The Love of Christ at Family Retreat
On stage at Family Retreat, Emily is singing the final words of “I Am a Child of God.” The moment she finishes, the crowd bursts into applause and cheers. Emily’s smile exudes happy confidence.
For Emily, who lives with Down syndrome, getting to know a group of new people—let alone walking onto a stage to sing for them—wasn’t always easy. As her mom Nancy says:
But now… Emily marches up on stage all by herself and sings proudly into the microphone! Family Retreat gives Emily confidence.”
“The first year we came to Family Retreat, Emily had a lot of anxiety. She was scared to death to be onstage at the talent show. I remember seeing her bent over hiding backstage because she was so scared.
Emily Feels Safe Here
What secured Emily to sing with her head held high at this year’s talent show? It’s the love of Christ that flows through Family Retreat and all the Christ-centered outreaches of Joni and Friends. It’s also the powerful the experience of being fully embraced and accepted by a community of believers—people who know that every person with a disability is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.
“Emily feels safe at Family Retreat. She gains independence and socialization skills when we’re here. Family Retreat is our home away from home,” says her dad, David.
“Emily is a person first—she is not defined by Down syndrome,” says Nancy.
And this is true for every family member attending Family Retreat—both people with disabilities and their caregivers…
An Experience for the Whole Family
If you ask David and Nancy, they’ll tell you they love Family Retreat just as much as Emily!
“We always reconnect as a couple when we’re here. Family Retreat is created for the whole family. We’ve seen parents change and children transformed here. People move from being angry about their circumstances to being lovers of Jesus.
People arrive feeling alone, but after Family Retreat, we know we’re not alone anymore. Joni and Friends gives us all a support system. And the men’s group is a great way to create relationships with other dads!” says David.
“We’re all valued here at Family Retreat. The couples’ group is amazing, and the bond between women in the moms’ group is unmatched. It’s so healing knowing we don’t have to explain ourselves or our children—everyone just understands,” says Nancy.
You can invite more families navigating disability to Joni and Friends Retreats & Getaways where they can experience full acceptance in the body of Christ!
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1
John 3:1
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