Got a question: how much does it take for you to get a kid to smile?
Okay, you could do a funny face… you could tickle his ribs… or announce: “Okay, head for the car; we’re going to Baskin-Robbins for ice cream.” That’ll get them smiling. Or on a more serious vein, how about just a few words of approval on a job well done, or homework report, or telling your teenager he can drive the family to church next Sunday. Wow! That would bring a smile. But let’s say that young person out of whom you’re trying to coax a grin… let’s say he or she has a disability – a serious disability. Well, hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and that might be a little harder. Sometimes, smiles don’t come easy when you are, well… when you are 15-year-old Katherine who has a severe form of autism, and developmental delays, plus she doesn’t speak.
Katherine came with her mother to one of our Family Retreats last summer. It was very late on a Monday night when they finally arrived – Katherine had had a bit of a meltdown on the drive and her mother was exhausted. Neitherof them were smiling that evening… and the next morning it wasn’t much different for Katherine. Whether going to the swimming pool, the slip n’ slide, and the other activities, every photo we snapped of Katherine showed her with her face in her hands. Even when you’d walk up to her with a soft voice and smile, Katherine would cover her face and look away.
But then, the next day it was horseback riding – what’s this? Do we see her looking up a little more with hands by her side? Okay… and then it was on to the zipline; and is that a slight grin on her face? Well, I tell you, by the end of the day, Katherine was smiling so big. Her mother couldn’t believe it, and neither could we. So… just what did it take to get this kid to smile? Just an opportunity for her to look beyond her disability and be encircled with happy hope, lots of help, a lot of prayer, and the chance to just have fun! Oh, and yes, with that fun, a whole lot of Christian fellowship.
The transition in Katherine at our Family Retreat was nothing short of miraculous. In fact, you just need to see her go from sulking to smiling for yourself – our ministry did a television episode on Katherine and her mother coming to Family Retreat and we appropriately titled it “Katherine’s Smile.” And look, if you’re having a hard time mustering a smile today, then you really must see Katherine break out of that shell to embrace the God who had given her such a great time at Family Retreat. I know it’ll really inspire you, and you can see this incredibly special little video for yourself by visiting joniandfriendsradio.org. We’ve got it right up there on the home page of our radio website – just give it a click, and you’ll be smiling, too, when you witness firsthand the change in Katherine.
And there’s something I want you to know: something important. It was the short-term missionaries; that is, the volunteers who were teenagers who really brought Katherine out of her shell. They were the ones who took her horseback riding, to the archery range, helped her on the zipline, sat by her in chapel, you name it… they were there giving that young girl with autism every reason to smile. So, if you’re looking for an opportunity to serve the Lord like those helpers served Katherine and her mother, then ask for a Family Retreat brochure when you visit joniandfriendsradio.org. Look it over, give it some prayer, and consider joining us at one of this year’s Family Retreats. And until next time we meet, just remember that with the Lord of joy, you have every reason to smile. I invite you to visit me today at our website at joniandfriendradio.org. Until next time, this is Joni and Friends.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
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