Tracy could use your encouragement this Valentine’s Day! Share the love and hope of Christ with this woman as part of the Heart for the Disabled campaign.
Send your Valentine to Tracy at Joni and Friends, PO Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376. See her photo at joniradio.org.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with Heart for the Disabled!
And you know it well. You’ve been joining me on this campaign for years. Because January is when we at Joni and Friends invite you to bless five families who deal with disability and are in need of a little extra encouragement – just in time for Valentine’s Day! So if you have a pencil and paper, jot down these details.
Because I want to tell you about my friend Tracy. Many years ago, Tracy was a freshman in college working on a degree in design. She loved designing jewelry and planned to make a career out of it. Her plans took a turn, though, when one weekend she drove home in a thunderstorm. Her car skidded off the road and slammed into a tree. The accident left her paralyzed, with very limited use of her hands. In addition, Tracy suffered brain injury which took away her ability to speak. And now, decades later, Tracy is still in a wheelchair and unable to speak, but guess what: she still enjoys designing and making jewelry. Now, she has a very limited finger movement and has to borrow her mother’s hands, but Tracy is the designer of each beautiful piece of jewelry she makes. In fact, she gave me a lovely necklace with a medallion on which she had imprinted a leaping deer. The inspiration for it was Isaiah 35:5-6, where it says, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like… deer.” Wow. What an awesome reminder of the hope of heaven! And whenever I wear this necklace, I am reminded to pray not only for Tracy, but for the many disabled people like her that we serve at Joni and Friends. Indeed, when people with disabilities embrace Christ, they have the assurance that one day we’re all going to leap like deer.
Well, Tracy recently moved into an independent home. This is the first time since her accident that she has lived away from her parents, but as her mom and dad have aged, they, too, are going through health challenges. Besides, Tracy wanted to give her parents a respite from their full-time caregiving responsibilities.
Bless Tracy’s heart, she has selflessly and graciously moved into this new facility, although she admits it’s hard to be away from her community, and her church, and her family. So, please pray for Tracy as she continues to wrestle with this transition. Let her know that she’s not alone, that you’ve heard her story and have been moved by her testimony. Send her a Valentine, or your favorite Scripture, words to a hymn – whatever! Just mail your cards to Tracy, in care of Joni and Friends, P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376. And in case you missed any details, I’ve posted everything at joniradio.org, including details about all our other Heart for the Disabled families. And see the wonderful photo that I’ve posted of Tracy. It’s all at joniradio.org. Oh, and one more thing. When I go down to the mailroom and I see your letters, it really touches my heart. You friends really care about our Heart for the Disabled families; you have been moved by their plight, but you actually want to do something about it. And that’s what I love about you. You put feet on your faith and action into your compassion. So, thank you for having a heart for the disabled. And God bless you for having a special heart for my dear friend Tracy. Find out more about her at joniradio.org. Oh, and one more thing: I want to send you a copy of our Joni and Friends newsletter, so just go to joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends