My mentally disabled daughter looks up at me with those wide, knowing dark eyes of hers, expectantly, waiting for my answer.  She is ten years old but adores church; she always has.

McKenna Faith loves learning about Jesus and all the other Bible people; in addition to that, she also loves it when we sing the hymns.  Some of the songs ("How Great Thou Art" for one) touch her soul so deeply she can't help but to cry tears of joy.  

McKenna accepted Christ as her Savior when she was six.  She is ten now and loves telling others about Jesus.  In fact, that is her mission in life: to tell others of the Good News.  She may have Down syndrome, but she's able to understand about Jesus and what He did on the cross to save mankind from sin.  When she accepted Christ, it was the happiest day of her (and our) life (lives).

Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are her favorite days of the week.  The reason being: church.  As long as she can go to church, she's exhuberently happy.  She loves the children's pastor, Pastor Kim, and she loves singing in the children's choir every Wednesday and Sunday (plus choir practice, which is on Thursdays).  McKenna has made many friends at Soddy-Hill Church and everyone who knows her loves her sweet, caring spirit.

We could have felt sorry for ourselves when we found out that our oldest child was born with mental disabilities, but we believe that God made her like this for a reason; we've also come to learn that even despite her disabilities, McKenna Faith can still offer much in the way of hope to the world.  We include her in everything we do; we don't hold any secrets and are not ashamed of her at all.

God has managed to use McKenna Faith in a mighty way and we as her family feel incredibly blessed that she is our child.  I don't know what we would do without her; our world would be a much sadder place, for one thing.  It is exciting to see what God is going to do in her life and in ours; the possibilities are endless!  

Like that famous old song goes, 

"I am a promise

I am a possibility

I am a promise with a capital P!

I am a great big bundle of potentiality

And I am learning to hear God's voice,

And I am trying to make the right choice;

I am a promise to be everything God wants me to be!

I can go anywhere that He wants me to go;

I can be anything that He wants me to be;

I can climb the high mountains;

I can cross the wide sea;

I am a great big promise, you see!

I am a promise

I am a possibility

I am a promise with a capital P!

I am a great big bundle of potentiality

And I am learning to hear God's voice,

And I am trying to make a choice;

I am a promise to be everything God wants me to be!"