Informing
 Make the ordinary, average person more aware of P.U.R.E. (special needs) people and their families.
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Increase awareness of the very existence of P.U.R.E. people and their families. In most communities, special needs people are virtually invisible. Depending on the manifestation of the disability, the special needs person is all too often stared upon from a distance, or, most frequently, avoided at all costs when they are out in public. The entire special needs family is then left feeling isolated and unwelcome in society, further lowering their visibility in public places. In addition, the act of just getting out of the house is often an enormous challenge for the P.U.R.E. person and family. Through Zachariah’s Way, we want to help individuals become aware of the many special needs people in their community. Furthermore, because most people are not aware of the existence of these special people, they are also unaware of the tremendous blessings these “angels” have to offer. These special people and families demonstrate God’s love, grace, patience, hope, and joy. They have learned to see life in different ways and focus on what matters most. Getting to know these special people changes individuals and communities in amazing ways. |
 The most basic purpose of Zachariah’s Way is to inform and educate individuals of the existence of these wonderful children of God, to dispel the inherent fear most people have of the disabled, and to encourage interaction with these special people through individuals, organizations, and communities.
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Just what exactly is the "awareness" we are talking about?
For example, did you know that special needs families:
- Have a divorce rate of more than 80%?
- Have a less than 10% rate of attending church regularly due to lack of quality programs and feelings of isolation?
- Spend hours at the doctors office while their friends cheer at little league games?
- Daily experience disappointment as they see other children doing all the things they had dreamed of for their child?
- Often spend their money on specialized equipment or new medication rather than ice cream and trips to Disney World?
- Have forgotten what a “good’s night sleep" means since they haven’t had a night without watching for seizure activity in 7 years?
- Know the immeasurable joy when a trip to Wal-Mart doesn’t end in an inconsolable tantrum for their autistic son?
- See through all of the superficial things in life and know that the important things in life aren’t things?
- Know the priceless value of a smile?
- Are blessed beyond compare as they look at their child and see the face of God
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Awareness on our part is when we:
- Speak to the child in a wheelchair in line with you at the grocery store
- Give a smile to the tired dad as he walks through the mall with his teenage son with Down Syndrome
- Go over and speak to the family in the corner of the restaurant with a child on oxygen and a monitor
- Know that it doesn't matter what you say to the special needs child, but it is the simple act of showing that you care that makes a difference
- Realize how much these special parents love their children and do for them, and how much a kind word or helping hand would lessen their load
- Want to do whatever we can to make a difference in the life of one of these angels and find that our own life is the one that is changed
- Look at one of these precious special needs people and see the face of God
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Zachariah's Way accomplishes this goal through a variety of methods, most importantly, P.U.R.E. Ministry Discovery Conferences, and the presentation of the ministry to churches, church groups, organizations, other ministries, and any interested individual. |
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