LifeTIMES
A monthly ministry of Lord of Life Lutheran Church of Maple Grove, Minnesota
May 2013
A Sanctuary for Those in Need
by Pastor Todd Buegler Moonie squealed. Loudly. It was a sound I’d never heard her make before. It was a sound of excitement and joy. Moonie is a young woman with profound developmental disabilities who lives at Westhaven Children’s Home in Jamaica. Her real name is Tamieka, but she is called Moonie because of her smile—it lights up a room. Moonie’s disabilities don’t allow her to leave her bed (see photo above); she has spent her whole life horizontal. And she is non-verbal. She cannot communicate with speech. Instead, she communicates with her eyes and her smile. Cottage #5 was finally complete. After 8 years of construction (things in Jamaica move at their own pace, and when construction only happens when volunteers are there, that pace slows even more), the cottage was finally ready. Lord of Life’s team worked hard to complete the house. We had hoped to move the girls on Wednesday, but it wasn’t ready early enough to make it happen. So our team gathered outside the new home, prayed, and dedicated the home to be
a place of God’s love, joy and grace. The next day—the team’s day off—they returned to complete the job. With deep joy, the girls crossed from their old cottage into the new. There was laughter, smiles, and even dancing. The team escorted those who could walk, rolled wheelchairs, and with a team member on each corner of the bed, picked up and moved the bedridden to their new space. When Moonie was set down, and told that this was her new room, her face lit up, and she squealed. Loudly. I’ve known Moonie for 14 years, and I’ve never heard her make that (Continues on page 7)
May 2013 “For me to live is Christ” Philippians 1:21a