Hi friends! Welcome! This is the second post in the series "Child-like" and mannnnnnnn this is a special one! My new friend Annie shares an incredible story of how the Lord recently used her to help provide for a missionary living in Utah. I got connected with Annie and her family here in Colorado Springs from a friend back in Texas. It was no coincidence at all. Annie and her family welcomed me to Colorado with wide open arms. Annie's heart for people and her boldness to walk in obedience to the Father deeply inspires me. Let the Father speak to your heart through her words and be encouraged by her testimony. Thanks for being here! Let's meet Annie! :)
My Favorites:
Favorite Food: Skittles and the zuppa tuscana my mom makes
Favorite Color: yellow
Favorite TV Show: Jonas (also fun fact Nick Jonas has type 1 diabetes too)
Favorite School Subject: Art
Favorite Hobbies: gymnastics, playing piano, leading worship for my youth group, and playing the oboe.
Favorite Bible Verse: “but we say with confidence the Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:6
Hi! I’m Annie and I am 13 years old. I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado and love gymnastics, sloths, and Jesus!
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was in kindergarten. The day I was diagnosed
the doctors said that I likely only had 24 hours to live, it was really scary, but I also remember after I finally got insulin, I felt like myself again. Having diabetes can be really hard, I never get a vacation from it, I can never take a break, and I miss out on things because of my diabetes. Like the first day of 7th grade a few weeks ago, I spent the first 45 minutes in the nurse’s office waiting for my low blood sugar to come above 70 and missed getting to meet my teachers and meeting new friends. My mom and dad try very hard to tell me that God is in control, and He still has a plan for my life because of diabetes, but some days it’s easier to believe then others. Every year on January 21st we celebrate the anniversary of my diagnosis-my diaversary-and my mom makes me a book with all the things that I did not only with diabetes but because of it. Like going to diabetes camp or being a youth advocate and raising awareness, but these things are often in the “diabetes world” and not the real world, until this past summer.
You see I got to go on my first missions trip with our non-denominational Christian church to Salt Lake City, Utah. We went knowing we would partner with different organizations and be able to help them out by delivering food to food banks, washing cars, and packing a church for an upcoming move. What I didn’t expect was the way God would use my diabetes to help a missionary. Alfred is a missionary in Salt Lake City who drives his big refrigerated truck to different grocery stores and Costco's and picks up whatever they are willing to give him, he then distributes it all over Salt Lake City to various food banks for families in need. One very hot afternoon (it was 110 and dry and hot), we got to take his truck to a neighborhood where we set up all the food on the grass like a grocery store and knocked on doors for people to come and get free food-as much as they want. My favorite thing to watch was the little kids grabbing the sweets- these are things their families cannot afford, and they would run them home and then come back to make sure no one else would take them. This is for sure nothing I have ever experienced, sure sometimes my mom says no to the cookie in the moment but not because we can’t afford it but because she wants my blood sugars to come down before I can eat it. The biggest problem that day was Alfred’s truck bed doesn’t have a lift. As a youth group we had been trying to raise the $10,000 needed for a lift for 2 of his trucks but we didn’t raise it all before we got there. If he had a lift on that truck, he could be quicker to deliver the food and save his own back.
On one night of the trip, I felt like God was telling me something important. For the past 7 years I have participated in research studies related to my diabetes. Being poked, having an IV for 24 hours that they drew out of every 15 minutes, traveling monthly to Denver for study visits, and being willing to try the latest research out but also knowing it may not be the greatest yet. One time I was in a study that required my parents to come in to my room and shut down a lap top before I could get out of bed, it was so annoying! They aren’t always fun but anything for a cure I am willing to do. I do get paid to be in these studies, sometimes just a little bit, but I decided 7 years ago after my first study I would save up for a diabetic alert dog, and ever since then all of my research money has gone into that savings account for my dog. We’ve even talked about naming the dog something related to research. However, one night in Salt Lake City God told me that this money needs to go to Alfred for his truck. It’s more important than my dog and it’s helping someone other than myself, more in need then me. So I told my mom and she said let’s pray about it (I learned later it was her way of not wanting to yell no way) and so we did, and that feeling
just got stronger and I knew it was what I needed to do. My mom pointed out it was also thanks to diabetes.
For the first time since I was diagnosed I was able to see that God did give me this for a reason, and the first one was helping Alfred. Jeremiah 21:3 says “I have loved you with an everlasting love” and after hearing this verse last winter at a youth retreat it has stuck with me. God gave me diabetes, and He loves me, he gave me research money, and he loves me, he gave me an opportunity to help Alfred, and he loves me. No matter what, God loves me, and I hope that I can continue to show God’s everlasting love to others, even with diabetes.
As a surprise for Annie, I would like to do a little fundraiser in support of getting her a Diabetic Alert Dog. An investment in a Diabetic Alert Dog can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $20,000. I'd love to help even just a bit in that amount. If you feel led, you can donate by pressing the button below or clicking the "donate" button on the top right of the page. All proceeds will go directly to Annie and her family. Feel free to message me with any questions or concerns you might have.
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You are so so SO loved!