Meet Annie Yorty

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annie Yorty. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annie below.

Annie, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

As a young woman, I thought my purpose would be found through a career, so I worked full time, put myself through college, and became an accountant. I poured myself into my career and felt very confident in my ability to handle life.

Then an earthquake in the form of a tiny baby with Down syndrome turned my life upside down. My daughter brought into question many of my values and core beliefs. After much wrestling, I realized God had a good purpose for Alyssa’s life. Understanding His plan for her clarified His plan for me as well.

Parenting a child with an intellectual disability requires tremendous advocacy from parents. God used my daughter’s need for an advocate to lead me into a passion that extended well beyond my parenting. I discovered I enjoyed helping people understand their true needs and seeking out-of-the-box solutions to meet them.

To become a skilled advocate, I first had to learn to depend on God to be my Advocate. Because He created me, He knows my needs and how to best fill them. As I received wisdom from Him by reading the Bible, He also invited me to represent Him to other people through advocacy.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

As a young woman chasing a high-powered career, I never could have imagined the path my life would take. When I look back, I see every twist and turn provided an opportunity to employ my purpose as an advocate.

Advocacy for my daughter’s needs led me to serve on the boards of disability organizations. I also chose to homeschool my children so they could thrive and learn according to their strengths. Though my kids are now grown, I continue to advocate by co-hosting Empowering Homeschool Conversations, the authority in homeschooling diverse learners.

A serious illness gave me additional opportunities to advocate. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and suffered debilitating symptoms for years. That experience opened doors to share with others that we have a purpose beyond our physical capacity.

Helping my son to follow his passion for serving others led me to volunteer with a humanitarian organization on the other side of the world in Siberia. Since that first trip almost twenty years ago, I have returned many times to share food, clothing, and the love of God with hopeless people.

Several years ago, God unexpectedly brought a teen into our family through foster care. While returning to teen parenting was a major detour from my life’s agenda, I realized God was once again calling me to exercise my advocacy skills in this new arena to meet her needs.

Now I’m in a season of life where God is pulling all these different areas of advocacy together through writing. Much of my writing centers on disability awareness, homeschooling, and parenting. Ultimately, I believe we all need to know God, so I encourage people to perceive His person, presence, provision, and purpose in daily life. My work appears in several book compilations as well as in print and online articles. I’m also a contributing writer at Crosswalk.com, which offers news, educational articles, and other resources for Christians.

Last year, my book From Ignorance to Bliss: God’s Heart Revealed through Down Syndrome released. In this book, readers receive inspiration and hope through transparent, humorous, and poignant stories of God’s faithfulness.

I would also like to highlight my second book, 25 Symbols of Christmas–Finding Jesus. In it, I trace the meaning and history of one symbol or tradition daily throughout the Advent season. Each one reminds us of a spiritual truth we can apply to our hearts and lives to stay focused on Christ at Christmas. 25 Symbols of Christmas–Finding Jesus will be available on November 1, 2024, at your favorite booksellers.

As a lifelong learner, I regularly seek new challenges. I gravitate toward anything crafty or creative (except sewing). I also work to teach myself to play the piano and ukulele and to speak Russian. When I take time out to rest, you’ll find me sitting on my couch with a crochet project and a furry beast labradoodle in my lap.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

As you can see, I’ve navigated some hairpin turns in my life’s journey. No one’s life is immune from these unexpected and terrifying events. I’ve found the only way to have purpose and peace in every circumstance is to align myself to God’s perfect will—to seek Him through the Bible and in prayer. If you trust Him, He will make Himself known to you, and He will always be with you.

Second, for many years, I worried too much about what other people think of me. To avoid the risk of rejection, I assumed a mask that wasn’t entirely authentic. What freedom I enjoyed when I finally realized I can drop all façades and be myself. I learned to believe what God says about me in His Word and stopped obsessing about others’ opinions.

Finally, I would encourage anyone going through difficult circumstances to persevere—to keep on keeping on. We don’t need to sprint to the finish line of life, but we want to keep moving forward. My daughter with Down syndrome taught me this important character quality. Most new skills don’t come easily to her, yet she continues to try despite frustration and failure. Yes, she groans or complains at times, but, with encouragement, she always continues until she achieves the skill.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed, which can be often, my initial tendency is to try to plow through in my own strength. I have, however, learned a more thoughtful process that involves several steps.

Retreat. I take a brief break to regroup and analyze the overwhelming situation. This pause from the action allows me to think instead of reacting based solely on emotions.

Request help. My first and best source of help is God. I pray and read the Bible for wisdom. I may also ask a wise and trusted friend for counsel and prayer.

Reflect. Applying God’s wisdom, I think about the reason I’m overwhelmed. Sometimes the feeling comes from my own desire to be in control of everything. Other times, the situation is simply part of life. I analyze possible changes I could make to my expectations or my schedule to relieve the stress. If the overwhelmed feeling comes from a circumstance over which I have no control, I consider healthy ways to acknowledge and express my feelings.

Receive provision. I have a strong independent streak that inhibits me from receiving assistance from others, especially if the help seems less than perfect. But we were designed to live in community, which means we give and receive help. A refusal to accept help can cause us to feel perpetually overwhelmed. I must decide to be thankful and satisfied with the help I receive.

Respond. Overwhelming feelings can paralyze me. Once I have worked through the previous steps, I must move forward to respond with the wisdom I have received.

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