I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13 NIV).

When I heard there was a blind person in our church, I immediately thought about what I could do to help her. I was told she had partial vision but needed assistance with certain things. Wow! What an opportunity for me. I began thinking of all the things I might be able to help her with: reading mail, writing checks, shopping the list seemed endless.

On Sunday I made sure to look for someone who was visually challenged. I checked each woman I saw for evidence that she was the woman in question. No luck! I inquired in the church office about her and was told she sits close to the front of the church and holds the hymnal very close to her face when she sings. Well, perhaps she hadn't been there on Sunday. I was determined to locate her the next week.

The following Sunday I waited and watched for the woman who couldn't see well, but she eluded me once again. Weeks passed with no success. I began to think this had been a figment of my imagination. Surely the Lord had provided someone for me to help; all I had to do was find her!

I decided to get her phone number from the church secretary and call her. "I have been trying to locate a woman in this congregation for several weeks but I cannot seem to catch her before she leaves," I explained to the secretary.

"Maybe I can help you," she replied.

"I certainly hope so," I said.

The secretary asked, "Tell me something about this woman."

"I really don't know too much about her. I'll tell you what I do know and maybe you might recognize her," I continued. "She has a vision problem; she sits in the front of the church and she holds the hymnal close when she sings. I think she is a member but "

"Hmmmm! She does sound familiar," the secretary said. "Are you sure you don't have a clue who it is?"

"Not a clue," I answered. "Should I?"

"Yes, you should. You know her well."

My mind began to whirl, trying to think who this mystery person could be. I didn't remember anyone who fit this description. "Okay," I said, "I give up. Who is she?"

The church secretary chuckled and said, "Linda, no wonder you couldn't find her on Sunday. It's YOU!"

I have never considered myself disabled or handicapped. Oh, true, I can't drive a car, but that's about all I can't do. My confidence doesn't come from a sense of self-absorption but from strong and caring parents who instilled in me "you won't know if you can do it unless you try." I tried and tested this theory many times, proving it true. At the tender age of eight I received a 28-inch bicycle, which I learned to ride without the benefit of training wheels. College was a challenge, but four years after being left at the front door of the dorm I received a bachelor's degree in education. Then at the ripe "old" age of 46, I tackled a correspondence course and became a ventriloquist.

Sometimes I am amazed at all the wonderful and interesting opportunities the Lord has given me. My confidence comes from God, who gave me my strong and caring parents. My "can-do" attitude has given me the courage to step out in faith, knowing all I need will be provided from above to accomplish everything God has planned for me. He has challenged and surprised me around every corner of my life.

One Sunday afternoon in August of 2001 the telephone rang, bringing me one of the biggest surprises of all. The voice at the other end of the line said, "Hello, Linda, this is Janet Hurta." I knew exactly who she was: Vice President of Communication for the LWML; but what was she doing calling me?

I said hello with what I'm sure was perplexity in my speech. Janet continued by asking me to serve as an editor for the Lutheran Woman's Quarterly. You could have knocked me over with a feather! I'm not usually at a loss for words, but this came totally out of the blue. Me? An editor? The Quarterly? My mind raced. Could I do this? Then the Holy Spirit's gentle nudging through the Word reminded me: Of course you can do it. God will give you everything that you need (see Philippians 4:13).

With that, I told Janet "yes" and continued to float on cloud nine for several weeks. After two years on the magazine staff, I received another phone call asking me to serve again. Not as big of a surprise, but this time my answer was "yes"-with no hesitation!

Being visually challenged does not make me a disabled person. I am a confident, productive child of God, serving Him wherever and whenever He has need of me. His love and support have brought me to where I am right now, and I just can't wait to "see" what else He has created me to be.