Family Retreat: Transforming Lives with Love and Support
Josiah, who has Down syndrome, started coming to Family Retreat in 2011. His mother, Julie, says, “The rest is history!”
At Family Retreat, Josiah and his siblings—William and Emma—are paired with one-on-one volunteer buddies who keep them safe and make sure they all have fun.
“Connecting with other Christian families who are on this same journey of life is wonderful. At Family Retreat, we are all cared for and ministered to. God knows exactly what we need in this season of our lives and he gives it to us at Family Retreat.”
Julie
“Due to work schedules, my husband and oldest son can’t always attend Family Retreat,” explains Julie. “But I always attend with Emma and Josiah. Year after year, the staff and volunteers come alongside us, loving my children and making sure they know their value in Christ—whether it’s Josiah with Down syndrome or Emma, the big sister living in the shadow of her brother’s disability.”
Over time, Julie started serving as our Family Retreat photographer, and eventually we encouraged Emma and Josiah to volunteer, as well. Julie’s first response was, “Josiah? Volunteer?”
“Surely, the staff will have Emma and Josiah serve together,” Julie thought. “But God had something better! Josiah was assigned to help with games. He served on a team with others who were not part of his family. Josiah had to make sure he was on time and ready to get to work. He collaborated well—following directions, helping to set up games, and encouraging everyone!”
Josiah did such a wonderful job serving at Family Retreat that we asked him and his family if they would serve at our Warrior Getaway. Julie volunteered as our photographer, and to her surprise, Josiah was asked to serve as the one-on-one buddy to Josh, a nine-year-old boy.
“How can that be?” Julie wondered. “Even though he’s sixteen, I never imagined Josiah would be able to be responsible for another person. I must admit, this time, I truly had to ask God not only to help him, but to help me!”
God answered Julie’s prayer. “I can’t’ say it was super easy for Josiah, but God was faithful,” says Julie. “This was a time of tremendous growth for Josiah. He was used to being served, and now he is learning how to serve someone else. I am so thankful for all the staff and volunteers who were there to pray for Josiah and cheer him on.”
“Josiah didn’t let his disability stop God from using him to serve others,” says Josh’s parents. “He made our three young boys feel extremely important by being a huge encouragement to them. Whether it was cheering them on during the talent show, teaching them how to play the drums, or showing them the steps for a craft, he was right beside them.”
“Josiah was fun and full of joy,” says Josh. “He was always smiling, and we laughed together a lot.”
“Watching Josh and Josiah embrace one another, crying, and saying goodbye when it was time to go home was heartbreaking for us as parents,” says Julie. “The bond they created in just a few days was incredible. We plan to stay in touch and get together from time to time.”
Julie
In 2024 we had the privilege of serving 151 families at our four Family Retreats, and we served twenty-nine families at our Warrior Getaway. These families were served by 605 volunteers—one of those volunteers being sweet 16-year-old Josiah.
“Back in 2011, I would have never imagined that my tiny baby with Down syndrome would someday serve Jesus with the same ministry that was serving our family. Thank you, Joni and Friends, for coming alongside families struggling with disabilities. I will forever be grateful to you for showing us that with disabilities and without, there is always a place to serve God and bring glory to his name.”
Julie
We’re thanking God for life transformations like Josiah’s. And we praise him for spreading Gospel hope all around the world through our many Christ-centered programs. But our hearts ache over the tens of thousands of disabled children and families still desperate for help and hope in Jesus.
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 disability. God bless you and your family always!
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