Come Home With Us to Family Retreat!

By |Published On: April 25, 2013|Categories: Family Retreats|

Cathryn at the wheelchair square dance during Family RetreatCathryn is a beautiful 21-year-old with a ready smile and a keen intellect. Her dad often serves as Camp Pastor at Family Retreat – but Cathryn has her own reasons for coming every summer. “I’m surrounded by love at Family Retreat,” she explains. “I can be myself without worrying about looking just right. There’s a side of me that comes out at Retreat that doesn’t come out any other place…. It’s an important part of my year because I can do things here I don’t normally do. It means something special to me to share my thoughts and hang out with people who understand me.” Cathryn’s family understands disability firsthand. “We had no clue what Cathryn’s diagnosis would bring into our lives,” says her mom, Deanna. “By the time someone asked us to come to Joni and Friends Family Retreat, we were overwhelmed and isolated. Coming to Family Retreat was like coming home. The acceptance and unity, the smiles and peace are precious and life-giving to us.” As Camp Pastor, Cathryn’s father, Jim, ministers God’s light and life to other families who live with disability just like his does. He knows firsthand the weight and unrelenting demands of disability. He knows the overwhelming exhaustion. But after eight years of Family Retreat, he also knows the power of God to restore joy and peace, to bring fresh power and comfort. From all his family has experienced at Family Retreat, Jim shares with other hungry and hurting families the comfort he himself has received. 

Join us this year at Family Retreat!

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