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Waiting to be heard
When Cindy Schultz watched her smiling and babbling toddler son, Gavin, gradually retreat into silence, she knew in her heart that he had autism. What she could never have predicted in those trying early years, however, was how God would use Gavin to richly bless her life and the lives of those around him.
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Gavin, a member at Water of Life, Racine/Caledonia, Wis., is a 26-year-old autistic man with a warm smile and a heart for sharing the gospel. “I have always had a strong faith,” Gavin says. “God always is with me. I feel his presence, and he gives me peace. I trust him to help me. I pray to him so much. He never leaves my side.”
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This eloquent proclamation of faith is even more poignant knowing that Gavin has limited verbal communication skills. While he sometimes may be able to speak certain words or phrases, communicating through speech is extremely challenging. For Gavin—and so many others like him—being autistic can feel like being trapped inside his mind. Telling his body to move or speak in a certain way can sometimes feel insurmountable.
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“We are in here waiting for help,” Gavin explains. “Many still sit in silence, and they need their voices heard.”
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When I was a senior in high school, I found myself in a difficult dilemma. I was the youngest of eight children. By the time I was ready to graduate from high school, five of my brothers were either serving as pastors or at the seminary preparing to be pastors. Both . . .
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Martin Luther once said, “Nothing in the world causes so much misery as uncertainty.” We hear Jesus say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. . . . I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” . . .
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More than 450 women gathered at the Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee, Wis., from July 28–30 for the WELS Women’s Ministry Conference. Focused on the book of Acts, the conference theme, “Empowered to proclaim: You will be my witnesses,” was carried out . . .
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