update

hey everyone,

The golf tournament went well! Thanks again Matt for doing that! Now after that I have great news. We will be able to do more fundraisers and hopefully grow our support. I'm working on contacting local schools but they havent been very supportive yet. I think once they know more about ACC and ACCAA I may see a difference there.

The saynow number is still working and hopefully I will soon be doing another phone call where you can call in and talk to me!

That is really all thats going on right now. :)

God Bless

-Lynnea of ACCAA

Life after college

Well Life after college has been rough but good. I'm still searching for a job. Other than that I've been struggling with some knee issues that we've traced back to how I've learned to walk because of my ACC and all that.

I just had knee surgery and am still recovering from that. So that's basically what my life has been about lately.

I've been frustrated and stressed, and my migraines are returning but I'm doing my best to keep my chin up because I know that it will all work out.

So fellow ACCers and family and friends of ACCers keep your heads up, because it may get tough but you can make it through. Growing up I was always told to smile through the pain and that really does do wonders! :)

ACCers are "different"

Dear ACCer, or Parent of ACCer,

Has anyone ever told you that you or your child were different. Have they told you that you don't fit in? Most of my life I didnt fit in with my family or fr

iends. I was "slower" or "quieter" (which is quite amusing since I was in the gifted and talented program in Middle school and am known as a huge extrovert.) But anyway, I always said things a bit off the wall according to my other peers. I never thought I would fit on. I've talked to Down's Syndrome kids, and Autistic kids that all felt the same. We all had different disorders but because we're different than the "normal" we didnt fit in. And thats hurtful.

But as I was looking through my devotional book I found a story that inspired me, and I thought maybe it would or could inspire you too. This is from my "Quiet Moments With God Devotional Journal for Women" from Honor books.

"THE EMPTY TOMB"

"Be honest in your judgement and do not decide at a glance superficially and by appearances; But judge fairly and righteously" John 7:24

Philip was born with Down's syndrome. He was a happy child, but as he grew older he became increasingly aware that he was different from other children.

He went to Sunday school with boys and girls his own age, and the

class had wonderful experiences together-- learning, laughing, playing. But Philip remained an outsider.

As an Easter lesson, the Sunday school teacher gave each student a large egg-shaped plastic container. The children were asked to explore the church

grounds, find something that symbolized new life to them, put it in their "egg," and bring it back to share with the class.

The children had a grand time running about the churchyard collecting symbols. Then they gathered back in the classroom and watched with great anticipation as the teacher opened each egg. In one egg, there was a flower, in another a butterfly. The students responded with great glee and enthusiasm as the teacher revealed the contents of each egg.

When the teacher opened Philip's egg, there was nothing inside. As could be expected, the eight-year-olds responded, "That's stupid! You didn't do it right."

"I did so do it right," Philip responded. "It's empty-- the tomb is empty!"

The class room fell silent. From that day on things were different. Philip became a full-fledged part of the class. The children took him into their friendship. He had been freed from the tomb of his difference, and he entered into a new life among his peers.

"You must looking into people as well as at them"

The devotion then ends with a statement to finish "My difference form others is good because..."

Answer that and see what you come up with.

______________________________

Don't let anyone tell you that your difference is a bad thing! It's not! Your difference is a good thing. You may understand things a bit differently but you'll help others think in a different light and it's YOU that will teach them life lessons that they will keep forever! You are amazing!! And your "difference" just makes you that much more "normal"

because EVERYONE is different in some way! :)

Attached is a picture of a drawing I did in first grade. We were supposed to say what we liked about dinosaurs. And I picked the most simple thing:

"I like Dinosaurs because...they growl" It was the truth I thought a dinosaurs growl was amazing because to me back then their growl showed their strength and strength is beautiful. And yes I drew that picture at the bottom LOL

School and ACC: I'm DONE!

Hey everyone sorry it's been so long since I've posted! My last semester at school was a tough one but I got all A's B's and C's!!! I did really well this semester. Got a perfect score when I had to memorize the To Be Or Not To Be speech from Hamlet. Not to mention I didnt get below a D on ANY tests this semester!

My secret there is that I had the tests given to me as oral exams. That went really well the first time it was done so this whole semester I did it and I did so well!! I'm so thankful for that option.

