This father was interviewed for an article titled, “Why Down Syndrome Is on the Decline,” in TIME Magazine’s Heartland Internet Edition. It started out being a story of the truth about being the parent of a child with DS. It was a story of good and how they celebrated their son’s life. Just as it should be! Then came the following clip…

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“In the Feb. 27 issue of TIME Magazine, we take a look at the difficult decisions that are playing out every day in this country as parents grapple — many of them during early pregnancy — with a diagnosis of Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal condition. The number of babies born with Down syndrome has been shrinking for at least two decades, and new, non-invasive prenatal blood tests that can be administered as early as 10 weeks — long before a woman even looks pregnant — have the potential to diminish their ranks further.”
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My first thought was, “What is the difficult decision?” Next I thought, “How will a blood test ‘diminish their ranks?’” Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! This article moved from celebrating the life of a beautiful boy with DS to talking about reducing the number of babies born with DS through abortion. Seriously!? I want to throw up!

It infuriates me how laissez-faire people have become about murdering children… especially the ones who are only being killed because they will be “different” from what the parents were expecting. Let’s be honest… raising a child isn’t easy regardless. And raising a child with special needs does have an extra set of challenges. But does that validate the argument that the child doesn’t deserve the chance to live? Does that mean that the life of someone with Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida or any other form of disability isn’t worth living? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

I have placed the link to this article at the end of this post if any of you would like to read it. If you do choose to read it, go into it knowing that it isn’t going to be a warm & fuzzy celebration of life. It is all about a “difficult choice” that shouldn’t even be a choice. I know that sin is rampant in the world today, but do we really need to add to it at the cost of innocent life? I guess so…

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/17/why-down-syndrome-is-on-the-decline/

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Dear concerned respondent to the DSM-5 Autism proposal:

Thank you for contacting the American Psychiatric Association with your thoughts about the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) proposed for DSM-5. We at APA have been and will continue to be advocates for a full range of services for people with autism and all other neurodevelopmental disorders. We understand the devastating impact that discontinuation of services can have on patients and families. We also recognize that services are determined not just by a diagnosis but also by the severity of symptoms and needs in areas such as education, social skills, activities of daily living, and maintaining personal safety. Even if an individual’s diagnosis changes, this does not invalidate the treatments and other services that have worked for him/her, and these services should be continued based on need.

The new proposed criteria for ASD in the DSM are intended to improve the accuracy of diagnosing the disorders currently known as autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. The proposal is based on years of accumulated clinical, epidemiological, and neuroscience research which was thoroughly examined by the members of the DSM-5 work group on Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Most of the work group members are also clinicians who see patients with these disorders, and the proposal was developed with clinicians and their patients in mind.

There are clinical and scientific reasons for improving the accuracy of diagnoses. All patients should have an accurate diagnosis based on the most up-to-date clinical and scientific knowledge available. A more accurate diagnosis will help clinicians and other service providers target available treatments and rehabilitation methods for their patients. In addition, it is important to note that patients whose symptoms no longer meet diagnostic criteria for the DSM-5 ASD diagnosis will very likely meet the criteria for one or more other diagnoses-for example, a communication disorder, for which interventions are available. From a scientific standpoint, more accurate diagnoses will also help guide research into the causes of the neurodevelopmental disorders and the development of new treatments. An informative article written by a work group member, Dr. Francesca Happé, on the changes to Asperger’s disorder can be found on the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative website: http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/viewpoint/2011/why-fold-asperger-syndrome-into-autism-spectrum-disorder-in-the-dsm-5.

We are hopeful that continuing advances in research, diagnosis and treatment will help us devise better ways to treat autism and to reduce the devastating effect it has on individuals and families. We invite you to visit the DSM-5 Web site at www.dsm5.org where further information on ASD is available under the “Proposed Revisions” tab. This Web site will be revised and opened for public comment for a third a final time late this spring. Once again, thank you for your input.

David Kupfer, M.D.
Chair, DSM-5 Task Force

Darrel Regier, M.D., M.P.H.
Vice-Chair, DSM-5 Task Force

In every support letter or email I write, I ask for prayer first and foremost. Yes, I do ask for (and have a great need for) financial resources and volunteers as well, but prayer is always my first and most desperate need. In talking with several people on this subject recently, I am finding out that many people read this request for prayer as an obligatory “have to” that precedes the “ask” for money. This breaks my heart… and I’m sure it breaks God’s heart too.

