Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and it’s Heart for the Disabled week!
That’s right, here at Joni and Friends we are asking you to help make this upcoming Valentine’s Day pretty special for a special needs family by writing a note of encouragement to them. Yesterday I shared a couple of details about Tammy who suffered a spinal cord injury recently, but today I want to tell you about a woman who is totally deaf. Her name is Brenda.
Brenda had never been to a Family Retreat before, but all that changed last summer. Brenda had been so isolated because of being deaf, but Brenda did not come to the Family Retreat because of her own disability; you see, her 8-year-old daughter, Katrina, has ADHD, a seizure disorder, and also some speech delays. Believe me, it is not easy raising such a child when you have to struggle with your own disability of deafness. But Brenda knew that by coming to our Family Retreat, it would be a blessing to her little girl. Well, little did this mother realize that she would be the one receiving an even bigger blessing – their trip to Family Retreat was the first vacation in 5 years for Brenda; it had been so long since she had taken a break that she said to our Retreat leader, “I didn’t even know how to pack anymore.” My goodness. Well, when Brenda arrived, we assigned to her a sign language interpreter to be with her during the whole retreat. She couldn’t believe it. She was in tears when she saw and experienced God’s love at Family Retreat – and when Katrina ended up connecting with so many other kids with disabilities, she realized she wasn’t alone; she wasn’t strange or different. She fit perfectly at Family Retreat. And finally, when it was all over, Brenda (in tears) told us through her interpreter, “My relationship with God is much stronger now after this retreat.”
Now, friend, I am convinced that this mother, who is deaf, and her daughter, whose name is Katrina, would be so inspired to hear a few words of encouragement from you – it’s been many months since that mountaintop experience at our Joni and Friends Family Retreat and the day-to-day routines with Katrina’s disability surely are heavy on Brenda’s heart. So, would you please jot her and her daughter a few words? Maybe a Scripture or words to a beloved hymn or poem? Some of our listeners even go so far as to send a Baskin-Robbins gift certificate, but I’m not asking you to do that. The most important thing is simply offering Christ-centered encouragement: Christ-centered encouragement expressed any way you wish – because this deaf woman needs to see God’s love in action. Oh, another thing, if you feel led, let Brenda know you’ll be praying for her and her daughter Katrina. Believe me, this dear woman is hungry for any contact with others and I know she’ll appreciate your card or note so very much.
Just send it to Brenda and her 8-year-old special needs daughter named Katrina and send it to Joni and Friends at P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, California 91376. Let me say that address again: it’s Joni and Friends, P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, California 91376. And let me hear from you right away so that your card or note will arrive right in time for us to bundle it up with all the others and mail it to Brenda and Katrina right in time for Valentine’s Day. And if you didn’t get the address or if you need to be reminded of the details of Brenda and her daughter, you can always get the scoop at joniandfriendsradio.org. Thanks for doing that. And, finally, thank you for having a heart for the disabled.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends