Joni and Friends by Robert

When Arthur first announced the Joni and Friends retreat at TD, I wasn’t totally excited at the idea. Having had some awkward moments in Convalescent Home meetings I couldn’t help but wonder if it would be anything like that. I really have to thank Arthur for asking me about it, God really used that to make a change in me. I thought about it and He gave me the strength to say, here am i, use me. And I’m very grateful for Sandra’s parents for paying for me, because if they didn’t give so generously I probably wouldn’t have gone.

I was very happy when I found out George was also going, I knew that we would get closer through the experience. I knew that if we let God use us to minister to others then we would receive more blessing than the little we give. Still I had no idea how it was going to be.. The first day was volunteer training, where we got to meet many of the other volunteers and learn a little about disabilities. We had an activity where people were assigned disabilities and had to go through a simulation for a few hours. That prepared me a little and took away some of the nervousness I had. The next 5 days were some of the greatest of my life, this would be too long to tell of everything that happened. But here are some highlights!

When the families started coming to the retreat grounds I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of my family and was really hoping thing would go well. I found that the parents Dan and Lori both had things under control with their kids. After a few days I kinda felt like I wasn’t helping much. But it was good to be able to chat with the parents and their home assistant, Rachel and helping them push the kids around in their stroller. But by the end of a few days the kids were asking for me and they could recognize me, I felt so happy that they warmed up to me so fast.

There’s just something about having your focus set on the well-being of others. It’s just so refreshing; and it changes us. There was also this one boy I was in charge of during Children’s program time. His name was Caleb, he had cerebral palsy, and just couldn’t understand much. I spend many hours with him during the week, and there seemed to be no progress, and it was as if he couldn’t tell I was there. I was praying to God, asking Him why he has made this child like this, and I was wondering if Caleb would ever have the capacity to learn about Christ and accept Christ. God gave me comfort and showed me to trust in Him the next day when Caleb really warmed up to me and I could make him smile.

I was just so joyful, it’s hard to explain.. but I could tell I was doing God’s will. Sorry I haven’t really talked about all that happened during the retreat. But some thoughts stuck with me. All of my partners in Christ were so enthusiastic and filled with God’s love. It was so good to work with men and women who were filled with the Holy Spirit and equipped by God to serve. And I loved the time with Mike and George during the nights; it built a friendship between George and I that is God centered, and Mike just inspired me so much.

It was very fun to bring some much needed love to the disabled people and their families. They need the love of the family of Christ, not because they are less but because people treat them as less. Now I know that mentally and physically disabled people are not any less than those without, in fact, they are so aware of their brokenness and their total depravity without God that they have such a joy and passion in knowing Him. They have become my role models and no longer do I look down on them as less able, God has shown me that it is we, with our fast-paced, fun-filled lives, who are blind to our distance from God and impaired in our ability to see through our pride. It is we who are weak and need God to give us grace to overcome our earthly nature