Voices
Voices
by Sara Rivas
Hi, Downey Church friends and family. I'm excited to be able to share the kids story with you. So today I want to share a little bit about what I do for a living. I am a speech therapist, which means that I get to help kids that don't have a voice find their voice. It's a really cool job. So some of the things that I use here to share with you are , I use a button. So for example, if we're playing a game and let's say there's a car at the top of a racetrack and I want that a car to zip down. So then I would say ready, set, and then I would put this button in front of them and the child would press it. And it would say go and then I'll release that car and watch it fly down. I can also use something like this, which is a communication board and I can ask them how they're feeling. And so this one has a lot less pictures, so it's not as crazy, but it's cool. Just be able to check in and see the kids that. Aren't able to use their voices, they're able to point and tell me how they're feeling. I also have a communication book. And so this book has lots of different options. They can tell me about what they want to have the colors of something, an activity that they want to be a part of, even a simple yes, no board. So this is another cool way of finding out what the kids want to share. And then if the kids are a little more high tech, we have something like this is called TD Snap and they can communicate. Oh, let's see, can get that one. Oh, this one's not working. anyway, it'll ask, read it out loud. So we'll say hi, and you can ask, how are you? And then you could also respond with how they're doing. They could ask you for things. They can also use the keyboard and they can type and to let you know what it is that they want to communicate with you. And so it's awesome when you have a little guy um I work with little students that are two, three, four, five and older and that they may not be able to uh use words. Some of them are signing uh and so we find different ways of supporting them so that they're able to communicate and participate in the classroom that they're in. And that reminded me of something that I have been doing a lot of lately and I have been looking for someone else's voice in my life. that someone is God. And so I like to go on my Bible app and I like to read my Bible. um And I love being able to, the more I read this, the more I get to hear God's voice. And it is so fulfilling because He reminds me over and over that He loves all of us and He wants the best for us. And He really wants us to have a relationship with Him. And so I encourage you, if you're not already reading your Bible every day, grab a Bible, even if it's an online app, and make sure that you are connecting with God. His voice is the best voice. All right, let's pray. Dear Jesus, I ask you, Lord, to please uh stir up a need, a desire to connect with you, to hear your voice, to build a relationship with you, Lord, because it is only through a relationship with you that we feel peace, that we feel connection. Please be with us um and thank you for all the kids and please bless their moms and dads with patience. In your sweet name we pray, amen. All right, take care.