Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. – Ephesians 6:10-13

When the going gets tough, the tough stand firm.

Most people are blind to Deon’s* struggles. He is so cheerful, charismatic and personable, it’s easy not to even notice that he doesn’t link cause and effect well and simply doesn’t understand good relationship dynamics.

The Klinks notice. Devon’s Family Teachers, Bre and Adam Klink, are students of their children. They aren’t willing to accept second best for their kids.

The Klinks are quick to observe what is going on in their family. Before anyone else understood the depth of his needs. Be and Adam began advocating for help for Deon: extra testing, intensive counseling, inclusion classes, a simplified reward system… They have to be creative, searching and brainstorming with the clinical team for techniques and processes that they might try. They have to be consistent, constantly processing through Deon’s actions and reactions with him.

It has been time-consuming and exhausting. “We’re just waiting for the day that it clicks,” Bre shrugged.

They show no sign of throwing in the towel. They’re here to fight.

“We didn’t come all this way to do the bare minimum… It’s not fair to Deon if we just give up when the going gets hard. The people who love him the most should do absolutely everything in their power to help him. That’s why we’re here.”

The Klink’s perspective reflects our parent’s heart for each child at The Children’s Home: we will fight for our kids each day, not because of their past, but because we see what their future can be. We won’t give in.

*name has been changed