As a missionary and as a child of the Most High God, I need people to pray for me. I need people to pray for Mark 2 Ministries. I need people to pray for all of the employees of Mark 2 Ministries, in the U.S. and internationally. I need people to pray for the congregations we serve. I need people to pray for people affected by disability and their families around the world.

What do you say? Can I count on you for prayer?

I’d love to know your thoughts on this subject as well…

Aaron

I had lunch with a friend and colleague today who is just such a guy. He works professionally in the IT field and is the volunteer director for the disability ministry at his church. We get together for lunch about once a month to talk about life, ministry, websites, God, and family. I thought today was going to be another such lunch, but it turned into something totally different than expected… and much cooler!

We started talking about ways to increase Mark 2’s “brand presence” in the tech world. He went into techie mode and outlined a course of action that he felt I should take. It was great! One major thing we talked about was me, as the voice of Mark 2, getting out there and letting people here what I have to say… and that means, among other things, blog writing.

For the few of you who read and follow this blog, you know that I don’t update it very often. Most of the blogs I “write” are nothing more than the monthly prayer letter that I copy and paste into WordPress.  I’ll occasionally throw something out there about an event that happened or something that catches my eye, but I’ve never really felt comfortable write blog posts. It’s time for me to come clean – this is because I feel inadequate, unqualified, and completely inept at conveying my heart and love for people with disabilities and my knowledge about disability ministry. I read blogs put out by colleagues and they are amazing! One is a child psychiatrist who writes in an eloquent, informative, authoritative and appropriately technical way. I love reading his blog posts because I always learn SO much from each one. Others are Special Educators and/or parents of kids with disabilities who share classroom strategies, personal experiences, advice on coping skills, advocacy strategies and the like. None of which I have or feel qualified to talk about. I would tell myself often that no one wants to hear what I have to say because I’m new in the field, have no formal education in the area of disabilities, and have no kids in general let alone ones with disabilities. So what can I talk about that is of any relevance that someone else would want to spend time reading?

My friend said something to me that I have a feeling will stick with me for quite a while. He said that if he wanted to read an educational blog written by a doctor, he would. If he wanted to read a blog written by a parent, he would. He said that, while he is interested in the other types of blogs too, what he really wants is to read about a guy who loves people with every ounce of humanity in him and who burns with a passion for helping people with disabilities learn about Jesus. He said that I have a voice worth hearing, and that I should let it be heard.

So… here is the first installment. This is me letting my voice out. My inadequate, unqualified, inept voice. Yet also my voice filled with intense love and passion for all of God’s creation. I hope that reading this stirs something inside you. I hope that reading this causes you to search your heart and to face your fears. I hope that reading this causes you to take action and put your feet to the ground for the glory of God.

Here’s to a voice worth hearing…

I pray that you all had an amazing Thanksgiving and that it was filled gratitude for all the Lord has done in your lives. Now, we are in an even more exciting time of year as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior. It seems that the month of December is always jam packed with parties, food and fellowship… just as it should be! But I pray that each of you also takes the time throughout the month to read and reflect on the stories of Jesus’ birth as written in Matthew 1: 18-25, Luke 2: 1-20 and John 1: 1-18 to help keep perspective on the true meaning of Christmas. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in the busy-ness of December and forget why we’re busy. I know I strive to make Christmas more about His presence than my presents. I pray the same for you!

This time of year is also viewed as the “Season of Giving.” God gave us the gift of Christ as our atoning sacrifice, the Magi gave Jesus gifts to honor Him and we give gifts to each other as a celebration of this. I would like to offer a few avenues for you to prayerfully consider giving gifts of your time, talents and treasures during this Christmas season and all year long…

** We have been invited to share our ministry for the first time with churches in Panama. We currently have no presence in that country. Praise God for opening this door!

** We are looking to expand local ministry opportunities to include more of an outreach focus. This will follow our model of partnering with churches and move them outside of the walls of their buildings and into our communities to love on people with disabilities.

** We are working with a production facility in Guatemala to coordinate a wheelchair distribution in El Salvador for early 2012.

** We have begun production of printed materials to help educate churches without current disability ministries of the need for inclusion, acceptance and love for people of all ability levels.

** We have a need for volunteers to help with everything from respite events to church database management.

** We have started a prayer ministry. This email-based ministry is a way for us to pray for you, our ministry friends, and to give you an avenue to pray for us. We are also looking for a person to administer this ministry.

