Joni and Friends Shows Special Needs Families They’re Not Alone
Meet Greg, Angelina, and their family…
Greg and Angelina have been part of Joni and Friends since 2017. They have five children: Joanna, Mariya, Josiah, Moses, and Gracie. Originally from Ukraine, Angelina moved to the U.S. in the 90s, after the Berlin Wall fell. She and Greg met on their first day of Bible college in 2008, and got married at the end of their first year.
During school, the couple had their first two children. As they were about to have their third child, Josiah, they planned to serve as missionaries…
When Disability Enters the Picture
Disability caught Greg and Angelina by surprise when Josiah was born with a genetic condition called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Their doctor said that Josiah would probably never walk, and that 60% of children with this diagnosis die within the first two years of life.
Greg and Angelina never expected to have a child with a disability, nor did they know what to do. And they didn’t know what God has to say about disability. They wondered if they did anything wrong: “Is there something they could have done different in pregnancy? Is there any unrepentant sin?”
“We did not doubt God one bit, but we did have questions: ‘Lord, what is this? Why is this happening to us? As parents of a child like this, how can we serve you now?’ Little did we know! Josiah means ‘Jehovah has healed’. And this is fitting because God decided to heal our hearts,” says Greg.
“How did you come to find out about Joni and Friends?”
Angelina found Joni and Friends through an internet search. Then she remembered that she had heard about Joni and Friends as a little girl while living in Ukraine. Her family and neighbors got together and watched Joni’s documentary and she remembers being fascinated by her story.
Angelina discovered that there was a retreat for families impacted by disability at a camp on the Oregon Coast. She reached out to the director at the time of the Oregon Family Retreat:
“I called and explained that we’re moving to Washington state and trying to get a support system. We’re scared and need someone to talk to. Growing up in Soviet Union, disability is not something we’d even talk about. My first instinct was to think of the orphanages and how badly they treated disabled children.
I talked about my concerns, my fears, my sense of being alone, and then the director prayed with me. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that means a lot, we’re not alone, someone knows what we are going through, someone sees us.’ And that’s how we ended up being invited to go to and then attended a Joni and Friends Family Retreat.”
“What would you say to families who are unsure about going to Family Retreat or Marriage Getaway?”
“I think there’s never a perfect time! For us, having been exposed to Joni and Friends Family Retreat at such an early stage of our being a family impacted by disability was very meaningful. Those first few years of diagnosis are so hard for families and so many families fall apart. Through Joni and Friends, you get resources, you get support, and you realize you’re not alone. It’s amazing!”
Angelina
“We’ve been impacted in so many ways. That’s how we adopted Moses. God gave us our son Josiah, and he worked in our hearts. So, with Moses, it was like, ‘Oh yes, this child is a gift from God.’ It’s been a difficult road the last three years, but again, through Joni and Friends ministry we’ve had such support. Moses just had a big eight-hour surgery in Seattle. But through the Joni and Friends Marriage Getaway, a couple that we met there heard that we’re going to be in their town, and they came and sat with us during the surgery, they checked up on us, brought us meals. I could mention many families, not just one, multiple families.”
Greg
“Allow people to come into your heart because you’re going to get blessed. It is so encouraging for families to allow people to come along and hold your child, go for a walk, and just give you rest. You need that and you need to receive that through the ministry of Joni and Friends.”
Angelina
Support Joni and Friends Northwest
Your generous gift will help more families living with disability find hope and belonging in the body of Christ.
