Mount Olive Church

Somewhere

Alvin Bueckert

Join us In Person At Our Outdoor Service

SUNDAY at 10:30 AM

Drop by the Church Library and check out our selection!

Darryl & Katie Elliot are working with SIM in Liberia, where Darryl is now the Deputy Country Director and Katie is involved in Trauma Healing groups.

Katie has recently become involved in a support group for families of children with special needs - the King’s Kids ministry. She writes:

King’s Kids

This past year, one of our SIM Liberia families had their world rocked when their daughter was born early and with a terminal diagnosis. They had planned her funeral, brought their older children in to say goodbye, and unhooked her from the machines keeping her alive. However, God had bigger plans for her life! She has opened eyes to a ministry greatly needed in Liberia, and so King’s Kids was born.

Katie has been excited to join this support group for families of children with special needs. Over and over we hear parents say, “I never knew that other children were like this, I thought it was only mine.” Other than medical professionals, there is a significant lack of education about medical causes for disabilities, like birthing complications. Sadly, mothers are often told by others that a snake entered their womb or they were cursed. When parents go out with their children in public, the child can be called names like “dragon” or “witch.” Mothers who choose to keep their disabled children are often abandoned by the fathers, and even lose the support of their own parents at times. One woman that attends our group was evicted from her home and driven out of her community because she chose to keep her child who has cerebral palsy and is also blind and deaf. Because of this discrimination, many families keep their children hidden away.

We are planning to start Trauma Healing sessions with this group next month. There will be 3-4 facilitators working together to lead this large group. The depth of trauma these families have experienced is significant, and we want to equip them to face the challenges yet to come. Please pray for these families who have given up so much to care for their children, resources are very limited for them and their children. Please pray for the facilitators as they figure out how to best run healing classes with this unique group and their unique needs. Please also pray that these families will trust God and His will for their child’s life.