Finding Hope In The Darkness
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada on this National Family Week. And today my co-worker Shauna, we’re talking about some very special families – families of United States Combat Veterans. Welcome, Shauna!
SHAUNA: Thank you, Joni.
JONI: And you just had the privilege of spending time with some of these special needs families at one of our Warrior Getaways. Tell our friends what that’s all about.
SHAUNA: That’s right, yeah. I was just at Sandy Cove, Maryland for four days of Bible teaching and support groups for the Warriors themselves, as well as for their wives and their children. A lot of fun recreation that our soldiers totally enjoyed, but also, a real focus on the Word of God. Being at that getaway and hearing the stories of so many of our soldiers and the impact that active duty has had, not just on their lives, but on the lives of their families.
JONI: Yep, I’m thinking of soldiers coming back from Afghanistan; soldiers overseas who have seen conflict, who’ve wrestled with guilt because of things that have happened on the battlefield.
SHAUNA: That’s right. Oh, my goodness, they’re coming home to a whole new reality. Joni, I know you know this, but there are two professional therapists that are right there at the Warrior Getaway to deal with the very real issues that these soldiers are bringing home.
JONI: Wow. Earlier you were telling me about a couple you met and their story touched you deeply. So, share a little bit of it.
SHAUNA: Oh, I’d be happy to. Matt and Kristi are a beautiful young couple. Matt had been deployed to Iraq twice for active duty. And when he came back, just being a husband to Kristi, being a father to his three little children – it became overwhelming for him. He did not know how to handle his new reality. And so many of those soldiers at that Warrior Getaway, it was not a physical disability so much as post-traumatic stress.
JONI: So, he was pretty depressed, huh?
SHAUNA: He was very depressed. He was suicidal. And his quote was, “I just want to be dead. I feel that my wife and children would be better off without me.”
JONI: So, how did his wife and children, how did they handle this?
SHAUNA: Well, Kristi for sure was so scared; Kristi cried out to the Lord for help, and that help came at the Warrior Getaway. Where both Matt and Kristi – and their three children – they learned and experienced that God’s love never fails. And as dark as their circumstances were before that getaway, Matt and Kristi now say the blessings they’ve received have outnumbered their trials.
JONI: You know, sometimes it no doubt helps for a Warrior to sit there and listen to some other Veteran who has been through it, or is still going through it, and grabbing hold of God and hope and help from His Word.
SHAUNA: Oh, for sure.
JONI: Now, you told me that Matt said that this Warrior Getaway had given him some tools.
SHAUNA: It was explained that, you know, the VA, as wonderful as it is in supporting our Veterans and their physical disabilities, it can really only go so far. And what not only Matt, but all of the Warriors and their spouses were relaying is that it’s the Joni and Friends Warrior Getaway that is all encompassing, dealing with physical disabilities, but the emotional, the mental, and spiritual, as well.
JONI: Because it’s not just for the Warrior and his spouse; it is for the whole family, children included, right?
SHAUNA: That’s right. Because the whole family is suffering the trauma of war. And of course, Joni, Christ is the center and focus of everything at our Warrior Getaway, and that is why it is so powerful and so life-transforming.
JONI: You know, our families who are Veterans of war, they have a tough time making financial ends meet, so Joni and Friends scholarships these Warriors and their families. And I want to say a thank you – a big thank you – to those listening who have, who have helped Joni and Friends provide those scholarships, needful as they are, to these amazing families. And remember to pray for all our Veterans and their family members today on National Family Week and every day because they need to know that there’s hope beyond suffering.
© Joni and Friends
Joni and Friends Warrior Getaway
Specifically designed for American servicemen and women who have visible and invisible wounds as a result of war. These getaways are a place for respite and spiritual refreshment.
Warrior Getaways also serve the spouse, children, and parents of the warrior; providing a wide range of accessible family activities, powerful speakers, one-on-one networking, and time in God’s Word.
