Special needs inspires greater vision

Jody Mlynek, a World Vision Child Ambassador, is pictured here with her family. Jody's son Logan, 9, pictured beside her, has severe autism and has given Jody a heart for children with special needs and those living in difficult circumstances. Photo courtesy of Jody Mlynek.

As the mother of Logan, 9, a child with severe autism, Jody knows a lot about the rejection and indifference frequently experienced by such children and their families.

What disturbs her more is to find such indifference frequently extends to the church. She says the one place families might hope to be encouraged and revitalized often has no facilities to cope with children with physical or mental difficulties.

That insight led Jody to found Logan's Friends — an organization dedicated to supporting families with special-needs children and helping churches become more welcoming places for them.

Sharing an opportunity to change a life

But Jody, who lives in Oceanside, Calif., did not stop there. Having sponsored children through World Vision for several years, and currently sponsoring five children, Jody was acutely aware that children in the developing world often face even greater disadvantages — lacking clean water, little food, and limited access to schools and health care.

A heart for special needs

'I try to help them imagine'

Jody hopes to see about 100 children sponsored through her efforts this year. She says parents with special-needs children often identify with and are eager to reach out to a child in the developing world who also faces huge struggles.

"I try to help them imagine what it would be like to live in conditions where you could not provide your child with the most basic of needs," she says. "Then I take it one step further and say, what if that child had, for example, Down syndrome? Once people begin to consider that, the compassion just flows out of them."

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