Bringing Hope and Joy to Families Living with Disability
We praise God for your faithfulness in bringing joy and hope to families living with disability here in Louisiana.
As we partner together in this work for the Kingdom, we believe our vision at Joni and Friends will become reality. We desire a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ because we know this is God’s desire.
Just this year, our Joni and Friends Louisiana team was able to serve 35 families living with disability through two weeks of Family Retreat. Praise God! The vision of Joni and Friends is becoming a reality through faithful friends like you! Let us tell you Adam and Ashley’s story…
Adam and Ashley knew that God was calling them to adopt Robbie through the foster care system, and they stepped out in faith, fully aware of the challenges that lay ahead. They were certain that this was part of God’s plan for their family.
Robbie has autism and carries the weight of trauma from his early childhood. He is non-verbal and struggles with sensory processing and emotional regulation. Despite their hardships, Adam and Ashley embrace each day with patience and love, adjusting to the unique barriers that autism brings into their lives.
For a while, they found solace and connection in their church community. But when Robbie grew too old for the children’s ministry, they were told these devastating words: “We don’t have a place for him here.”
Heartbroken and isolated, Adam and Ashley wondered if they would ever find a place where their family truly belonged. Then they found Family Retreat.
“Family Retreat is the one thing we look forward to all year. It’s a haven where we receive biblical encouragement, fellowship, and opportunities to connect with other parents experiencing similar hardships. It is a place where friends become family—a place of rest and respite.”
Ashley
At Family Retreat, Robbie enjoys pool time and water games, disability friendly hikes, and his favorite—lots of golf cart rides. And all the while he is cared for by volunteers who have been trained to meet his specific needs.
Family Retreat is the one time a year this family receives more than just a few hours of help. It provides true soul-restoring respite through fellowship and worship—not only for the adults, but for everyone in the family.
“I never want to leave when it’s time to go home.”
Ashley
Your faithful partnership allows families like Ashley’s to hear about the love of Jesus and find their place in the body of Christ.
God has big plans! Through a disability ministry conference, we plan to equip and empower local churches to welcome and include individuals like Robbie. We will provide help and hope to more special needs families during our two weeks of Family Retreat in the summer and a new Marriage Getaway in the fall. And we will be distributing wheelchairs and sharing the Gospel in Egypt and Guatemala through our Wheels for the World outreach—bringing more and more families into a saving relationship with Christ. But we can’t do this without you!
Would you let Jesus work through you today to reach these precious families with the power of God’s unfailing love?
We are depending upon the generosity of friends like you to help us reach even more people struggling with disability. Your gift will support all our Joni and Friends ministry, reaching vulnerable people who otherwise may never hear the Good News of Jesus!
Thank you for bringing the help and hope of Jesus to families struggling under the strain of poverty and disability across the globe. May God bless you and your families and may you be reminded of the hope to which he has called you.
Support Joni and Friends Louisiana
Your gift to Joni and Friends will promote Christ-centered friendships and create spaces of true belonging for people living with disability. Learn more about Joni and Friends Louisiana
