shindig meets the harkin Institute

I am back from Des Moines, and still thinking about the amazing experience I had in the short two days I was there! The Harkin Institute traveled me to Drake University as one of their authors in their Summer Book Series. Here, I got to visit 2 places:

1) ChildServe, which is a ginormous facility with amazing people who work so hard to improve the health of over 4,500 children a year through clinical, home, and community based services & programs.

The amount of services they provide here is insane. I was blown away with the amount of care and thought that went into creating a place that reached a simple mission in my mind-to love & serve children despite their differences & disabilities.
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“We offer premier services, uniquely equipped facilities, and state-of-the-art technology. Our mission is simple: We partner with families to help children with special healthcare needs live a great life. The children and young adults we serve inspire us to provide possibilities and improve quality of life in a caring environment.”

2) The Cowles Library at Drake University to read my two books, Kendall and Naomi to children, parents, and friends! This one was through The Harkin Institute (for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement) which is an amazing organization created by Senator Tom Harkin in hopes to tackle 4 important problems in our world:

Because my books focus on disability awareness, I got the unique opportunity to go down as one of the chosen authors to share my mission behind the stories as well as the books themselves! This was the Harkin’s first time putting on this event with a children’s author which is super encouraging to me because kids are our future. 

Many Thanks, Many Blessings! ​

Beyond blessed to be able to take my passions to the next level; I couldn’t have done it without the support of my mother, encouragement at TCU, and perseverance to make a positive impact on the world. I’m reading this book called Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper; a friend passed it along to me and said it was one of the most meaningful books he’s ever read. One of the things Piper talked about is how (my translation) life isn’t purpose driven when you’re scattered and you are trying to do it all. When you fall into this pattern that our culture can very much instigate, you only get to experience a level of interest that is too shallow to break surface into something deeper and more meaningful. It’s when you discover the few things that you are truly passionate about, and fully invest into them in a way that brings glory to God and life to the world that you start finding that why within yourself. It’s a work in progress each and every day, but I’m beginning to understand how to finally take what the Lord has given me to make good in the world.
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Thank you Drake University, The Harkin Institute, & ChildServe for a beautiful time in Iowa! I will never forget this trip!

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