When I introduce this beautiful organization to friends and parents of prospective clients, sometimes I get puzzled looks. For those who are familiar with the Bible, they tend to mistake it for Bathsheba. Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a soldier in David’s army. She later became the wife of David and the mother of the great King Solomon. While both words appear to sound alike, they are not the same.
So, where is Beersheba, and why does it resonate differently with us?
Beersheba is a location mentioned in Bible history. The name literary means the well of seven in Hebrew and could mean different things to many people. Among the events that happened at Beersheba, our reference was the incident between Hagar and her son Ishmael. When Sarah felt she couldn’t continue to accommodate Hagar and her son and requested that they be thrown out, you can imagine how distraught Hagar must have felt when she discovered that Abraham wasn’t willing to pull rank and step in. With a bottle of water and what they could carry, they set out for a long, arduous journey into the wilderness. Situated on the edges of the Negev desert, Tel Be’er Sheva was some 4 kilometers from the modern city.
You wonder at the horror of a mother left alone with her son in the wilderness, observing as the water level reduces each time they both take a sip. This story of Beersheba captures the trauma of rejection that a parent and her neurodiverse child face alone in the wilderness of uncertainties. At one point, Hagar was convinced that Ishmael wouldn’t make it, leaving him by himself before help came. This is the story that inspires our work at Beersheba Mission.
The wilderness Hagar and Ishmael wandered in can be likened to neurodivergent conditions. Autism, Down syndrome, and Learning Disabilities are situations just like the wilderness Hagar was wandering within. The wilderness is an uncultivated, large expanse of life. It means nothing is certain and results are not assured. It was a wilderness of the rejected. A place where the water was spent. Nothing seems to be an advantage. No one wants to be rejected. Rejection, especially from a parent, may leave an almost indelible mark on the child.
With the water spent and no help in sight, Hagar threw up her hands in surrender and expected Ishmael to die. This seems to be the same exasperation parents go through when faced with neurodivergent issues. Imagine being told after several consultations that it is going to be a lifelong journey (in most places, especially in third-world countries, you are saved from the bad news). However, a neurodivergent condition is not the end of the world, and anyone provided with the right system of help will rise in spite of such conditions.
Like we see in the aforementioned story, despite the seemingly dire circumstances of the desert and its attendant conditions, the kid began to grow in strength right from the desert, where he would have died. Out of the desert and helpless condition, Ishmael began to shine. In the same vein, there is more than a silver lining in conditions like autism, Down syndrome, dyslexia, developmental language disorders (DLDs), Learning disabilities, and other degrees of congenital disability. These are conditions that challenge us, both caregivers and parents alike, to devise subtler ways of communication and interaction. With the right approach, knowledge application, and, as peculiar to us, divinely inspired interventions, joy and peace can arise from neurodivergence.
As an organization named Beersheba, our mission is to introduce the efficacy of the scriptures, that is, the eye view of the Christian faith, to the management of conditions of neurodiversity. We believe that this remains the missing ingredient that the intervening world has not embraced to produce sustainable results. With all the hard work of scientific postulation and research, the determining factor remains the name of Jesus.
Going back to our story, when the water was spent and the need for water (sustenance) became dire, God revealed a well that became the source of their sustenance and subsequent growth. As an organization, we are very interested in the story as revealed by God and the fact that right there in the deserted wilderness, the rejected lad became a great nation. This is the promise we have held onto and worked with since we began.
To be clear, we are not aliens from science and the interventive procedures practiced in our industry. We were trained in these procedures and are intelligent enough to judge their efficacy. We operate a system that is trans-professional (that is, a trans-disciplinary team in which seasoned professionals come together to jointly communicate, exchange ideas, and work together to come up with solutions to problems). However, we work with the assurance of faith in God, who can reveal like he did in the wilderness of Beersheba and who is able to bring trees from a parched ground or forest.
So, we bring hope from our God, and this hope sponsors all we do. This is what we share with our clients and their representatives. We believe God can guide our hands and minds as we work with our clients during every therapy session. There are blessings in Beersheba. God can see you and is with you. Don’t think you’re alone. He sees your commitments, loneliness, labor, and struggles. Your reward is with him. This is the intrinsic meaning of Beersheba (BEER LAHAI ROI).
So, are you done already? Hagar was always spent. Nothing remained! God always provides. He brought it in well, right in the wilderness. Of course, the child may have been disfavored, yet God is able to pick up every challenged child. God heard the cry of the lad. He hears yours also. God lifts burdens and will lift yours. He is the burden-bearer who lifts our burdens, from those of the parents to those of the Mission. There is a covenant that works with us here that we are sure of, as we are powered by the word of God.
Hopelessness was Hagar’s lot in that wilderness. However, she became the mother of nations. Don’t bother yourself when you leave your child with us. Patience is a necessary ingredient. Talk to God about your child always, even when s/he is not with you. Partner with the mission (in prayers) in respect to his or her yearly plan. Do NOT BE AFRAID!
Your child has a voice, and we make it a duty to listen to them and help them engage their voices, especially in prayers. God heard the voice of the lad. A child must be lifted up, and the power to lift them up is here. We engage in the instrument of prayer.
Reassurance is given from God about the greatness of our clients. God opens your eyes to see the well of opportunities that will sustain you and your child. God is with your child as he or she grows, right there in the wilderness. There is no room for any parent to be sad because you are a caretaker. When you want to be bothered, talk to God, the owner. It is impossible for anyone to die here! The boy wasn’t sick in the wilderness. God was there with him. God is here with us. Solutions will come, and you will enjoy them. There is a giant in every special child, and we seek to help them find expression. In fact, we believe people with special needs are special gifts.
Yes, they can be beautiful.