Spiritual Rest, Encouragement, and Unconditional Love at Family Retreat
With God’s faithfulness, a lot of prayer, and your generous support, Joni and Friends has enlarged our ministry to serve Central California from the Stateline to the Grapevine. We are humbled by God’s goodness and your steadfast partnership.
Families struggling with disability often share how they feel isolated, exhausted, and afraid. Community doesn’t always feel welcoming, and sometimes it just isn’t accessible at all. Caregiving without support results in weary fatigue, often leading to illness and depression. A growing number of families face the gnawing question of who will care for their child when they are gone, generating great fear.
Family Retreat has been a Joni and Friends tradition for over thirty years and has blessed countless thousands of families. Parents often share that upon arrival at Family Retreat they feel overwhelming joy and encouragement as they are surrounded by people who welcome and accept their child. Barriers have been removed, supports put in place, and everyone is seen as an image bearer of God.
Joni and Friends Central California is also seeing God move through its Christ-centered Marriage Getaway, which serves families who have a child or a spouse living with disability.
Both Marriage Getaways and Family Retreats make a life-changing difference for families navigating the challenges of disability. Let me tell you about one family…
Paul and Rowena have four sons. Two of their boys have a chromosome microdeletion that manifests uniquely for each of them. Zachary, who is 26 years old, experiences more medically complex needs, including issues with his heart and the need for orthopedic support through leg braces when he was younger. Seventeen-year-old Josiah experiences mental health challenges that include anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
“Mental health is a rough road. No one tool has been the magic tool, so as a family we work hard to identify support that works for Josiah. He has a tender heart, but bad days are really hard,” says Rowena.
“We desperately need Family Retreat, but we just can’t afford it,” was what Paul and Rowena said when it was time to register.
They had experienced a difficult year. Rowena suffers with chronic pain and required multiple surgeries, resulting in mounting medical bills. Stress at home and struggles at school had led to increased anxiety and behavioral challenges for Josiah. All these hardships weighed heavily on the entire family. And through the generosity of friends like you, Paul, Rowena, Zachary, and Josiah received a Family Retreat scholarship.
The spiritual rest, encouragement, and unconditional love they found at Family Retreat were just what they needed.
They connected with a community of people who understand the difficulties of raising children living with disabilities.
“Family Retreat families are always available as a resource and support. We’ve got each other’s backs Joni and Friends is unique because it is not just an activity that connects us, but a relationship,” says Rowena.
Social interactions are challenging for both Josiah and Zachary, but they treasure the friendships they have formed at Family Retreat.
Whether it is celebrating disability awareness at our Joni and Friends Walk ‘N’ Roll, or finding fellowship at a Summer Fun event, Rowena says, “We can attend Joni and Friends events because we know we are safe and welcomed to come as we are.”
Rowena also takes part in our online Women’s Care Group, and Zachary has grown through our young adult Bible study.
“Joni and Friends was also our connection to church,” says Rowena.
After being heartbroken when their son was not welcomed in the youth program at the church they had been attending, our Joni and Friends community helped Rowena and Paul find a church where their whole family is included.
“We have learned to seek the Lord, trusting him in all areas of life. We have had to go through the fire—it’s painful, but the outcome is beautiful,” says Rowena.
We’re thanking God for life transformations like Paul and Rowena’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 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. Will you prayerfully consider making a generous gift, so we can double to number of families served through Family Retreat, Marriage Getaway, and Warrior Getaway? Your most generous gift will provide the hope of Jesus to hurting families as he continues to enlarge our territory for his glory.
Support Joni and Friends Central California
Your gift will provide belonging, joy, and Gospel hope to families living with disability! Learn more about Joni and Friends Central California.
