My name is Amy Felix. I’ve been married for 11 years to a guy who’s totally out of my league. I’m a homeschooling mom to 4 kids, ranging in age from 9 to 3 years, and it’s the best kind of crazy there is! That’s really enough work on it’s own but, because I love it, I’m a photographer as well. And, in my “spare time”, I write. I’m passionate about my faith and it’s the driving force behind this ministry. I’m also a firm believer in “keeping it real”. I don’t do fake. (I’ve tried…it’s way too exhausting.) So, here’s the honest history behind Appointed To Hope:

It might sound harsh, but the truth about the beginning is that it was spent praying that I’d never have to make this journey. Every single day of my pregnancy with her, I prayed the same prayer: “Dear God, please protect her from disability.” Every day. For 9 months.

God answered.

I am the mother of a child with special needs.

Having grown up the sibling of a child with a disability, I knew. I knew about the ache. There are blessings and there is joy, just like with any other child. But the ache, deep in your heart…it sets you apart, takes the breath right out of you. The longing to take away their suffering. The helpless feeling as they struggle. It was the ache that brought about that desperate prayer for my unborn child. I didn’t think my heart was strong enough. And I was right.

Thankfully, we don’t need to be strong enough. Because God is.

My daughter was diagnosed with Autism at age 2. It took me a few years of self-pity, a few years of trying to do it all on my own, before I allowed God to open my mind and heart to the reality that this happened to her “so the power of God could be seen in [her]” (John 9:3) and not by accident or punishment. When I realized that both my past and present experience was part of a greater plan, it changed everything.

This is not to say that I have it all figured out. I’m a mess, even on my best days! This journey for me, and for my family, is a day-by-day (most days moment-by-moment) kind of experience. Which is why discovering 1 Timothy 1:12 was a game-changer… “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him.”

If you’re here because you’re on the special needs parenting journey, you’ve been appointed! You are a part of something amazing! God has trusted you with a precious part of his plan. All of those difficult tasks, the sleepless nights, the doctor visits…all of those things that you do matter! Even when it doesn’t feel like it. When you serve your child, you’re serving Jesus.

The reason I started this ministry is simply this: Being a special needs parent is hard. Wonderful, but hard. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever been a part of. It’s a different kind of life, and each family has a different story. Living this different life can make you feel isolated. There are so many of us out there…there’s no reason we should ever feel alone! Galatians 6:2 tells us to “carry each other’s burdens”. And, just as we can share the ache, we can share the joy. We need each other and we need God. My prayer is that this ministry helps us connect to both.