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Caleb

@ca1eb_smith

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Webster’s definition of what a lucky man is

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All life is precious: here are some of my friends!

Over the last couple of days, I’ve struggled to process how there can be people out there that see any of these people as less. More specifically after seeing the choice made by a YouTuber family to end a pregnancy due to the possibility of their child having Down syndrome. This has weighed on me heavily to process how they came to this decision. We are called as humans to be God’s divine creation and each and every life is beautiful and deserving of a chance to live. I respect that these people had a choice, but I believe they made the wrong one. God blesses us with the ability to repopulate the earth and love one another. Although, society tries to tell us otherwise that certain characteristics may not allow us to be good enough. Is the blessing of having life not enough anymore? As it says is Psalm 127, Children are the heritage of the Lord and happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them. Children were designed as a gift from God to allow our human hearts to be filled with joy. Something to cherish and love. Plenty of people’s answered prayers as it says in 1 Samuel chapter 1. In multiple biblical stories, God answers the prayers of people wishing to be able to have children, such as in Hannah’s prayer. God doesn’t make mistakes and absolutely nothing about the joy my friends with Trisomy 21 exhibit is “objectively sh*tty” as the YouTubers say. Life is precious, every single time.

All life is worthy!

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forward out of the womb I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” by @ca1eb_smith

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4 months ago

I am truly the luckiest man alive!

Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be surrounded by so much love, joy, and compassion! I truly am so grateful to be able to have had another summer at the happiest place on earth! I’ve been trying to come up with the words to describe this summer when people ask me about ESP and all that comes to mind is “Joy.” Being able to be surrounded by this Joy has been one of the most fueling experiences for me. I am so beyond thankful the LORD has brought me these people and this place. From a freshman at UGA who didn’t really care to try at anything… this place has forever changed my life. The first time I volunteered is when I met one of my best friends in the world. Thomas was my first buddy and of all the things going on… the only thing I wouldn’t skip was going to be his buddy on Wednesday afternoon’s in spring of 2023. His joy is something I model my life after and I couldn’t be more grateful for him and the place that allowed him to be in my life. All of a sudden I kept coming back and it was only fitting I worked summer camp in 2024. The relationships built during this time between these amazing people and their families has been so everlasting to me. People who showed me love when I didn’t think in my head that I inherently deserved that. The kind of love I only had ever experienced from Christ and my parents. Unconditional. It reminds me of the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. My GOD saw my struggle and found this love to show me through his people anyway. I couldn’t be more grateful for his faithfulness to me and allowing my eyes to be opened, heart to be filled, and becoming slower to speak and quicker to listen. The one thing that has stuck with me the most from summer is that the little things mean the most! I had the privilege to spend a week with @esp.savannah where I met my friend Matthew. When firetrucks showed up, I asked Matthew if he wanted to spray the fire hose with the fireman. It wasn’t until I was told about his mother’s shed tears, that Matthew had previously dreamed of being a fireman as a child. Something that I didn’t realize could mean so much! Thank you Jesus! I’m forever grateful! Galatians 5:22❤️ by @ca1eb_smith

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a year ago

Hey guys! It’s that time again! Once again, I’m attempting to jump out of a perfectly good airplane!

https://give.espyouandme.org/Calebjumps4hisfriends

(Link in bio)

BUT, it’s so much bigger than that! Through this year, I’ve seen people in society cast out people with disabilities as “less than.” A YouTuber named Jesse Ridgeway and his wife terminated a pregnancy because of the possibility of their child having Down syndrome. This hurt me so much, that I made an entire Facebook post about this. And I don’t really like Facebook, or typing a lot of words, or really most things to do with technology because it scares me. But, this seemed to take a toll on me and I couldn’t really understand it. It changed my perspective because I realize that I don’t exactly look at these people based on their disability, but instead by their ABILITY. This allowed me to realize a couple years ago, that I wanted to be an occupational therapist in the future (fingers crossed) and allowed me to make so many relationships with these people and their families. However, I struggled to process that the world doesn’t seem to think like this. To me, these people are much more than members at ESP. They’re my FRIENDS. And if they aren’t then I want to be their friend. I’ll always be their friend. I don’t think I’d quite have that philosophy if it weren’t for this place.

