Sometimes you can’t express what you’re feeling in words – a quilt can explain it better. Listen in as Joni talks about a unique gift she received recently.
Take a look at this amazing quilt here.
SHAUNA: I’m Shauna, with Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Here’s Joni with a special word. Joni, we are celebrating a huge milestone today!
JONI: Yes, we are Shauna!
SHAUNA: And did you have any idea way back when, that we’d be here today? I mean, this milestone is since 1991 when Family Retreats were just getting started. And now here we are marking the 35th anniversary of such an amazing outreach!
JONI: Absolutely, Shauna. And even back in the early 90s, we were fully committed to welcoming absolutely any family that was struggling with a disability, no matter how challenging that disability was. And gee, let’s see, often it meant building extra ramps at the conference center where Family Retreat was being held. I recall when one family arrived with their son who had multiple disabilities and five siblings. We wanted to accommodate their needs and make them feel welcomed, so we rented a specialized hospital bed for their son, including extra battery power for oxygen equipment. You know, sometimes serving a family at retreat has meant dedicating three young, strong, strapping college-aged volunteers to keep up with [oh, I don’t know] a teenager who has autism and non-stop energy. And for 35 years, our Family Retreats have served countless moms and dads, kids with disabilities, brothers and sisters, couples with a wheelchair, and more. Thousands have found true community and faith in Jesus Christ. Like David and Heather Smith and their children, Abby, Sullivan, and Leon. Their first retreat was years ago, and it was life-changing!
Their little son Leon has autism and other related disabilities, and he can be quite a handful. But at Family Retreat, Leon found friends, he discovered that Jesus loved him, and this thrilled David and Heather. Their other kids, Abby and Sullivan also have disabilities, but Family Retreat gave even them, big hearts for serving God by helping others. And this really choked me up. I mean, Family Retreat was for the Smiths, a life-altering experience. And so, this summer when we marked 35 years of Family Retreats, Heather surprised me with a beautiful present. She made an awesome, wonderful quilt. What a creative and visionary way of celebrating 35 years. Heather collected as many Family Retreat T-shirts with themes on the front [like Hope Overflowing, one year it was Press On, Believe the Impossible, and more]; anyway, she stitched them all together and made this wonderful quilt. And when she mailed it and I then opened up this huge box, a flood of heartfelt, happy memories overwhelmed me as my eyes traced all the years and all the different T-shirts and themes throughout three and a half decades. I mean, this quilt is a treasure that we will definitely display here at Joni and Friends.
David and Heather Smith got so involved with our ministry that David is now our Regional Director of our ministry in the Midwest. And because of Leon and his siblings, my friend David fits perfectly in this leadership role. Like 1 Timothy 1 says, “I thank Jesus that he appointed you to his service.” And so, Heather, if you’re listening, thank you for serving Jesus. Thank you for the love that you stitched into every square of this quilt. God bless you for the time, your labor, and the way you have delighted in Family Retreats. I’m so grateful for the ingenious way you’ve helped Joni and Friends celebrate 35 years of hundreds of Retreats.
SHAUNA: And hey, friend, if you’d like to see a photo of this amazing quilt, just take a look at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends