{"id":3007,"date":"2012-08-21T20:29:22","date_gmt":"2012-08-22T00:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=3007"},"modified":"2012-08-21T20:29:22","modified_gmt":"2012-08-22T00:29:22","slug":"wow-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/08\/wow-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Wow!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>On Sunday evening at Camp Agape, we had a bread and cup service.\u00a0 Each year, the members of several programs of Special Gathering gather for a spiritual retreat in Vero Beach at Life for Youth Camp during Memorial Day weekend.\u00a0 This year we had about 180 people who attended from seven of our programs.\u00a0 People came from as far south as Port St. Lucie and as far north as Jacksonville. \u00a0We are rrestricted in the number of cabins we could use. \u00a0Therefore our numbers dropped from approximately 220.<\/p>\n

Special Gathering is a ministry within the mentally challenged community.\u00a0 We exist to do classic ministry, discipleship and evangelism.\u00a0 This is our purpose and our mission.\u00a0 Camp Agape is a set-aside time to get into the skin of our members and for our members to get to know each other.<\/p>\n

Each day at camp we eat our meals together.\u00a0 We sleep in the same cabins.\u00a0 We play games, do crafts and slide down the waterslides.\u00a0 The highlight of the weekend is the\u00a0bread and cup service.\u00a0 Here, we remember the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.\u00a0 We also want to embrace the time of fellowship that this meal represents.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As in years past, we have served the bread wafers and the small cups of grape juice in two lines. Each person is given the invitation, “If you are a friend of Jesus, come.”\u00a0 During the mingling in the aisles as people wait for their turns,\u00a0there is a stirring of the love the Lord has for us\u00a0shown by the fact that\u00a0he would come to die for the bad things we do.<\/p>\n

Five years ago, when The Twins (two young women in their early 20’s) came to me to be served, I realized that this was the first time in their lives\u00a0they would be served the wafer and the cup.\u00a0 I gave the bread to Ariel with the explanation, “This is a small piece of bread.\u00a0 Take and eat it.\u00a0 Jesus said that this was to be done to remember that his body was broken for us.”\u00a0 I explained the cup in a similar way.\u00a0 Ariel solemnly took the wafer and small cup.\u00a0 She ate and drank it.<\/p>\n

Then it was Clara’s turn.\u00a0 She is blind. \u00a0She is unable to walk and is confined to a wheelchair. \u00a0I placed the wafer in her hand and explained.\u00a0 “This is a small piece of bread.\u00a0 Jesus said that we are to eat the bread to remember that his body was broken for us.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Clara felt the bread with her other hand.\u00a0 “Jesus said that?\u00a0 Wow!” she said.\u00a0 Somehow\u00a0her simple exclamation did\u00a0something new in my spirit.\u00a0\u00a0The wonder of his sacrifice\u00a0was magnified as I encountered anew\u00a0the privilege\u00a0his sacrifice\u00a0affords us,\u00a0giving us access to the Father.\u00a0 My heart exploded with joy.<\/p>\n

I gave Clara the cup and my feeble explanation.\u00a0\u00a0Clara took the cup and said,\u00a0“Wow!\u00a0 This is for me?\u00a0 Wow!”\u00a0 By now I was weeping.\u00a0\u00a0How can a simple “Wow” renew and even transform my understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice?\u00a0 I have no idea. But I was acutely aware that access to the heartbeat of God is mine.\u00a0 What more can be said but “Wow”?<\/p>\n

As Clara’s simple exclamation made my heart sing, how has God opened your eyes to spiritual truths by the actions or reactions of other people?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Sunday evening at Camp Agape, we had a bread and cup service.\u00a0 Each year, the members of several programs of Special Gathering gather for a spiritual retreat in Vero Beach at Life for Youth Camp during Memorial Day weekend.\u00a0 This year we had about 180 people who attended from seven of our programs.\u00a0 People…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,37,5,20,3,40,186,49,16,8,4,41],"tags":[690,697,21,688,104,7,699,701,694,689,6,700],"class_list":["post-3007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autism-spectrum","category-camp-agape","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-camp-agape","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-communion","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nWow! - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/08\/wow-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wow! - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Sunday evening at Camp Agape, we had a bread and cup service.\u00a0 Each year, the members of several programs of Special Gathering gather for a spiritual retreat in Vero Beach at Life for Youth Camp during Memorial Day weekend.\u00a0 This year we had about 180 people who attended from seven of our programs.\u00a0 People…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/08\/wow-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-08-22T00:29:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2012\/08\/camp-Agape.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. Howard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Wow! - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/08\/wow-2.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Wow! - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","og_description":"On Sunday evening at Camp Agape, we had a bread and cup service.\u00a0 Each year, the members of several programs of Special Gathering gather for a spiritual retreat in Vero Beach at Life for Youth Camp during Memorial Day weekend.\u00a0 This year we had about 180 people who attended from seven of our programs.\u00a0 People…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/08\/wow-2.html","og_site_name":"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","article_published_time":"2012-08-22T00:29:22+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2012\/08\/camp-Agape.jpg"}],"author":"Linda G. 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