All of these opportunities require prayer, money and effort. Are you able to give one or more to help sustain and also grow our ministry to people with disabilities? Please pray about which opportunities you’d like to support and at what level.

I would love to answer any questions you may have about these and other opportunities as well as help you get plugged in. Feel free to email me at aaron@mark2ministries.org for more information.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Aaron

We are partnering with Northview Church in Carmel, IN for another FREE Afternoon Away respite event! I hope that this one will be even bigger and better than the last one… which was amazing!

The date for the upcoming respite is Sunday, December 11th from 2-5pm. I am asking for at least 30 volunteers. This will allow us to open enrollment to the general public and increase the scope of blessing beyond the walls of the Northview family.

There are 4 ways you can help…

1. Volunteer as a Buddy for the event. Remember… I need 30 peeps for this one!

2. Volunteer to help plan and arrange the event. This includes gift card solicitation from local restaurants, purchasing crafts from Hobby Lobby, purchasing snacks / drinks from Wal-Mart, helping to develop station ideas, etc.

3. Donate money to Mark 2 Ministries to help pay for everything required for the event.

4. If you know of someone who would be interested in helping… or at least getting more info… please give them my contact info. I’d love to talk to them!

** MOST IMPORTANTLY ** I will ask that each of you help in the most vital way… please pray for this event. Please pray for me, Shanna, Rebecca, the parents and kids who will be attending, the volunteers who will be helping – no matter how big or small their contribution, and the community organizations that we are asking to partner with us.

I know that this will be the most amazing respite to date… and it wouldn’t happen without you!

Thanks and I love ya!

Aaron
aaron@mar2ministries.org
317-777-8070

As this is the first prayer letter / ministry newsletter I have ever written, I have given much prayer and thought to how it should go. My thoughts started with introducing myself to you and asking for time with each of you so we can get to know each other. Then, I thought that I would discuss some things that are coming up in the near future for the ministry. While both of these are important (and they will happen soon), I feel the Lord pulling my focus for this letter in a different direction.

I feel it is vitally important for each of us to thank Steve and Debbie for their massive contributions to Mark 2 and to pray for them in their new life’s endeavors – whatever direction the Lord may take them. I know that many of you are personal friends of Steve and Debbie’s so you may already be doing this… and thank you! If not, I ask you to add them to your prayer list and touch base with them through a phone call or email if you can.

Steve and Debbie have given over a quarter of a century to building Mark 2 to where it is today. This is to be celebrated and honored. Mark 2 is an amazing ministry that helps people with disabilities in the U.S. and also eight (8) different countries throughout Latin America and Europe to learn about and love the Gospel of Christ. It took a huge amount of faith for Steve to start and continue with the ministry and to grow with it along the way. Steve’s vision and mission for Mark 2 are a solid calling from God and will continue to be the focal point of Mark 2 in the years to come.

I know that I will never be able to fill Steve’s “shoes” as I begin in my leading of the ministry. He has such a deep level of knowledge and experience that it would be impossible to try. I imagine I feel a lot like Joshua did as he assumed the leadership of the Israelites after Moses. How could he live up to all that Moses had done and accomplished? He couldn’t! But the Lord was with him through the journey, guiding his path. In Joshua 1:5-6, the Word says, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people…” Please continue to pray for God’s blessing upon Mark 2 Ministries and ask Him to always be at my side as I lead it for His glory and honor.

I will end this letter with a bit of Scripture directed at Steve – thanking him for his years of tireless and faithful service to Mark 2 Ministries, to our friends of all ability levels, to our friends within church congregations around the globe, and to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:21

All my love in the Lord,
Aaron Scheffler

Aaron

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT

Voleine Amilcar, ITVS 415-356-8383 x 244 voleine_amilcar@itvs.org

Mary Lugo 770-623-8190 lugo@negia.net

Cara White 843-881-1480 cara.white@mac.com

For downloadable images, visit http://pressroom.pbs.org

LIVES WORTH LIVING Premieres on the PBS Series INDEPENDENT LENS

Thursday, October 27 at 10 PM During

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Powerful Documentary Chronicles the History of America’s Disability Rights Movement

