Special Needs Mutual

Last May, we learned about Special Needs Mutual. It is a young men, young women program for those with disabilities. The "kids" (and I use the term loosely) range in age from 12 to about 60! Each kid is assigned a teenage "buddy" who will work with them for the year. When we heard about the program we wondered if it would be a good fit for Sierra, who struggles fitting in with her peers. Sierra started attending in May and it has been the best thing for her. There are weekly activities and once a month the kids put on a sacrament meeting for a local ward. I always bring a truckload of tissues to these meetings! The kids that attend Special Needs Mutual are amazing.

Let me just say that some very funny things happen at Special Needs mutual too. Last week I was sitting in the foyer waiting for Sierra, when a young man with Down's Syndrome came and sat down on a chair next to me. He had his "Megamind" coloring book and a pen in his hand. He immediately opened the book and started coloring very neatly in the lines with the pen. I asked him why he wasn't in the gym doing the activity with the other kids. He ignored me! I asked him the same question a couple more times and got the same response. I then asked him where his "buddy" was. He didn't even look up from his book when he said, "I don't talk to girls!" Well, that started our conversation. I found out that Jordan, is 24 years old. We talked for about 20 minutes. Our conversation ended with him pulling his cell phone (which was much nicer than mine) out of his pocket and him asking for my number! Hahaha.... So cute!

Last night we had the opportunity to attend a production of the nativity put on by the Special Needs Mutual. It was so fun. The narrator was a cute girl, who looked to be about 18. All was going well, when she said the following, "To be taxed with Mary his exposed wife, being great with child." I was silently laughing so hard :) The rest of the production went off without a hitch. At the end, 4 kids were asked to bear their testimonies. Larry, a 50+ year old, was the last one. During the production of the nativity he was a cow in the manger. He was giving a touching testimony when he ended with the following comment, "As for being a cow, it was udderly ridiculous."

Good times!