Shauna on Family Retreat
Joni: Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and happy January!
Yep, Joni and Friends has lots going on in the month of January, not the least of which is that we are putting out our Family Retreat registration. It’s time for special needs families to check out our website and sign up and come to any one of our 23 Family Retreats across the United States this summer. And I have in studio today my good friend and co-worker, Shauna Amick.
Shauna: Hi there, Joni.
Joni: Good to be with you Shauna. You not only serve as our Vice President of Development here at Joni and Friends, but you are also an expert when it comes to disability because of your family, but also because of Family Retreat. Want to explain what I mean by that?
Shauna: Oh, I’d love to Joni. My husband and I have three children; our youngest, Sarah, has Down syndrome as well as many other disabilities. And when Sarah was almost five, we attended our first Family Retreat in New England as a family being served. And as you know, it led to me becoming a staff member and then I was able to go on and lead 10 more Family retreats from that side of the coin.
Joni: You know I love that. In fact, Ken and I attended several of your Family Retreats at Joni and Friends in New England. I will never forget, Ken and I: it was late one night, and we could hear what was going on in the room next to us. We knew that it was a man named Steve and his wife with a disability (she has a wheelchair) plus two daughters who have disabilities. Ken and I were woken up because Steve had to get up several times that night to assist his wife into the bathroom. Ken and I looked at each other and thought ‘Oh my goodness, dare we not complain,’ look at this man with his graceful attitude toward his wife, getting up several times and night — perhaps night after night — plus dealing with his two children, his daughters, with disabilities. We left your retreat so inspired, so strengthened because we saw the grace of God be large in so much brokenness. That happens all the time at a Family Retreat, doesn’t it?
Shauna: Oh, it sure does. I know exactly who you are talking about and that family, as do all of our special needs families, just shines such a bright light on the face of Jesus through all their trials, just relying on Him. And truthfully, Joni, relying on each other and the support they get from other families with disabilities at Family Retreat.
Joni: Yep! Plus, I love it that the Word of God is so central at Family Retreat. Not only fun, not only games, not only wheelchair square dancing and canoeing and zip lining, but the Word of God is central, isn’t it?
Shauna: That’s right. We are not about putting on vacations. We want people to get closer and closer to Jesus Christ and so that is (or I should say) Jesus is the center of every Family Retreat. And you know, Joni, I think that is why so many families, when they hear that it is registration day, they will set their alarm clocks for the middle of the night so that they can get up out of bed and go register for Family Retreat less they end up on a waiting list.
Joni: Absolutely! [At 6am on Jan. 2 and Jan. 9], Shauna, we are going to be opening up those registrations at our website and joniandfriends.org. So, friend listening, if you know a family with a special-needs child or if you are a family with a child with a disability, we want you to check out our website and get all the details about attending one of our Family Retreats this summer because it means spiritual refreshment, doesn’t it Shauna?
Shauna: Yes, it does.
Joni: It means renewal; it means a chance to be connected with your family and to get a good healthy dose of gospel truth. So, would you give our friends a charge to visit our website and check it out?
Shauna: Oh, please do. Please do and would you pray for these Family Retreats and all the families that attend them because it is your prayers that go before our special needs families and it’s your prayers that pave the way for them to call it what they always do: “A slice of heaven here on earth.”
Joni: Absolutely! So, friend listening, please get all the details for registration at joniandfriends.org.
Shauna: Thank you Joni.
© Joni and Friends
