Joni: Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to “Joni and Friends” and Ken Tada, welcome to the microphone.
Ken: Oh, Joni, it’s so exciting being here with you. You know lots of families are signing up for our Family Retreats. There is going to be 25 of them across the United States this summer.
Joni: And also, we have an extra 15 Family Retreats for disabled people and their families in places like Thailand, Cuba, and Peru and other developing nations. And Ken we love Family Retreats, don't we?
Ken: Oh, we do and do you know why? Because we have a disability, we fit right in.
Joni: We sure do. And you know what, friend listening, today Ken and I are asking you to please, please pray for the many hundreds of disabled people and their family members who, for the first time, they are going to sign up, come to Family Retreats, and they will be hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ at our upcoming retreats. We don't want Satan snatching away the good seed that is going to be sewn into the soil of tired hearts and weary souls. I realize we have a couple of months to go before our Family Retreats get started, but we are Already praying at the headquarters of “Joni and Friends” and we are asking the Lord to send our moms and dads, and their disabled children, to these Family Retreats. Some families are out there still guessing and wondering and deciding whether or not they should make the effort to come to our retreat, but we want them to come because we want them to know Jesus, right Ken?
Ken: Oh, yes. And do you know something Joni? Do you remember last summer?
Joni: It was awesome!
Ken: It was truly awesome!
Joni: You always get pumped up about those Family Retreats when you can go fishing at a Family Retreat.
Ken: Well, a little fly-casting when they have those lakes up there. Oh, it’s great!
Joni: I’ve seen you take your fly rods and a couple of flies up at Murrieta Hot Springs Family Retreat. You were out there casting one morning. Well, whatever retreats Ken and I end up attending this summer Ken, bring your fly rod, okay?
Ken: I will!
Joni: And you know last summer there was one young mother with a couple of children, one of whom had severe autism. She arrived not knowing what to expect, but after the first day of that Family Retreat, she had been so warmly welcomed by all the volunteers. She saw her kids at play; she couldn’t believe she was able to release that little one with autism, but she did and she discovered she really could trust us with her son with a disability. Plus, she had a chance to sit down and talk to other mothers and she felt her burden begin to lift and just after the first day, she came up to us with wide eyes (I don’t know if you remember this, Ken) and said, "Oh, Mrs. Tada, I'm in happy shock! I'm in happy shock! I don't know what to say," she stammered, "I'm just in happy shock!" Remember that?
Ken: I remember that.
Joni: She was in shock because this was the first time she and her husband had enjoyed any kind of break, any kind of respite since her son with autism had been born nine years earlier. And she was happy, because for the first time she began to see that there was hope -- Romans chapter 5 kind of hope-- promising her that suffering was producing something and giving her encouragement and strength to continue.
Ken: And Joni, we’ve got a great video posted on your radio page for people to take a look at Family Retreats…
Joni: Yep, and see what it’s all about. So friend, take a minute and go over to my radio page at joniandfriends.org and be blessed by the testimonies on that video – and share it with your Facebook friends, would you -- especially any friends who may have special needs. And our closing encouragement to you: If this dear mother at our Family Retreat could grab hold of Jesus in her hardship, you can, too. And it just may be enough to put you into “happy shock” at the glorious, great and amazing grace of our Savior!
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PO Box 3333 Agoura Hills, CA 91376