Kids Clubhouse Devotional: September

The Calling 

I want us to begin this morning by simply closing our eyes. Do we have them closed? No peeking! Think back to when you were 12 years old. What sights and sounds come to mind?  Ok………Ready……….Now open your eyes! What did you see? What did you hear? What did you smell? What were you doing? 

Being twelve years old is hard, folks. Here you are, a pre-teen. You may not play with dolls or toy trucks any more, However, you are too young to experience things like driving, dating, and voting. Even though I didn’t know much about Jesus, when I was a pre-teen, I did know that He had a plan for my life. 

Some of you may have heard me talk about writing an essay on what it was like to be a blind person for my sixth grade Reading class. My teacher, Mrs. Wagner, told us to write about what life was like having a disability. God had already blessed me with having Cerebral Palsy. So, I spent a Saturday afternoon being blind. Mrs. Wagner liked my essay so much…….she published it in the school newspaper Tee-Pee Talk. Seeing my words in print for the first time was absolutely incredible. To know that I had the power to influence people with my thoughts and words was all it took to ignite my love of writing. Fast Forward to the Spring of 2000 I had just received my Associate of Arts from RSU. My plan was to transfer to NSU and take the classes I needed to become a journalist. However, God’s plan and my plan didn’t match up. Three things were stopping me from chasing my dream. 

1 Doctors determined that my reflexes were too slow to drive a car; 2. I had never lived on my own before, and was scared to death. My friends were few and far between at the time because I would rather read books on a Friday night, than go out; and 3. The two most precious people in the world to me-my Grandparents, Heartsil and Jean Ann Andrews, needed my help 

So, I moved to Cecil, Arkansas in 2001 to help Grandma with my Grandpa, who had suffered a stroke in 1998. He was wheelchair bound as a result of the stroke, and they had recently recovered from a house fire, in which my Grandma saved my Grandpa’s life. Grandma is my hero, and even though she had been taking excellent care of him, I volunteered to give her a hand. 

Care-giving is not for the faint of heart. Imagine taking care of a wheelchair bound person with a nasty stomach virus. Care-giving is not for the weak, but that’s ok because God gives His strongest soldiers the toughest battles. In fact, care-giving is very demanding work, I loved Grandpa so much. He was demanding, but only because he was frustrated at not getting his point across. (“Baby, Get me a Diet Coke,) When he “demanded” that, you didn’t say “hold on a minute, you did it NOW, or sooner than that) 

But no matter what, I wish I could hear my Grandpa’s voice today, but I can’t because he died July 5th, 2006 from Congestive Heart failure. I tried to keep all this in mind when Grandma needed me in October of that same year because she was diagnosed with Dementia. It was like volunteering to help people had become my “gift.” There was a lot I put aside to nurture that “gift” I loved getting to go places. I had to stick close to home because over time, Grandma couldn’t be left alone. It was sad, but the highlight of my week was getting to go to the grocery store! However, I tried not to complain because care-giving was an important job, and I had volunteered to do it. And, besides, I was one of God’s strongest soldiers. 

Well, in 2011, my care-giving days came to an end because my Grandma moved to a nursing home. I moved to Sperry to live with my friend Michelle and her family. My main question was, What do I do now God? I no longer had to get people dressed or fix meals or pay their bills, or keep them entertained. What do I do now, God? I had fun for a while. Going to eat, going shopping, going to concerts. The Oakley’s were very good to me. I saw Grandma every Friday, but I felt guilty because she was in a nursing home while I enjoyed myself. I grew bored very quickly. Having fun was great, but I wanted to contribute to society a little more. After thinking about it, I couldn’t stop helping people. I felt a little lost not having anybody to help. (I mean, I helped Michelle and her Mom around the house, but I did such a good job “helping” that Deanna couldn’t find any of her kitchen utensils after a while. 

Enter, The Little Lighthouse in Tulsa. I felt that this was an excellent place to volunteer my time. So, two days a week, Michelle and I drove to Tulsa to help kids that couldn’t help themselves. There were 8 students in the classroom I was in, each with varying degrees of disability. I LOVED it! I loved watching the children learn and grow in God’s word. None of the kids let their disabilities hold them back, and they did everything teachers asked of them with smiles on their faces. I knew right then and there, that God had called me to be a full time volunteer. Sadly, my time at LLH came to an end when I moved to Skiatook in 2013 However, it only took me a month to find something that I loved doing once again, and it was within walking distance. 

Osage Nation Headstart had never HAD volunteers. In fact, volunteers were almost unheard of. I mean, people are busy, juggling kids, jobs, sports, activities, etc. Who has time to actually HELP others without getting paid? Headstart became my home very quickly. I loved those kids like my own, and could not imagine spending the day away from them. I gradually increased my days from two-to four days a week, and again, the kids brought me absolute joy. The teachers became my friends. We were like sisters. Then, in 2020 my volunteering days came to an end when head start closed their doors. I was absolutely devastated. I knew I could always help at the church, but I wanted something that was just mine. I wanted to continue to make a difference in the lives of children. Did I cry when headstart closed? Yes, I did. I cried buckets for three days straight. But, on Monday, God told me to straighten myself up, and get back to making a difference.

So, I called Lakeview Early Learning Academy. I had seen Stephanie Spencer when she picked up kids from Head Start, and I knew she was a person that loved kids as much as I did. When I asked if she needed help, her reply was “I’ve heard good things about you Brittany, you know I would NEVER turn away your help!”  I was ecstatic! I began that volunteering journey on July 9th, 2020 After almost a year, I can truly say I LOVE volunteering at the daycare. There is nothing better than the feeling of those little kids screaming “Ms. Brittany, Ms. Brittany, as I walk in the door every morning. Those kids give me the biggest hugs and the biggest smiles. Some of the kids are challenging at times, but, often, the most challenging kids are the ones that need love the most. I’m so happy I am able to help provide that. Yes, I volunteer 5 days a week, and yes, sometimes I get tired, but I feel as if God has led me here for a reason, and I will serve Him in as many ways as possible till I no longer can. 

Peter 4:10 “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in many forms.”