While there are over 54 million Americans living with disabilities, Lives Worth Living is the first television history of their decades-long struggle for equal rights. Produced and directed by Eric Neudel, Lives Worth Living is a window into a world inhabited by people with an unwavering determination to live their lives like everyone else, and a look back into a past when millions of Americans lived without access to schools, employment, apartment buildings, and public transportation – a way of life unimaginable today. Lives Worth Living premieres on the Emmy(r) Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 10 PM (check local listings) to coincide with National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Lives Worth Living traces the development of the disability rights movement from its beginning following World War II, when thousands of disabled veterans returned home, through its burgeoning in the 1960s and 1970s, when it began to adopt the tactics of other social movements. Told through interviews with the movement’s pioneers, legislators, and others, Lives Worth Living explores how Americans with a wide variety of disabilities – including blind, deaf, physical, intellectual and psychiatric – banded together to change public perception and policy. Through demonstrations and legislative battles, the disability rights community finally secured equal civil rights with the 1990 passage and signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the most transformative pieces of civil rights legislation in American history.

To learn more about the film, and the issues involved, visit the film’s companion website at www.pbs.org/independentlens/. Get detailed information on the film, watch preview clips, read an interview with the filmmaker, and explore the subject in depth with links and resources. The site also features a Talkback section, where viewers can share their ideas and opinions.

About the Participants, in Order of Appearance

Fred Fay, early leader in the disability rights movement (1944 – 2011)

Ann Ford, director of the Illinois National Council on Independent Living

Judy Heumann, leading disability rights activist, Co-Founder of World Institute on Disability

Judi Chamberlin, Mental Patients Liberation Front, a movement for the rights and dignity of people with mental illness (1944-2010)

Dr. William Bronston, former staff physician at the notorious Willowbrook State School who was dismissed after agitating for change

Bob Kafka, established ADAPT of Texas, a disability rights advocacy organization

Zona Roberts, counselor, UC Berkeley’s Physically Disabled Students’ Program and Center for Independent Living, Berkeley; mother of disability rights pioneer Ed Roberts

Pat Wright, Former Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

John Wodatch, Former Chief, Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division, U. S. Department of Justice

Jack Duncan, Former Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives

Mary Jane Owen, disability rights activist, philosopher, policy expert, and writer

Marca Bristo, CEO, Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, former chair of the National Council on Disability, and leader in the disability rights movement

Michael Winter, Former director, Berkeley Center for Independent Living

Lex Frieden, Former director, National Council on the Handicapped (now National Council on Disability)

Dr. I. King Jordan, President Emeritus, Gallaudet University

Jeff Rosen, alumni leader, Gallaudet University

Senator Tom Harkin, (D-Iowa), co-author of the ADA

Bobby Silverstein, Former Chief Counsel, Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy

Richard Thornburgh, U.S. Attorney General, 1988-1991

Tony Coelho, Former Congressman (D-California), House Majority Whip, 1986-1989, author of the ADA

Justin Dart, leader in the disability rights movement (1930 – 2002)

About the Filmmaker

Eric Neudel (Producer/Director) has produced, directed, and edited numerous award-winning films for public television. His many credits include Eyes on the Prize, AIDS: Chapter One, LBJ Goes to War, Tet 1968, Steps, After the Crash, The Philippines and The US: In Our Image, Body and Soul, and more. He was a visiting senior critic and lecturer in film at Yale University and served as producer, director, and editor for Harvard University’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and Spectrum Media’s program series on the art and craft of teaching. Neudel was also a photographer and video production consultant, teaching video production to a team working for the Compass Project in Malawi. Photographs from his two years in Malawi were exhibited in the Sandra and Phillip Gordon Gallery at The Boston Arts Academy in October 2007.

He also served as story consultant for Row Hard No Excuses, an award-winning documentary about two middle aged American men who set out to cross the Atlantic in a rowboat. Most recently he served as a photographer in Rwanda for The Boston Globe, where he directed, produced, and edited a companion documentary about the Maranyundo Middle School, which was built on the site of one of the worst concentration camps and killing fields in Rwanda.

About Independent Lens

Independent Lens is an Emmy(r) Award-winning weekly series airing Thursday nights at 10 PM on PBS. The acclaimed anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of their independent producers. Independent Lens features unforgettable stories about a unique individual, community or moment in history. Presented by the Independent Television Service (ITVS), the series is supported by interactive companion websites and national publicity and community engagement campaigns. Further information about the series is available at www.pbs.org/independentlens. Independent Lens is jointly curated by ITVS and PBS; it is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding provided by PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts. The series producer is Lois Vossen.

