To God Be the Glory!

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To God Be the Glory!

  • May 20, 2020
  • Posted by: Caitlin McCallum
  • Category: Wow Story
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We are honored to share this incredible testimony from Bill & Kristi Wangelin. Their daughter Lydia has been able to attend Our Savior Lutheran School alongside her siblings for the first time with the help and support of LSEM and OSL.

“Our twelve-year-old daughter Lydia has Down syndrome. She has received intervention for her physical and intellectual development since she was two months old, and our family was blessed by two wonderful public school districts over the years.

Exactly one year ago, God began to open doors for Lydia to enter 5th grade at Our Savior Lutheran School in Lansing for the 2019-2020 school year. We knew it could be a tremendous blessing to have her there and join her three siblings already attending OSL. We trusted that God would work mighty things not just in Lydia’s life, but in the lives of her schoolmates.

There was immense support and encouragement from administration, faculty, parents, and students. Fall 2019 was filled with anticipation and lots of prayers, hoping that Lydia could make a good adjustment and that her mainstream teachers, LSEM teachers, and other support staff and volunteers would all think that Lydia was able to succeed at OSL.

The Fall had some bumps as Lydia adjusted, but everyone thought Lydia was in the right place. This year she experienced her first Christian Christmas program in school, participation in the school’s Pee Wee basketball program, her first friend’s birthday party, class daily devotions, weekly school chapel, and the immeasurable pouring in of love, support, encouragement, and challenge from her OSL and LSEM family.

We have seen so much growth in our daughter. For the first time, she seemed comfortable in church. She sang worship songs at the front of the congregation with the school. My daughter, who never went up front for children’s messages, sang in front of church multiple times this year. She participates in church services now, reciting the creeds, singing the songs, praying out loud to her Heavenly Father. A couple weeks after Easter, she looked right at my husband and me and said “Christ is risen!” in her beautifully mustered attempt at clarity. Thank you, Jesus.

This spring her 5th grade class worked on Science experiments. With the help of her dad, Lydia was able to complete her first school Science project about “What happens when we mix colors?” She mixed paint, recorded data, and made a very short video presentation summarizing her findings. She was so proud of her work!

Lydia has grown tremendously this year, and even with the unexpected transition to online learning because of COVID-19, she has continued to learn and progress academically. She meets with her LSEM teachers both in live and recorded online formats each week, and she still participates in her mainstream classroom activities in appropriate ways for her ability. It is our firm belief that she has been able to adjust to all the changes this spring because of the amazing education and care she has received at OSL this year. Her LSEM teachers have been an integral piece of her ability to attend OSL and thrive in an exciting way. To God be the glory!”