for celebrating, our Access-Life Outposts in ETN and CFL recently each held Jingle and Mingle Christmas parties for individual and families with disabilities in their local communities.

The ETN activity was held on December 10th at the Jefferson City Christian Church and was attended by 50-60 participants and volunteers who shared a light lunch, made a few crafts and fellowshipped through the singing of Christmas carols. It was the 3rd year in a row for the Jingle and Mingle there and folks were definitely in the Christmas mood!

In CFL, while several Outpost Christmas activities have been held in the past, it was the first time an official Jingle and Mingle was held in the Sunshine state. In turn, this more intimate group gathered at the home of Doug and Leanne Goddard this this past Saturday, December 17th but similar to the ETN event, they made a snow flake craft, decorated cookies, shared a light lunch and sang carols. While only numbering about 30-40 attendees, these folks were just as festive and in fact, carried on the party for several hours. :)

All in all, it is such a privilege to see folks with disabilities active during this great season celebrating the birth of Jesus just like many other typical families and we hope this fact as well as the pictures included encourage you and bring you a special Christmas smile!

Our 1^st ETN Outpost activity of the year hosted by Shady Grove was a blessing to many with 70 total folks attending including participants and volunteers.

The snack jars were particularly popular as was the food but everyone enjoyed the crafts and games, too. A neat addition this year was a performance by their children’s choir which really helped engage folks in many new ways.

Below is a picture of the participants watch the choir so you can see a few of the faces.

I wanted to share what great banquet we had last April 21st! The food was great, the decorations were beautiful, the performances were fun, the auction items were awesome and the testimonies were encouraging. There were lots of new church and volunteer connections, too. What I liked most was the fact that so many people with disabilities were given an opportunity to be included and shine at the event. It was definitely a God blessed success! 

On the financial end of things we were down quite a bit from last year but we know God will be faithful to provide all that is needed. Overall the gifts were down by about $3,000 and the auction purchases were down by about $1,000. Our matching gift was up by about $2,000 though so overall we were  just $2,000 down from last year.

All in all, please know that Leanne and I so appreciate each of you and all you did to make things happen. We know God is faithful and will provide all we need!

We had our 3^rd annual Big Wheel Deal wheelchair basketball fundraiser in CFL this past Saturday and for the 1^st time it was a not just a game but a tournament. In fact, we we had nearly 50 players in all including those who normally use wheelchairs and those who don’t mixed on each of the 4 teams!

We were also blessed with nearly 40 volunteers who served popcorn, pizza, cotton candy and snow cones, took pictures, sold AL apparel and manned our ministry INFO and pledge table as well as helped things run smoothly on the administration side of things. There was even an appearance by the AL mascot “I Kan” garoo keeping the fans, MC and referees on their toes.

The championship game featured the presentation of the colors by the Edgwater High School ROTC following our opening prayer and then our national anthem was sung by Detective Duane Hunt from the Ocoee Police. Homemade trophies and prize baskets were awarded afterwards including special items for those who participated in the halftime free throw contest for folks living with disabilities.

A photo collage is below so you can see the smiles and some of the action. :)

During one of our team conference calls before we went to Belize, one of the women with Hearts of Christ in East Tennessee told us about Eli, a man who had been in a wheelchair for several years due to an accident, and had become a Christian this past December. He was mentioned as someone to pray for as we prepared for the trip and to let us know that he would be one of the people we’d be building a ramp for while we were in Belize.

On Tuesday morning of our trip, we headed out to the village of Ontario to meet Eli and to distribute packets of rice and beans to the people in the village. When we drove up, Eli was on the porch working on someone’s bicycle tire (he repairs bikes for a living). After they finished, Korie made the introductions and the builders got to work removing the old ramp (the porch remained, but was reinforced). We saw some frogs that lived under the ramp and uncovered the hiding place of a tarantula, which caused some excitement, especially when the tarantula appeared again later in the process!

While the ramp was being built, Eli and Doug, who has also been living with a disability for many years, were able to spend time talking and getting to know each other, sharing their stories. Eli told Doug, “I’ve lived for 13 years since my accident and have never met another person in a wheelchair.” Eli was able to see how God has worked in Doug’s life despite his disability, and that he can be used by God to encourage others as well.

Later, some of the Hearts of Christ team told us about when they met Eli and shared Christ with him. Eli didn’t think that he could become a Christian because he didn’t know anything about God. They told him that he only had to repent and believe and that he could learn more as he spent time with the Lord. Eli said, “I finally decided it was better to live for God than live for nothing.”

Our team was also able to bring Eli a new manual wheelchair to use while he works and also repaired a motorized wheelchair that Eli had already owned, but needed updating. Eli was appreciative of the new “wheels” as well as the ramp and porch and the other practical items that the team brought him. There was also some places in the flooring in his house that needed to be repaired and the team was able to take care of that to make it easier for Eli to maneuver around inside.

Eli was another person we met who told us that he had prayed for God to send help and that we were an answer to his prayer. Thankfully, we have a Good Father who sees our need, and hears and answers our cries for help!