Essay Contest Winners - Collegiate Level

Congratulations to everyone who took the time and submitted an essay for this years essay contest on Compassion and the Child with Disability.

After multiple rounds of judging we can now announce the winners. (We will be posting the full winning essays later this week.)

First Place ($1,000) - Jordan Hinahara - Madison, Wisconsin

Second Place ($500) - Michaela Gianotti - Portland, Oregon

Honorable Mention ($250) - Mark Wilhelm - Petoskey, Michigan

Honorable Mention ($250) - Jacqueline Ratkey - Shawnee, Kansas

Essay Contest Winners - High School Level

Congratulations to everyone who took the time and submitted an essay for this years essay contest on Compassion and the Child with Disability.

After multiple rounds of judging we can now announce the winners. (We will be posting the full winning essays later this week.)

First Place ($1,000) - Ashley Brewster - Westerville, Ohio

Second Place ($500) - Krista McEntire - Spanish Fork, Utah

Honorable Mention ($250) - Megan Golinski - Albany, Georgia

Honorable Mention ($250) - Naomi Satterfield - Cape Carteret, North Carolina

Essay Contest Update

I thought I would take a quick moment to update everyone on the 2008 Essay Contest.

• We received 3 times the number of essays we were expecting.
• 2/3 of those essays were sent in the final 24-36 hours.
• The top countries submitting essays:
  1. USA
  2. India
  3. Nigeria
  4. Philippines
  5. Canada
• The top states submitting essays:
  1. California
  2. Texas
  3. New York
  4. Illinois
  5. Ohio
• The top submitting city in the US was: Palo Alto, CA
• We received essays submitted from over 67 countries and states
• All the essays are now out with the first round judges

Thank you all once again for spending time thinking and writing your essays.

Tsunami of Essays

The Essay Contest is now closed

The staff here in the Oakseed office would like to thank everyone who took the time to write and submit an essay to the 2008 International Essay Contest focusing on Compassion and children with disability. It was an amazing last 24 hours, every single time we checked the submissions the number kept rising at exponential rates (Over 500 essays submitted in the final 24 hours). Right now we’ve got several desk piled high with essays getting processed and ready to be distributed to the judges.

Many of you have been emailing questions about the judging process and what the next steps are in the contest. Hopefully the following information will help.

1. April 17 - May 2 : The first round of judging takes place. Historically, about 10% of the essays make it out of the first round.
2. May 2 - May 16 : Second round of judging.
3. May 16 - May 30 : Final round of judging.
4. May 31 : Winners will be notified by email or phone and the names of the winners (as well as their essays) will be posted on this site. (www.oakseed.org)

Thank you again, and stay tuned for some exciting news.

“Step Through the Fear” and into the Lives of Children with Disabilities

Brenda Darke offers insight into the lives of children with disabilities and their families as she reflects on her experience working in this area. Here are a few quotes that stood out to me as I listened to the interview.

“The scriptures are actually full of God’s heart for people with disabilities, even though there is a lot of misunderstanding on this issue. But one thing that I always call people’s attention to is Luke 14. Where there is Jesus teaching how to include people with disabilities in His kingdom. He goes out of his way and crosses barriers that other people are not prepared to cross. He teaches us in practice and by his word… that we should be including them in our church.”

“The statistics are that the situation of children with disabilities living in developing countries is always much worse. There are more children growing up in disadvantaged situations, in countries that are being developed, mostly related to high levels of poverty. If a child is born into a family in Latin America, they do not have the kind of support that might be available in countries in Europe, for instance. Even if the family is a middle class family or fairly well-to-do, there is such a drain on the resources that this family too becomes poor.”

“Huge, huge poverty actually provokes many disabilities in children because of poor antenatal care, poor diet, there are many birth accidents. They actually acquire disabilities directly because of their situation of poverty.”

“We just have to step through the fear and just begin by getting to know some children with disabilities and their families… we need to get along side them and begin to dialogue with the family.”

“I think [children with disabilities] teach us about ourselves. I think there is actually a spiritual issue in recognizing that the child with the disability is really no different. We may start off thinking, ‘Oh we are going to be able to do so much to help them and give them so much.’ But in my experience, we are usually the people who gain.”

Listen to the entire podcast for more from Brenda Darke.

Podcast Interview with Brenda Darke

The Fastest Man with no Legs.

Oscar Pistorious has worn prosthetic legs since he was 11 months old. Born without a fibula in either leg, his legs were amputated just below his knees. But not having natural legs did not stop Pistorious from using his body to compete. Last May, he won three gold medals in the Paralympics for 100 m, 200 m, and 400 m events. Those are only a few of his accomplishment as a competitive runner. You can’t stop a born athlete. Not even a ban on his participation in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing can break Pistorious’ determination.

In January 2008, the International Associations of Athletic Federations, which governs athletics internationally, said that Pistorious had an unfair advantage over athletes without prosthetic limbs. After a series of tests examining the difference between a leg and the carbon-fibre prosthetic legs used by Pistorious, the IAAF stated that the limbs prevented Pistorious from expending the same amount of energy other athletes expend competing in the same events.

