I love talking about David’s Refuge. If you give me one slight pause in any conversation, I am going to start telling you the incredible story of how we took our beautiful but broken life with David and transformed it into a thing of beauty, a masterpiece. Almost without fail people will ask me, “What do you hope the couples who stay at David’s Refuge will walk away with?” Without a moment of hesitation, I respond by saying that they will leave knowing they are not alone, what they do matters, and that they are loved by God and their community.
I want to share a blog I wrote back in November of 2011, right as we started David’s Refuge. It will give you a little peek into why Brenda and I started our organization. Like many of you, we felt isolated and alone. Eight years later David’s Refuge continues to remind our parents they are not alone. While the organization has grown and expanded under the incredible leadership of our staff, the mission has not changed! Don’t ever forget you are not alone, what you do matters, and you are loved by God and your community.
You can click on the link below to go to my old blog or simply read it here.
https://caregiversrefuge.wordpress.com/2011/11/
Often people will ask us, “What do you hope the couples who stay at David’s Refuge will walk away with.” Our response is always the same, “We want them to leave David’s Refuge knowing they are not alone, that what they do really matters, and that they are loved by God.” Let me share a little why we are so passionate about wanting people to know they are not alone.
One of the most life-sucking forces in the world is that feeling deep in your gut that you are all alone. I remember one Sunday watching my wife sit with my son, David, in the lobby of our church feeding him his favorite health food, a chocolate covered donut. David was severely disabled. He was blind, physically and mentally challenged, and diagnosed with a disease that was terminal. As they sat in the middle of the busy foyer people walked around them, avoiding them as if they had the plague. That afternoon Brenda came home weeping, crying out, “I can’t do it anymore, I feel so alone.” We knew that people loved us but they were afraid, not knowing what to say or do so they did nothing. Thankfully we had a group of friends who were willing to step out of their own comfort zones, reaching out to simply say, “You’re not alone!” “We are here for you.” Their willingness to be available, to serve us, and encourage us pumped oxygen into our starving souls and enabled us to press on in the care of David’s growing needs.
One of the main reasons we are starting David’s Refuge is to pour some of that oxygen into the lives of people who are caregivers of special needs children or children with potential life-threatening disease so they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are not alone. Today I was surfing the web and read the following blog: A Few Feet And A World Apart. It is a very powerful and personal account of one woman’s struggle with feeling isolated from the people living right around her. It is well worth a read.
If you are struggling with feelings of isolation or loneliness give David’s Refuge a call and let us remind you are not alone! Go to our website (David’s Refuge) and sign up for a stay. We would love to have you.
Don’t ever forget, You are not alone, What you do matters, and You are loved by God!