God’s Love In Action

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

When it comes to the Joni and Friends radio outreach, there’s nothing I get more excited about than Heart for the Disabled week.

All week-long I feature five special-needs families and their stories, all of them struggling through grueling day-in and day-out disability routines. These are families we meet at our Joni and Friends Family Retreats, and were always stunned by their persevering, upbeat attitudes, despite overwhelming odds. Of course, we give them all the encouragement a Family Retreat has to offer, but months later, by January and early February, well… the next Family Retreat can seem too far away. Add to that, the cold, dreary days of midwinter, and these families can find themselves slump-shouldered and near bone-weary with discouragement.

So every year, I invite everyone I can to write a note of encouragement that includes a Scripture, an inspirational poem, an assurance of prayer, or a favorite quotation. Sometimes a gift card for coffee, McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A will also get slipped in with these words of encouragement! Then, they mail it to Joni and Friends where we gather each card and gift, package it up in a large box, and then mail it so it arrives in the mailbox of that special-needs family on Valentine’s Day! Where possible, our Joni and Friends teams often hand-deliver these happy packages to the front door, and announce…

“Surprise! Here’s God’s love-package just for you!”

We’ve been doing our Heart for the Disabled campaign of encouragement for more than twenty years, and it continues to be a highlight of not only my year, but for all those who, like you, participate in giving these love packages. I am always blown away by the outpouring of hope and help as you send in your favorite hymn, an encouraging Bible verse, your own story of God’s care, and of course, all the handmade items from kids who want to get in on the fun, too. I remember one family who, when they received their package on Valentine’s Day, spread everything out on the kitchen table; then, opening each note one by one, the tears began to flow. They could not believe this many people actually cared!

Heart for the Disabled week is a wonderfully practical way that you are able to practice God’s love in action. 

It’s a beautiful expression of 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Lots of my co-workers enjoy getting in on this “one another” activity, and so we always set up a table with extra Valentines, stickers and crayons so that it’s easy for everyone to create a hand-made note during break-time from our desks. Even volunteers love to participate, and now it’s an annual tradition at our ministry!

These families need to hear from you, and so I’d love for you to join in!

Below you can learn more about how you can participate and meet our families! And hey, even if you don’t think you have anything to share that is worth a postage stamp to send, pray for these families and let us know about it… or better yet, let them know you did with a quick note! It’s all about having a Heart for the Disabled!

–Joni Eareckson Tada