Every Member of the Family Felt the Love and Hope of Christ at Family Retreat
Let Elizabeth tell you a little bit about Joni and Friends Family Retreat…
“Joni and Friends Family Retreat was like a blast of sunshine and love for the boys and for our family! Our three volunteers, Chris, Ron, and Paul were amazingly loving and attentive.”
Elizabeth and her three young adult children had the time of their lives at Family Retreat.
Daniel (28) and Matthew (23) have physical and intellectual disabilities caused by rare limb girdle congenital muscular dystrophy; their sister Emily (27) does not have a disability. Every member of the family felt the love and hope of Christ at Family Retreat.
Because of his scoliosis, Daniel often misses out on physical activities. While he is determined not to let his disability stop him from enjoying life, he can’t walk more than short distances, let alone do many of the fun things he would like to try—inner tubing and horseback riding, for instance! But at Family Retreat, new possibilities opened up for Daniel. With the help of his volunteers, who kept him safe and secure, Daniel rode both inner tubes and horses, and that was just part of the fun.
Matthew’s physical disabilities are not as pronounced as Daniel’s. He can walk longer distances than his brother, but has a developmental age of three to five. And with recent behavioral issues, sleep struggles, and mood swings, Matthew needs support to regulate his emotions. At Family Retreat Matthew’s buddies, Ron and Paul, worked through his mood changes to help him ride the pontoon boat, go for walks in nature, and even perform in the talent show, telling knock-knock jokes.
Elizabeth couldn’t say enough about Family Retreat. But here’s what she did say!
“We were greatly blessed as a family by Joni and Friends Family Retreat. It felt like heaven on Earth with so much love for us and for my sons with disabilities. Thank you so much for all that you do which is bringing the Kingdom of God with so much love to so many families, including ours.”
You can help Joni and Friends Northwest welcome more families living with disability to Family Retreat, and our other Retreats and Getaways! When you support Joni and Friends, you help bring our God-sized vision into reality: a world where every person with a disability finds hope dignity, and their place in the body of Christ!
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