Family Retreat Sparks Hope and Strength for Special Needs Families
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5
Jesus beautifully demonstrated how to love and serve others by walking with them.
At Joni and Friends®, we do not simply provide programs for or give something to families living with disability. We walk with them through their challenging journeys, love them with the love of Christ, and invite them to serve with us, as valuable members of the body of Christ. Let us introduce you to one of these families…
Jen and Matt had been praying for community and connection with other families raising children with special needs. Two of their four children, Landon and Brooklyn, are deaf and have autism. Landon is also blind. Jen and Matt also have two younger children, Hunter and Kinzley.
They adopted Landon when he was two years old. They were initially nervous about adopting a child with disabilities because of his complex needs and all the unknowns, but Matt immediately knew that Landon was meant to be their son. After much prayer, Jen felt God’s peace and confirmation. They started the process of getting cochlear implants so that Landon could gain as much speech as possible at a young age. Though the evaluation team was skeptical, the implants changed everything.
Jen recalls, “Landon lit up as his brain began to process sound for the first time ever. He found his voice and went from a quiet two-year-old to the loudest three-year-old who wouldn’t stop vocal stimming.”
Despite Landon’s progress, Jen noticed signs of autism. Multiple evaluations attributed his symptoms to his deafness. Jen persisted, eventually getting a referral to the top autism center in California. There, they confirmed Landon’s autism diagnosis.
During Covid, Jen began noticing Landon struggling to see in dim light. One night they arrived home late, and Landon froze as he got out of the car because he couldn’t see in the dark. Jen knew they were dealing with something bigger. After extensive research, Jen suspected a diagnosis of Usher syndrome. The doctors soon confirmed that he had a very severe case and could be blind by the age of twenty.
In the middle of Landon’s journey, Matt and Jen adopted three-year-old Brooklyn from China. Also born deaf, she received cochlear implants shortly after arriving home, and her autism diagnosis followed. They spent hours in therapy to meet Brooklyn’s needs only to run into more diagnoses—auditory processing disorder, phonological processing disorder, social pragmatic communication disorder, and specific language impairment. Despite it all, Brooklyn is a joyful girl with a delightful personality.
Jen and Matt have often felt isolated, longing for relationships with others who relate to the challenges and joys of raising children with disabilities. So, when they heard about our Family Retreat hosted by our Knoxville office, they signed up right away!
Jen recalls, “Pulling up to Family Retreat and hearing everyone cheering for our family brought tears to my eyes. And my kids’ eyes shined brightly with excitement as they have never been cheered for like that in any other aspect of their lives.”
At Family Retreat, Jen’s whole family found lasting friendships, deep encouragement, and true community. “I’ve never been a part of a group of women who can laugh until our stomachs hurt, cry together, and pray so deeply for each other,” says Jen. “In life we need people who can help us carry the hard things, who will be there to help us take the next step, who can laugh with us, cry with us, play games with us, and fill our cups while we fill theirs. That is exactly what Joni and Friends does for us! Family Retreat is time to refresh, recharge, and refill our empty cups so we can go back out into a world where we have to advocate hard for our children. We feel stronger, braver, and we’re pouring from full cups now, which makes us feel like we can take on the world! Joni and Friends is a place where we all feel like we belong!”
Stories like this remind us of how vital this ministry is—and how much more there is to do. There are countless other families living with the challenges of disability who need your help. Thank you for being a part of this important work. Your prayers, giving, and encouragement make it possible for families like Matt and Jen’s to find hope, dignity, and a place of belonging in the body of Christ.
We are planning Family Retreats, marriage support events, a Walk ‘N’ Roll, respite opportunities, and a Wheels for the World outreach. And we will continue to equip churches to embrace people with disabilities. Would you prayerfully consider how you can help us reach our goal to serve more struggling families? We can’t do what we do without you!
May you and your family experience the nearness of the Word who became flesh and made His dwelling among us: Jesus, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). And may God repay you for your kindness and generosity.
Support Joni and Friends Knoxville
Your gift today will send families living with disability to our Retreats & Getaways where the love of Jesus shines brightly. Learn more about Joni and Friends Knoxville.