Pistorious has appealed the ruling and still hopes to compete in the Olympics. But even if the final answer is no, he will continue to race in other events. He refuses to let the ruling break his spirits or his commitment to running.
In the words of Pistorious, “You’re not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have.”

Watch a news clip covering the IAAF desicion.

Creating a Masterpiece.

The more I am reading about disabilities, the more I am discovering that there are so many ways that those with disabilities contribute to life’s splendor.

I often find myself wondering about my gifts and searching for places that I will be used fully. But I think that many times I am blind to who I am. As I was reading today about people with disabilities, I stumbled across an article about students with Down syndrome, who have created paintings that are being showcased around the world. These students are not unlike me, in that they too search for things that they are good at. They found their answer in art.

The word masterpiece keeps rolling around in my head. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (NLT) We are God’s masterpieces. He knitted us together and fashioned each one of us with unique gifts. He crafted us with care, like these students create their paintings. He placed an ability to create beautiful art in these students. He gives each one of us different abilities; for these students it is the ability to create beautiful art. For me it is something else. But we are all the same in that we are all masterpieces. And not just anyone’s masterpiece. But the Creator of the Universe’s masterpiece. We must be quite breathtaking.

Look at these photos and see the beauty that flows forth. Think about the magnificence that God created in these people’s lives. He has done that in your life too. Just open your eyes to it.

 

Read the article at: http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=893473

2008 Essay Contest

“Compassion and the Child with Disabilities”

Students around the world are invited to participate in the fourth annual Oakseed Ministries essay contest. In 2008, the essay contest will bring attention to children with disabilities worldwide, through the topic of compassion and children with disabilities.

Fact.About 650 million people live with a disability in the world, 80 percent of those live in developing countries.

Fact.Ninety percent of children with disabilities living in developing countries do not attend school.

Fact.The issues facing children with disabilities in the world are often overlooked.

Fact.Your voice matters.

This year, you will have the opportunity to engage in learning more about conditions facing children with disabilities and to reflect on those issues by addressing one of seven different essay subtopics. The essay subtopics are available under Essay Contest Guidelines.

The deadline for the essay contest is April 15, 2008. A first place of $1,000 will be awarded.

The essay contest is a part of a yearlong effort to raise awareness of this issue and will culminate in the Annual Day of Prayer for Children at Risk on June 1, 2008.

- ≠ < (different doesn’t equal less than)

Abortion has long been a hot button in politics. Questions surround the topic. Is abortion is right? Should women have the right to choose what they will do with their bodies? Should unborn children have the right to life? When does a child have a soul? It almost seems as if people neglect to consider the repercussions for even having the conversation to begin with.

I just read an article called British Politicians told: Disabled Children Better Off Aborted. The title says it all. The issue here isn’t whether abortion is fundamentally wrong or right. It is about the stigma that surrounds people born with disabilities. Why are they better off aborted? Because they will have challenges that other people will never have to face? Because they will be different than the rest of the world? Because they have nothing to offer society? Because they are too weak to overcome obstacles? These are the messages that are being sent when people say that children who are born with disabilities are better off not born at all. It sends a message of hopelessness and unworthiness. No wonder people fear being different. We live in a world that says that if you are different, you are no good. Imagine the effect that has on children that are born with disabilities. Imagine if someone said to you,even though you were given life, others like you are really more trouble than they are worth.

We need to hold onto truth more firmly than that. God has uniquely fashioned everyone on this earth, with their own set of difficulties and strengths, and has a plan to use those things for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. Be bold and claim truth over peoples’ lives and the world will be changed by it. And maybe one day, children won’t be aborted simply because they are different.

Diminishing Fears

These days, more and more expectant parents use testing to determine what genetic defects might affect their child. When parents are told that their child is likely to have Down syndrome, 91-93% of parents choose to end their pregnancies in abortion. Thinking about the reasons that such an astounding statistic exists, it seems likely that fear is a factor that drives parents in that direction.

After reading the article: Son’s Progress Inspires Parents I got a clearer picture of what it is that parents fear when facing the thought of having a child with Down syndrome. The article tells the story of a couple’s journey through preparing for their child’s anticipated disability. Their fears were many; fears that their son wouldn’t be accepted, that he wouldn’t be joyfully welcomed into the world, that he wouldn’t have the same achievements as others.

During the pregnancy, the couple went through a mourning period. They really were mourning a death of sorts—the death of the dreams that they had for their child. In the Beatitudes, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) Because of the fall, we have things to mourn over. Because our freedom in Christ and understanding of His redemptive purpose of our lives, we have freedom to mourn the things that are broken. That includes broken dreams. And so, these parents mourned.

Then their child was born, and they rejoiced. Since then, their fears have evaporated as their son is invited to parties and develops his motor skills. They took a chance on their son, a chance that only 7-9% of similar parents take.

What can be done to encourage more parents to embrace a child with Down syndrome? Maybe more testimonies from parents of children with Down syndrome would help debunk the fears that people have about having a child with a disability. There must be a way to eliminate the statistic. We need to find it.

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