Hear Joni tell a touching story of someone who is now a part of the Joni and Friends family. With God, anything that happens in your life is never wasted.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada to say that nothing is wasted.
Not even a disability. Even two disabilities in the family. The story starts with my friends Mel and Joyce who, when they married in the 60s, wanted to raise a large family on their dairy farm in Pennsylvania [and I’ve been on their dairy farm it’s really fun!]. 14 months later they welcomed their first son, Jerry, to start their family. But as Jerry developed, it was clear that their first son had a lot of delays. Their second son, Michael, was a typical boy and even though he was younger than Jerry, he would slow his pace so that his older brother could keep up. They were best buds. Their beds were side-by-side. They would walk to the barn together [Jerry kind of walked with a waddle] and Mike who, with patience, even as a little boy, always slowed his pace to match Jerry’s. The family eventually learned that Jerry’s disability was a genetic issue. So, when Mel and Joyce got pregnant again [a third child was on the way], their doctor strongly advised amniocentesis [a dangerous procedure] to determine if the unborn child had the same genetic condition as Jerry. But Mel and Joyce felt it would be a breach of trust in God to take this new life into their own hands.
They kept this unborn baby and before long, newborn Melody came home from the hospital. But they soon learned that she had the same genetic disability as Jerry and would be profoundly disabled. Joyce remembers crying out to God, “God I was completely trusting in you to give us a healthy child.” But she also recalls clearly hearing his answer, “If you were trusting in me then, why aren’t you now?” And so, Mel and Joyce did just that. They trusted their Lord. And later on, Matthew was born, a typical kid just like his brother, Mike. But these two boys were about to experience great pain at a tender age. Because Jerry passed away, and then Melody following her disabled brother into heaven. The family grieved deeply, but they were not about to accept that Jerry and Melody’s lives were wasted.
Okay, so, now, fast forward many years. And Joyce being so familiar with disability, she decided to volunteer at our Joni and Friends Family Retreat in Pennsylvania. And Mike, by this time, was married with his own children and raising them on a dairy farm. And so, every summer, Mike’s kids went with Grandma Joyce to Family Retreat to serve families that struggled with disability. And then Mike and his wife decided to volunteer. Oh my goodness, although in heaven, God was still using Jerry and Melody – and hundreds of special needs families were benefiting at our Family Retreat.
Years have passed and Family Retreat has remained a part of Joyce and Mel’s family. They have witnessed miracles, they have seen marriages saved, they have helped bring peace after heartache and life after loss. And it’s all to God’s glory. And perhaps a lot of it, to Jerry and Melody’s credit. But there’s more. Last November Mike – Mike Eby became the Area Director for Joni and Friends Pennsylvania. Scores of churches are now being trained and thousands of families are being reached for Christ. And if you ask Mike, he will point to his disabled brother and sister as his inspiration. Yes, the lives of Jerry and Melody haven’t been wasted. Oh and hey, if you’d like to see a snapshot of this amazing family, visit joniradio.org where I have also included a link to our church resource page so your congregation can be part of reaching people with disabilities in your community. Again that’s joniradio.org. Let’s be a part of carrying on the legacy of Jerry and Melody.
© Joni and Friends