"His Eye is on the Sparrow"~Lauryn Hill

Going to church has been a hard thing for me to do for a very long time.  Way before I was even diagnosed with MdDS.  However, when I asked if you needed help finding things that work for you, majority stated that going to church was extremely hard.  This was hard for me to understand, because church should be your most comfortable place to be able to be yourself, to feel warmth and to be comforted.  

"Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." Jeremiah 17 : 14.*

I have avoided church for my own reasons, but it seemed like a very good sign when you asked for this type of topic, and in within two weeks time, I was needed at church for various reasons.  
The first was an unexpected funeral that I attended.  The funeral was very difficult for me because of the emotional aspect of it, but also because there is no getting up and moving around at the funeral.  This particular church had beautiful organ pipes running up the walls behind the pastor, and because of that I constantly felt dizzy.  There were a few times that I had to hang my head low and watch the carpet.  A few times I had to close my eyes and just pray on my own because I couldn't concentrate on what the pastor was saying to the congregation.  I stayed at the back of the church in case I needed to get up and move around because of me sitting for long periods of time is very difficult.  The large amount of people made me extremely nervous. 
The second time I went into church was for my daughter.  My beautiful, gorgeous girl joined a children's choir with a friend of mine and loved it.  She came to me and asked if I would come see her sing.  After the funeral, I was a little nervous, but this was the first time my daughter had asked or done something like this and knew I had to push through for her.  I attended and actually sat towards the front of the church.  The music was wonderful.  We were able to stand up to sing and so I just swayed to the music.  For the first time in a long time my heart wasn't heavy.  Yes, I held onto my husbands hand the whole time and also on the back of the pew in front of me.  I prayed hard, and felt lifted.  But during the sermon I had difficulties.  I started feeling anxious and nervous because I couldn't rock in the pew like my body wanted me to.  I tried to just sway sitting but felt like I was crazy because there were people behind me.  

"He said, 'If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.'"Exodus 15:26*

I plan to continue to go, but here are a few items that I've come up with to start us off.  I'll continue the list as soon as I notice more options for us out there.
Church is place where you come to open your heart, mind and soul.  No matter your denomination, you should feel comforted in your place of worship.  Your fellow worshipers should lift their hands up and be a comfort to you.  This is where accepting our syndrome and who we are becomes a large part of us.  I understand most people don't want the world to know what we are going through, but without talking about it and having awareness, there will be no end in sight.

So here is what I did and/or know to do in the future:
1.  I sat in the end of the pew and the back was much better than the front.  This way if I needed to get up, I wasn't a distraction.  
2.  When music started, I stood and I just swayed.  "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness" Psalm 30:11*  I held on when I needed to and just rocked back and forth.  I let the music become a part of me, and in turn it made me feel better.
3.  I also found that there are churches in my area that have "Crying rooms" that have a live feed and windows that you can see into the church.  If your movement is so bad that you cannot sit with the congregation, but want to be a part of it.  These rooms are like your own little church bubble in a sense.  You can here the sermon, see the pastor and congregation, and be up and moving around without distraction.  
4.  Talk to your pastor.  Explain how you feel, and what is happening.  Tell him/her that you may have to stand, walk, move around.  Pastors are used to distractions.  They are great public speakers and should not be bothered by this.  
 
 It is going to take time and understanding for all parties, but church is a place where healing happens, mentally and physically.  
If you have your own tips, please leave them in the comments below so that we may be able to help each other out.

"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind."

 Psalm 107:19-21*

*All quotes from King  New Version Bible.