The Look of Hope

            What do Ken and I enjoy doing most?

            Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and if you said our Family Retreats, you got it!  Those retreats bolster our spirits like nothing else... I think it's because there's so much hope at our retreats -- just today, we start another one up in Mission Springs, California. So many people with catastrophic injuries, but it's all happiness and hope at a Family Retreat.   

            It kind of reminds me of the time when Elizabeth and her mother came to camp.  Elizabeth is 19 years old with severe autism - she doesn't speak and is extremely hypersensitive to noise.  You can imagine how exhausted her mother - a single mother at that - was when they arrived.  They were the last ones to drive up to the retreat center; it was late at night and Elizabeth was tired.  We welcomed the two of them with open arms and happy cheers - and found out real fast that was the wrong thing to do.  Our noisy welcome nearly sent Elizabeth into a tailspin.  No smiles from her that night.  But as they went to bed we were hopeful things would change by morning.

            Unfortunately, the first day was more of the same, even though she went out on the lake for a boat-ride... no smiling.  After lunch, it was arts and crafts but still, Elizabeth shied away and kept her face in her hands...  no smiles.  But we were hopeful - because later that afternoon would be horseback riding.  Now you'd think that would elicit a couple of smiles... but it was only more of the same:  just that autistic kind of shy, squirming, shielding her face, sour response.  Her mother was beginning to wonder if they had done the right thing coming to Family Retreat.  Why in the world did Elizabeth seem so fearful?  Why no smiles?  Was there just too much noise for this autistic girl?  We refused to give up. 

            The next day a strange thing happened.  All the teenagers were scheduled to head over to the gun shooting range.  At first we thought, Oh, boy, keep Elizabeth away from that!  But she really wanted to stay with her group.  When it came Elizabeth's turn to hold the rifle and, with supervision, take aim at the bull's-eye 25 yards away - bang! - she fired and hit the target.  Lo and behold, we saw a smile, and after the second shot, a giggle.  The third?  Well at that point Elizabeth put down the rifle, hugged herself and almost laughed.  We couldn't believe it.  Was it the protective headset that covered her ears?  Who knew?  But she kept at it.  In fact, after devotions that day, Elizabeth even went on the zipline.  Our hope - that is, our confidence and assurance sure did pay off.  That evening when awards were given out, everyone cheered when Elizabeth was given the honor of "zipline queen".  That kid didn't flinch with all that clapping.

            You know, that's what happens at Family Retreat.  And it happens all the time.  Not just the smiles, but the heaven-sent hope... the happy assurance and the complete confidence that God will show up.  And speaking of hope, I want to give you a free copy of a small book I wrote called Hope... the Best of Things.  All you have to do is visit me today at joniandfriendsradio.org and I'll get it off to you pronto.  And while you're on my webpage, don't forget to click on the video where I talk more about hope.  So please visit me when you have a chance later on... join me at joniandfriendsradio.org.  And may I share with you this prayer from Romans 15:13?  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Yep, that's what happens at Family Retreat (just ask Elizabeth and her mother) -- it's overflowing with hope!  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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