To See A Miracle

Brendon's Story- Finding Love

Grandma turned around to face me as we drove into the camp's parking lot.  Smiling, she said, "Ok, Brendon, we're here!  Are you excited?"

"Yes," I said simply. "but I'm not a baby, Grandma.  I'll be fine."

Grandma assured me, "Of course you will be!  Just remember, I'll come back and pick you up anytime you need me to.  Just have a counselor call me."

I sighed and reached for the door handle.  My hand never quite could push the button in enough to make the door slide open.  It wasn't because my hands were too short, though.  My hands were long enough, I just couldn't always make them do what I wanted.

I strained trying to open the door.  My anger started to flare as I couldn't.  I started huffing, "I just can't do it!"

It took forever for Grandma to notice what I was doing.  Why wasn't she helping me?  She knows I can't open this door on my own.  Finally, she came around and as slowly as she possibly could, pulled it open.

Free, I hopped down and grabbed my suitcase and pillow.  Grandma didn't think I should even pack, but that's just because she doesn't believe in me.  She's constantly worrying that she needs to come pick me up.  Last year she brought me home every single afternoon.  That just made the other boys say worse things. 

Gathering my courage, I walked with my things over to the boy's dorm.  A carpet ball game was set up in front of the building, so as often as allowed, boys could be heard yelling at eachother while playing a lively game.  Taking a deep breath, I climbed the steps.  Maybe this year it could be different. 

I kept nervously glancing back at Brendon.  He'd been quiet the whole ride to camp, but that wasn't unusual.  When I finally pulled to a stop, I thought carefully before saying my words.  "Ok, Brendon, we're here! Are you excited?"

He looked at me disinterested and replied, "Yes, but I'm not a baby, Grandma. I'll be fine."

I hurried to reassure him, "Of course you will be! Just remember, I'll come back and pick you up anytime you need me to. Just have a counselor call me." 

Brendon had never made it through a full week of camp.  I normally had to come pick him up sometime in the afternoon because he was being too much of a problem for the counselors.  It wasn't really his fault, though.  Brendon was diagnosed with autism at a very young age.  It was hard to put him in public places because others didn't know how to react to his behavior.  

This year, I had been informed that there are three people who would be working with him.  Two of them were a married couple who both worked with tramatic children.  The third was a teenage girl.  My hope is that this year he might make it all the way through.

Oh my goodness this is hilarious!  Samantha and I kept giggling every time we changed the radio from the back.  The driver, our pastor, could not figure out why the radio station kept changing.  He just announced that it must be demon possessed.

I was excited to be helping as a teen counselor this year.  Sam and I had been talking about this forever.  Both of us had been going to this camp for about eight years.  It was a big part of our summers, so we both mutually decided to become counselors as soon as we were old enough.

"Hey, let's make sure to be awesome counselors, right?" Sam asked me popping another lemon drop in her mouth. 

"Of course!  I heartily agreed.  Through our years of camping, I had concluded there were three types of counselors.  The awesome type who jumps right in and doesn't care that they're making a fool of themselves.  They love being at camp, and they honestly love the campers. 

The second type is the group of teens who honestly don't care.  They are only out there because their mom is volunteering, or their dad is the pastor.  Some sort of situation like that.  They aren't ever that fun to be around.

Then there are the older counselors who get classed as mean.  The ones who stick to the rules, and don't allow pillow fights- yeah, the people you dissed behind their backs because they wouldn't let you stay up late than "Lights Out"; that's them.  As we pulled to a stop in the familar dirt parking lot, I grabbed my bag of lemon drops and stashed them in my suit case.  That "No Candy In Dorm" rule doesn't apply to counselors, right?

"There's something you have to understand about Brendon."  Zack, one of the older leaders in my group said to me.  "He's autistic.  Do you know what autism is?"

A little shocked, I shook my head yes.

Zack searched my eyes as he continued. "So if he's too much for you to handle, just call Melissa or me, but I think you'll do fine."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I've worked with kids with autism before.  They're all different, though."

Zack nodded while talking, "Ok, well, I've got to get back to the dorm.  Who knows what'll have happened by now?"

I laughed and waved at him as I walked down the hill.  All of the campers were suppose to be in the dorms cleaning right now, so I wasn't worried about being bombarded by sticky kids asking for anything from candy to be taken to the nurse, to trying to dunk me in the pool. 

Once at the bottom of the steep hill, I started walking back to the girls' dorm when I saw a small figure sitting on a rocky seat by the cafeteria.  Getting ready to use my newly aquired position of authority on them, I walked over to the kid.  As I got closer, though, I recognized Brendon's slim ten year old body. 

"Hey, man," I said knowing that I needed to figure out what he was doing outside alone. "What's up?"

Brendon looked at me with tears streaming down his face.  "You're not mad are you?" He asked.

"No!" I said convincingly while sitting down next to him on the rocks.  "What's wrong?"

He sniffed and moved a bit closer to me.  I was a bit surprised at this obvious act of acceptance.  My few days with him must have made quite an impression.  "The dean just told me that my grandma passed away."

I looked at him shocked before pulling him in for a hug.  "I'm so sorry, Brendon!"

After a few minutes of holding him, I asked, "So you're not going home, are you?"

"No," He said after a few minutes.  "I'm going to stay here with you.  I just wish I could live with you all the time.  You did show me how much Jesus loves me.  I never knew that before."

I was agast at his words.  All week I knew he had been getting attached to me and I had been telling him all about the Bible and how much Jesus loved him; I just didn't know he was that attached.  I felt a few tears spring to my eyes as I squeezed him a bit tighter.  I think he wasn't the only one getting attached.

Later on that day, as I cried on Sam's shoulder I said, "Amazing isn't it, to see a miracle?"

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I can honestly say, there is no better feeling than knowing that you made a positive difference in someone's life- no matter how big or small.  I definitely recommend trying it, but be careful, you'll get hooked. :)