[Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues

Sun Nov 16 01:44:03 UTC 2025

stopddAndrew, 

Nothing to it, but to do it. Ful

sent from Judy's Android braille tablet

----- Original Message -----
From: andrew edgcumbe via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025 05:24 PM
To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of Blindness in faith and religion" <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
CC: andrew edgcumbe <rollercoasterman86 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues

I have tried everything for years but i have been met with so much
resistance.
Just telling somebody just to get out there and show themselves is not the
thing to do when there is so much resistance. i feel i just get yelled at
for just trying to express myself by people like Linda and stuff like that.
I am done trying i guess because people don't try to understand me.
I pray all i want but i need to more then just pray what if nobody is able
to give me the skills i need to do something nobody abvailable to teach me
how to serve and stuff like that i am just nothing I am just a horrible
person for even trying that is the thing. I been told to pray and pray i
need to be able to do stuff like do vollunteering as i need to feel good
about myself sitting around is not going to help my mental health and stuff
like that nobody unst understands me at all.
On Sat, Nov 15, 2025 at 8:13 PM Ericka via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
> We've all been trying to be patient and non-judgmental here. Email is not
> a good place to understand someone's tone of voice. From what I can see no
> one is yelling at you telling you you're wrong. We're just telling you that
> perhaps your tone of voice when you try to explain yourself to people in
> person isn't working. Here it does in words sound like you're complaining
> all the time and have already given up. W We don't know what it's like to
> live in Canada. We don't know what it's like to have a developmental delay.
> But we do know how it feels to be unseen and unwanted and unloved. Remember
> God doesn't answer prayers when we want them. He answers them when he knows
> it's most appropriate. Just let one thing fall into place at a time and
> keep praying not for what you want, but where thy will his will who you is
> there's a lot of things I wanted to do with my life that God decided I
> wasn't ready for. I'm still waiting on answers and like I said before I'm
> 54 years old. I do know that when things work you have use the fruits of
> the spirit in your life. Why don't you check out Galatians and find it.
> Pray about these and see where you can gain skills that help you show the
> world, your family, and your community who you really are by showing the
> gifts of the spirit.
>
>
> Ericka Nelson
> K E9DYN
> Proud general class him license owner
>
> > On Nov 7, 2025, at 8:51 PM, andrew edgcumbe via Faith-Talk <
> faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >
> > PJ is right I should not be told I am complaining and stuff like that
> > Like I said  I have tried and tried and tried that is the thing and
> nobody
> > for the likes of them is trying to understand me.
> > I am not complaining so  people need to just start giving me some
> > understanding for a change.
> > you might say you do but i am accused of complaining when i am giving my
> > true feelings maybe if you don't like us sharing our frusterations me and
> > PJ will go else where to start our own thing simple put.
> >
> >> On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 9:36 PM Pj Navarro via Faith-Talk <
> >> faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >>
> >> 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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> >>>
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