Over the past 26 years, Mark 2 Ministries has focused on doing whatever we could to bring individuals who are Deaf, Blind, Physically Disabled, and Mentally Impaired (and their families) into relationship with God.

We’ve prayed, distributed thousands of wheelchairs, had everything from one on one Bible studies to large group church training workshops. We’ve been blessed to see literally thousands of folks come to faith in Jesus Christ and subsequently integrated into local churches – not only here in Indiana, but in countries as far off as Ukraine, Argentina, El Salvador, Mexico, Spain, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

Mark 2 Ministries has only been able to accomplish this with the dedication and hard work of volunteers and churches who are committed to the vision of Mark 2:1-5 (bringing our FRIENDS with disabilities to Jesus Christ.)

Mark 2 Ministries plans to CONTINUE with this same whole-hearted dedication in the months and years to come. However, Mark 2 Ministries will continue without me at the helm. I have taken Mark 2 Ministries as far as I can – done everything I could to bring it to this point – and now it is time for me to step aside and pass on the torch to someone else.

For the past 15 months, Aaron Scheffler has been “groomed” to take over as the next generation leader for Mark 2 Ministries. He’s a dedicated man of God who has the full support of the board of directors (myself included) to lead Mark 2 Ministries into the future. He’s energetic, fully in love with Jesus Christ, and passionate about integrating people with disabilities into local churches.

Please do whatever you can to both prayerfully and financially support the work Aaron is doing with Mark 2 Ministries. I plan to do so with my prayers and finances – and humbly ask you to do the same.

For those who have faithfully stood with me over the past 26 years – THANK YOU. Your support has not gone unnoticed. I am humbled by your generosity, and thank God daily for you. It has been a blessing serving alongside you in this ministry.

Most sincerely and with God’s blessing,

Steve Boles

Sorry I’m late with this letter …I’ve not been on vacation – I was just a wee bit pre-occupied. Just a few days ago I was honored to officiate my daughter’s wedding as she married a wonderful young man, Noah Debaun. The ceremony and reception were fantastic, and I know they will be blessed by the Lord as they grow together in their new life together. Congratulations, Sara. I love you !!!

Now – on to Mark 2 Ministries’ “stuff.”

I had the chance to share the gospel with a few Deaf friends of mine the other day. I’m amazed at how simple the message of Jesus Christ is, yet how many people misconstrue it into something we have to “do” in order to be accepted by God. I told them that it is ONLY through faith in the work He did for us on the cross that we are able to enter into a relationship with God the Father. Neither of them seemed to fully grasp this message of grace. So please be in prayer for them as the Holy Spirit works in their lives to show them the Truth.

Amorina, our lead staff person in Argentina for Mark 2 Ministries, is experiencing increased physical pain in her joints and muscles. There’s a long medical word for the problems she is facing – and an even longer set of symptoms she faces on a daily basis. Please, please, please – be in prayer for her. She loves the Lord so much, is committed to training churches throughout her country to reach folks with disabilities for Christ – yet is frustrated by her limited ability to be mobile at this point in her life. We are trusting that God will show her (and us) a solution to her physical problems, or the grace the bear up under them.

Aaron, our Indiana area director for Mark 2 Ministries, has done an outstanding job connecting with individuals and churches the past several months. If you, or your church, would like to take disability ministry to the next level, please contact him soon. He has the knowledge, the passion, and the tools you need in order to reach those with disabilities (and their families) for Jesus Christ. Great job, Aaron!

Finally, I would ask for your prayers for the Mark 2 Ministries’ Board of Directors. We are working on re-organizing some key responsibilities in order to be more effective with the resources God has entrusted to us so that the vision God has given us will become a reality – that churches will be Christ-honoring as they reach out to INCLUDE those with disabilities for the sake of the gospel. Not sure what those changes are going to look like, but am trusting God to take the lead as we pray, discuss, and plan in the weeks and months to follow.

Blessings to you for your continued interest and support of this vital work here in the Indianapolis area, as well as several countries where God has led us throughout the world!

Serving Christ with you in disability ministry,

Steve Boles
Executive Director

P.S. Please remember Mark 2 Ministries in your financial giving budget. We are dependent on God to use folks like you to help us share the good news of Jesus with those who are Deaf, Blind, Physically Disabled, and Mentally Impaired. Thanks so much!