Extra Special People is a non-profit organization that began in 1986 in Watkinsville, Georgia. This place exists to create transformative experiences for people with disabilities and their families, changing communities for the better. They truly believe in Seeing ability and I have a great joy to spend the majority of my time there. These programs range from family support events, afternoon programs, miracle league baseball, and a plethora of other event opportunities for my FRIENDS. I hope the world can begin to see ability through fundraisers like this and the relentless programming that ESP provides.

As an 18 year old volunteer, I thought I was helping people, but in reality they were helping me. I struggled to find things that actually brought me true joy as a college freshman at UGA. But, my first pairing as a taken in ESP by @ca1eb_smith

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18 days ago

And with a smile on my face I say, the LORD’s been good to me!

Colossians 3:17

The Boss and I

Spin!

Best friends!

Temple Run 2!

Go Braves!

There was a crane behind center field that we watched the whole time!

Sweet friends!

Good music with Eba the boss!

Best week ever with my boys!

Grateful to meet a friend like Ry-guy!

Some great people!

Probably talking about excavators

Me and 3 of my favorite people on one recliner!

Magical evening with my dear friend!

The guy behind the camera was smiling even bigger!

Couple of guys sitting in a fire pit!

Cheese!

Yes!

How I’m feeling seeing all the joy my friends had this summer! by @ca1eb_smith

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2 months ago

Man in the arena!

Matthew 16:26-27 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”

Comparison is the thief of JOY! taken in Man In The Arena by @ca1eb_smith

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6 months ago

To God be the Glory!

Upon reflection, I wanted to share some moments from Carolina Point with some of my friends! I had the privilege to go to camp and help connect some of my friends with Christ, but this message is often forgotten by most in daily life. Specifically in Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus sends his disciples to sea in a ship, which became tempered with waves in the midst of the sea. Jesus decides to go out and walk on the sea in the night and the disciples are terrified. Verse 27 and 28 state, “But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” Peter begins to walk on the water but upon the unrelenting wind gusts, he takes his eyes off of Jesus and then he begins to sink. He cries out for Jesus to save him to which Jesus immediately grabbed him as it says in verse 31, “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” and then soon after the wind ceased and the disciples stated that it was true that he was the Son of God. Those times of little faith occur in everyone’s daily life. Sometimes it’s hard to see the end goal and sometimes life doesn’t happen how you plan it out in your head. Sometimes you get frustrated and need to find that distraction. For Peter, it was the wind in which he took his eyes off of Jesus. Temporary fixes are those things we do when we take our eyes off Christ, but it should be a constant reminder that these things are TEMPORARY. For our boys, it was video games. However, eventually that controller dies, or eventually you may lose that game. But, the game you will always win and the love that never runs out is that of Christ. True peace comes from him and will always out weigh our temporary fixations. So, if you ever feel like you’re sinking through trials and tribulations such as Peter, do not fear, and call out to Jesus and give him all of your faith. All of your doubts and unknown can only be brought to peace through him and your relationship with him!

Isaiah 54:17 ❤️
#sixseven #pokemongo taken in Carolina Point - A Young Life Camp by @ca1eb_smith

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8 months ago

Lord willing, all smiles, continued joy

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine understanding. In all thy way acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”
Proverbs 3:5-6 taken in Life Worth Living by @ca1eb_smith

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10 months ago

“Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭KJV‬‬ by @ca1eb_smith

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a year ago

An Extra Special Summer @esp_inc by @ca1eb_smith

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2 years ago

Had some wins and I’ve cut my losses #2023 taken in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina by @ca1eb_smith

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3 years ago

Busy week #chopwoodcarrywater taken in Athens, Georgia by @ca1eb_smith

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3 years ago

Sharptop 2020 #tugboat #forkobi #sharpshooter #ifykyk taken in SharpTop Cove - A Young Life Camp by @ca1eb_smith

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7 years ago