Fostering Spiritual Growth

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Fostering Spiritual Growth

  • July 14, 2021
  • Posted by: Caitlin McCallum
  • Category: Wow Story
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L is a sweet, shy young lady who loves to dance, play with her dolls, and read books.  Like many other adolescents (she just turned 13) she can also be very strong willed. L is cognitively impaired with verbal communication challenges. Her parents, while satisfied with the services she was receiving at the public school, had a strong desire for her to receive a Christ-focus education like her brothers and sister.

A year ago she started attending Our Savior.  Since we only had part time LSEM services, she received only partial services, but she was blessed with an amazing classroom teacher who worked very well with L on social skills and becoming more independent. She was invited to her first friend birthday party. This year Our Savior had full time services and we were able to provide more time, being fully responsible for her reading, writing, and math. Her parents asked if there was some way she could have Christian Studies on her level, so eventually she could be confirmed. We were able to provide that for her three times a week by incorporating all of her ELA goals into every lesson.

Her parents are amazed at her spiritual growth. She goes to chapel willingly, she prays, she sings, and is a part of the Praise Team, playing her hand drum. A year ago, it was a struggle to even get her into chapel, much less participate. When her class leads chapel, she participates in that as well. Her parents report that she shares Bible Stories with the family, prays on her own without encouragement, and sings. Singing was something else she never did before this year.

Her favorite book is her Christian Studies book – A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories. She even reads it to her dolls if she has it at home, and occasionally sneaks it out of the resource room to take to her Gen Ed class. Her favorite story is “The Angels Appear to the Shepherds.”  Every time she comes to that story she sings “Angels we Have Heard on High.”  L was given an Illustrated Journaling Bible this year for her birthday. She writes the objectives of our lesson near the story, highlights key passages, and her memory verses. She very neatly colors any illustration that goes with the story. Each week she writes a prayer using a word bank and uses it to lead her family in prayer.

I am blessed that I have been able to be a part of her Christian education this year. I am so appreciative of seeing the gifts God has given her and how she uses them to praise and worship Him.

~written by Wendy Greve, LSEM teacher at Our Savior Lutheran School, Lansing, MI