Introducing: Family Bridge Initiative
Laughing Child International is excited to introduce the Family Bridge Initiative in Mexico City. Before I describe the ministry, I would like to briefly explain how we discerned this to be God’s direction for the continuation of our outreach to children, and their families, living with terminal diseases in Mexico.
Our forward movement has been informed by the profound lessons learned through years of directing programs for terminally-ill kids and their families. These important lessons were learned in the context of building meaningful relationships with the children and families we serve, as well as with the leadership of our partner ministries.
Admittedly, I did not know what I was doing when I started Camp Laughing Child in the mountains of Mexico so many years ago. I was only sure of God’s calling on my life and of His love for those to which He had called me. It was perhaps a blurred mixture of faith and audacity to pioneer a work for which there was no model. God’s immeasurable grace filled many wide gaps between my feeble abilities and the beautiful ministry that He would build. There was a tremendous learning curve to say the least. I was wrong to assume that parents would “send” their sick kids to some camp in the middle of a forest. However, they did reluctantly agree to accompany them. Kids camp became family camp. I was wrong again to think that our campers would be just the parent/guardian and the child facing a terminal disease. Any and every sibling had to be included. This necessary expansion to family camp adventures came as a complete surprise to me. Little did I know that it was God’s perfect intention for us to reach whole families at Camp Laughing Child. Now I cannot imagine having done it any other way.
Our very specific ministry directive moving forward from camp comes from one of these unexpected lessons. We discovered that intense needs exist between the parent/guardian and the healthy sibling(s) of the terminally-ill child. It was heartbreaking to find that the healthy siblings often felt less loved than their sick brother or sister. Their valid needs for nurture become overshadowed by the attention required by their sibling living with an illness. Sadly, mothers reported hearing their healthy kids say in desperation, “I wish I was the sick one”. One sweet boy, seeing how well his HIV+ brother was treated, said: “Sometimes I wish I had the virus.” These exhausted parent/guardians inadvertently place the requirements of the sick child above the care and nurture of the healthy sibling(s). We identified and developed a specific ministry of building “bridges” of love and understanding between the healthy sibling and their parent/guardian. We became deliberate about creating bonding moments for them. It was truly one of the most meaningful ministries at camp. These all-too-common experiences convinced us that we have an important role to play in providing healing and bond-building opportunities for these stressed families.
Our ministry will focus on enriching the relationships between healthy sibling(s) and their parent/guardians. Most importantly, we will seek to build bridges of reconciliation to Loving Lord Jesus. We believe that their Christ-centered reconciliation will transform the entire household (including the life of the terminally-ill child).
Thank you so much for standing with Laughing Child through this most unusual year. We are beyond eager for the Covid-dust to settle in Mexico for the implementation of this exciting new initiative. Please pray for us as we continue to work with our Mexican partners. We longingly anticipate regaining access to serve these precious families. Please pray that the right Christian counsellors will be chosen and that God will add His anointing to our training together. We currently have in mind and heart a wonderful, over-qualified person, who may be willing to assist us in coordinating this ministry in Mexico City. Please pray that we all discern clearly the steps forward as we are slowly given permission to take them. The lasting relationships that we have built make this new ministry a seamless continuation of the beautiful work which God has done through Camp Laughing Child. I praise Him and thank you for making it happen.
Much Love,
shane
