Families Experience the Love and Care of Christ Through Family Retreat

By Joni and Friends|Published On: March 1, 2026|Categories: Family Retreats, News, News & Stories|

Erin and Charlie stand outdoors with their children, Conrad and Cally, posing for a family portrait. They’re all wearing Joni and Friends T-shirts, smiling with tall trees in the background.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5

At Joni and Friends®, our calling is to make sure families living with disability have hope in their hardships and experience the love and care of Christ through His people.

Let us introduce you to a family who has been forever changed through the ministry of Joni and Friends—Erin and Charlie, and their children Conrad and Cally.

Erin and Charlie’s journey with disability began through the miracle of adopting both of their children. Just a month before their son’s birth, they received an unexpected call from a young mother who had chosen life for her baby boy, even though he had been diagnosed with spina bifida. Erin and Charlie knew nothing about the diagnosis, but they had been praying for God’s plan, and they immediately recognized that Conrad was His answer. They stepped forward in faith, trusting that the Lord would provide all they needed.

A few years later, they were given a scholarship to attend Family Retreat hosted by our Arizona team . From the very beginning, they were overwhelmed by the people they met.

Erin says, “We had never experienced anything like it before—total strangers became family! The deep connections we have made at Joni and Friends have changed our lives.”

Today, Conrad has honorary grandparents, Nanette and Todd, who served as Conrad’s buddies at their first Family Retreat. He also looks forward each year to reconnecting with Matt, another buddy he had, who comes to Family Retreat just to hike with Conrad. Conrad even found a hero in Tholin, a Veteran and cherished friend who serves during our accessible hikes at Family Retreat.

Callie and Conrad pose happily with Todd and Nanette, their first Joni and Friends buddies, who have since become honorary grandparents to their family.

Cally, Erin and Charlie’s five-year-old daughter who lives with the challenges of fetal alcohol syndrome, has found just as much love and care at Family Retreat. In an environment where she often feels overstimulated and anxious, she has discovered safety, peace, and acceptance.

Erin says, “Family Retreat is what we look forward to all year long. It’s our favorite place on earth.”

Conrad hikes with Luke 5 Adventures volunteers and his Warrior Getaway hero, Tholin Johnson, and they capture a photo together along the trail.

This year, Conrad faces major surgery. But he won’t face it alone. At Warrior Getaway this year, our Veterans were honored with handmade Quilts of Valor, and each presented with a protective pillowcase. Tholin gifted his pillowcase to Conrad for his upcoming surgery, so that Conrad will carry a piece of his Joni and Friends family with him into the hospital. That’s the power of Christ-centered community—love that reaches beyond distance and hardship, reminding families that they are never alone.

We are thanking God for all the lives that have been transformed through your partnership with Joni and Friends. Yet our hearts ache for the thousands of families still waiting for someone to tell them about the hope and love of Jesus.

Would you let the Lord use you to reach families like Conrad’s with the power of His unfailing love?

Conrad poses with his buddy Matt during Family Retreat at Lost Canyon Campgrounds.

Your gift today will help us expand ministry, offering Family Retreats, Warrior Getaways, and Wheels for the World® outreaches that bring real, eternal hope to people living with disability.

Thank you for standing with us in this mission. Because of you, families who are otherwise forgotten are discovering they are seen, loved, and embraced by Christ.