It’s The People and Community That Make Family Retreat So Special
Kylie, a vivacious young woman with spina bifida, loves being part of the Joni and Friends community. She especially enjoys Family Retreat, and has attended for five years. As she says:
“Family Retreat is a community of people that are always welcoming and kind. At Family Retreat, I am just Kylie.”
At a Joni and Friends Family Retreat, families and individuals experiencing disability feel welcome and seen, with no need to explain their disability.
This simple-yet-profound experience of belonging sets the stage for a week of joy, rest, and fun.
What Makes Family Retreat Special
Kylie will tell you that the fun, accessible camp activities at Family Retreat—from playing with bunnies to ziplining and swimming—are not what make the experience so important to her.
“It is all fun, but it is the people and community that make Family Retreat so special. It’s different at Family Retreat. You may only see the people there one week per year but the relationship you have with them is special, intentional, and deep.”
Kylie thrives among friends in the Family Retreat teen program, where each person’s gifts and strengths get to shine through. She participates eagerly and gets inspiration to try new things.
“I am a competitive person but as I have seen God’s power at work in the lives of so many families at Family Retreat, and as I finish my time in the teen program, I am beginning to see that I can have fun and be used by God to motivate and encourage others. That is when I began to think about how God might have me serve…”
New Steps of Faith
When Kylie’s aunt and cousin, who lives with disability, joined her at Family Retreat, the Christ-centered love, acceptance, and service they all received confirmed to Kylie that she wanted to serve others through Joni and Friends.
“I was hesitant to share that I would like to serve because of my disability. But I was encouraged by family, friends, and the teen group leader to trust God’s calling to serve.
While how I serve might look different, I think I am ready. Maybe I will partner with another volunteer, but I would like to provide others the same amazing experience that I had each year I attended Family Retreat.”
In demonstration of her faith in Christ, Kylie recently got baptized.
She shared that much of her testimony flows from her experiences at Family Retreat: the fellowship, teaching, worship, and prayer, all of which supported her growing faith.
Sharing Hope Through Hardship
Kylie is looking forward to starting college soon. She hopes to serve with the Joni and Friends Wheels for the World™ program, offering mobility equipment and the hope of Jesus to people with disabilities worldwide. She knows firsthand how a wheelchair can change the life of a person with a physical disability.
“I was blessed to be able to walk when I was younger, but I wasn’t able to walk fast enough to play and hang out with friends. But with my wheelchair, I have that freedom and ability,” says Kylie.
Knowing that most people in the world who need a wheelchair have to do without breaks Kylie’s heart. She wants every person to be able to get out of the house—and every child to be able to play with friends and go to school…
“With the support of specialized equipment, I am able to participate in lots of things, like snow skiing and tennis. I can’t imagine being unable to go out in community and to hang out with friends.”
You can make a difference like Kylie!
Moving into adulthood, Kylie has deep faith in Christ. She also knows how to help others see people with disabilities completely, understanding that a diagnosis never defines a person.
Like Kylie, you can make it possible for people with disabilities to find true belonging and hope in Christ. When you give to Joni and Friends Central California, you change the lives of people with disabilities, at home and around the world.
Support Joni and Friends Central California
Your support will provide hands-on help, true belonging, and joy in Christ to people with disabilities!