When I memorized the To Be Or Not To Be speech my secret is that I used colored idex cards and divided the speech into three different cards and memorized it through that. I also found the speech in song form on Amazon and got it and used that! So if you have a child or you yourself struggle with those similar things those are some things that you can do for that.

Anyway...On May 1st I graduated with a Bachelors in Youth Ministry!!! Now I'm just searching for a job and I'm leaving that to God. I'm focusing more on ACCAA (I'll blog more about this later.

And I now have a new project with some of my friends called LLLTD It exists to help young girls with self esteem and other issues. Look us up we've got a page and blog you can find us under LLLTD or Live Love Laugh Tackle (sometimes we have be Deteremined at the end of that) :)

I'm so excited to give most of my energy and time to these projects, and I'm glad to be done with school!!

RIP Kim Peek

ACCAA bows our heads in silent rememberance as we think of a great man who is an inspiration to many ACCers. This man is Kim Peek, at 58 years old this man has passed on. He was an ACCer and Savant with other "disablities" but this man was anything but Disable. He could read 8 books in a day, and retained all of that knowledge. He was the inspiration for the movie Rain Man (Star of this movie was Dustin Hoffman playing an Autistic Savant)

Let us remember this man in our hearts and lives and never let the memory of him die.

So many ACCers have had the opertunity to meet him, and so many of us who hadnt yet met him had a dream of meeting him. Please remember his father and the others whose lives this man touched...remember them in your thoughts and prayers.

School and ACC and ACCAA update

Hey everyone, So it's about that time for an update, I'm home on Christmas break right now and I got my grades for this semester. So this section of the blog is for personal things that I've overcome.

I passed all my classes!!!
Youth Ministry Internship: A
Systematic Theology: C
Galatians: C+
Human Biology: D
Church History: C+

My youth ministry internship took a lot of hard work but I loved it.
As far as Systematic Theology and Galatians, those were some tough courses. The Bible classes are always the hardest but I enjoyed what I learned in there.
Human Biology: My Gen Eds are tough classes for me, through my 4 and a half years of college I had a difficult time with math and now science. I wish I could have done better in this class but I tried hard and did what I could, and I'm just thankful for passing.
Church History: This whole class was hard but I enjoyed it, I learned so much. Church History is facinating and through this I went to my first Catholic Mass service. I took away so many experiences from this class.

Though these grades arent the highest, they show that I did try, and I did well for the most part I'm proud of these grades because they show that through my ACC I didnt give up and kept trying.
_________________
ACCAA:

Well We've hit our goal and surpassed it. We had a goal in October to get about 1000 signatures. At last count we had 1114. At the count before and at our Dec 15th date of when we'd hit the goal we had 1113! Praise GOD!!!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season and pray safety and blessings upon all of you!

Happy New Year! The new year is fast approaching and will bring many things for myself and ACCAA.

Right now we dont have a new goal of petition signatures, but starting during the New Year we'll have a goal to hit 2000, Also starting in the new year I'll be contacting radio shows and magazines!

Outside of the petition, We're hoping by march/april that we'll have t-shirts and bracelets to sell!

The Saynow number is getting phone calls which is great, coming in the new year we'll be having new chats when I'm break (video chats so we can discuss new things in ACCAA) As well as Saynow live. I'll send out notifications through this, our message board, and facebook, and twitter, as well as saynow as to when I'll have saynow live on to where you can call the saynow number and I'll answer it, you can ask me questions about ACC or ACCAA and I'll answer them and talk to you about things! I'm really excited about this!

Other than that there are some other things that are still in the conversation area of planning but things ar happening just like their supposed to, PRAISE GOD!!
Love you all and God Bless
-Lynnea

School and ACC

hey everyone so While in school I'm updating people on how I'm doing with ACC and being a college student.

As an ACCer I have a horrible memory, memorizing things for tests and stuff like that comes very difficult for me. I had to memorize the Nicene Creed for my Church History class.


"I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen."

It's long and was very hard to memorize. BUT ACCers and ACCer Parents dont let ANYONE tell you that you cant overcome difficulties in school. I got a 90% on that memorization quiz! Praise God! If you are determined and try and do everything you can and lean on God ANYTHING is possible. :)