[Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues

[Pj Navarro]

I don’t recall speaking with a Linda Mentink a couple years ago so sorry
about that. A lot has changed since then because my one goal was to assist
in getting more blind folks out of their homes, up until I’ve become
trapped myself. I took my dog for a walk earlier for the sake of just
getting the body moving. Nothing has changed over here in Corpus Christi,
nothing ever happens for the blind community in this town whether it be
adaptive sports or the goals of our local chapter, it’s depressing & with
great shame, i have to say I’ve given up. My brains already fried & so now
there’s not much else I can do but pray I don’t become homeless, the last
job I had was paying too much so I made the mistake of canceling SSI, after
being laid off late February, I was unaware that I won’t be receiving my
first disability check for about a year or 2. Thank God my family has been
assisting me financially since no other employer is hiring me. Andrew & I
are simply laying down the obstacles we’ve come across to perhaps find some
clarity in overcoming them. I’m not sure how old Andrew is but we
should never tell another adult that they’re just complaining when he or
she is trying to open up. Even his mom has been doing her best to help out,
like how my mom is the reason my utilities have been paid for. I used to be
strong, energetic, & optimistic, but then life happened when I tried over &
over to get a life. People who I thought could help ended up bailing, Jesus
Christ is the only one I could depend on now. Everyone in my family drinks
beer so I was just tired of being alone. It’s only with them when I drink,
it’s not like I can afford to get my own beer.

Is the information in this link still accurate?
If so, is there Blind Christian Group Meeting coming up on Thursday of next
week at 7:00pm?
https://nfbks.org/chapters-divisions/blind-christian-group



On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 6:54 PM Linda Mentink via Faith-Talk <
faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Good evening All,
>
> First, I'm starting a new message because you all have forgotten to delete
> old stuff when replying, and the string is WAY too long!
>
> I have been busy and have not had time to respond. So here goes from me!
>
> First, Andrew, we have tried to help you on this list many times. There's
> absolutely nothing we can do from here to help you. Again you've been given
> some ideas of things you can do. My suggestion is that you work on being
> content with where the Lord has planted you, and do your best to improve
> what you can in yourself. Concentrate on being a faithful church member and
> on making friends with people there who will learn to understand you and
> your needs as a blind/learning disabled Christian. Complaining to us here
> without making any changes is not productive.
>
> PJ, I was surprised to read your  post about things like drinking beer and
> being a loser. That doesn't sound like the same person with whom I
> corresponded a couple years ago. I had sent you my telephone number so that
> we could talk about things like a Facebook page, but you never followed
> through. There are plenty of good leaders in the TX affiliate with whom you
> could talk about the issues with the local chapter with which you were
> involved. Also, you should learn some skills of blindness so that you don't
> have to be frustrated with tunnel vision. By staying at home, you are
> isolating yourself—never a good idea.
>
> I remember that you sent me a link to something in your church. It sounded
> like a good church, and I find it shocking that you seem to have dropped
> your relationship with your Lord. Being blind is no reason to give up on
> life! Please get out of the beer and into the Bible!
>
> As Chris shared, we are working on a multi-faith toolkit for clergy and
> congregations to help with inclusion of blind/low vision individuals.
> Coloborators are by invitation of the executive director with the Faith and
> Inclusion Network. There were some categories in the outline where we
> didn't have much written, so, with his permission, I sent an email to the
> members of the NFB Blind Christians Group a couple weeks ago. It is a work
> in progress, and I hope it will be a done project soon.
>
> I must get back to things I need to read for a meeting tomorrow morning,
> so I will sign off. I wish you all a good weekend and a blessed Lord's-Day!
>
> In Christ's Service,
>
> Linda Mentink
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