Miracles in Minnesota!

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for us!’”

Psalm 126:2

Our dedication to families impacted by disability never stopped because of coronavirus; it just grew deeper. And Joni and Friends Minnesota testifies to that in numerous ways.

Colton, a young man with multiple disabilities including Down syndrome, autism, Hirschsprung’s disease, Graves’ disease and Tourette syndrome, loved being part of Family Retreat. And so did his parents, Rob and Cyndi.

“That first day of retreat changed my life,” Cyndi explained. “It breathed new life into my world of disability with the message of God’s deep love for my child and our family.”

Little did they know at the time, but Family Retreat was preparing Cyndi and her family for the future challenges they would soon face.

2020 brought with it not only COVID-19, but also a new diagnosis for Colton – who was already medically fragile. And the new health crisis was nothing less than devastating. But when Cyndi joined our online Mom’s support group, she found new hope for Colton’s new diagnosis.

“I really have no words to describe the gift it is to connect with the other moms who understand what I’m going through.”

—Cyndi

Our other programs like Family Retreat at Home and Respite at Home have also become a continual blessing for Colton, Rob and Cyndi.

During Family Retreat at Home, two Short Term Missionaries share Bible stories and do activities with Colton each week, while Cyndi gets a much-needed break from her non-stop caregiving demands.

As often happens to other special parents, Cyndi was overwhelmed and exhausted, and Rob and Cyndi’s marriage was suffering. Colton’s numerous medical appointments took a toll on everyone.

But Family Retreat at Home provided many marriage strengthening opportunities that blessed Rob and Cyndi immensely. And the worship, Bible lessons, activities and fun for Colton were “the best three days of summer for him!” As Cyndi explains, “Family Retreat was an out of the ballpark homerun!”

“We hadn’t heard Colton laugh in over six months,” Cyndi said. But that was before Family Retreat at Home, and that was before Respite at Home brought even more fellowship and fun back into Colton’s life.

During Respite at Home, two senior students in the University of Northwestern’s nursing program came to visit Colton for three hours a week over the course of 10 weeks. Cyndi was thrilled knowing that she would have three hours a week to herself, but she was also delighted to know that Colton had such wonderful visits to look forward to, and that his new friends were sharing the love of Jesus with Colton week after week. They read Bible stories, cooked up tasty treats together, and celebrated the goodness of God who brings much hope through our hardships.

“I just couldn’t believe that in the midst of everything going on in our country, Joni and Friends would serve us in such a meaningful and personal way,” said Cyndi. “We have a sense of peace and connection to community and God that we would never have been able to experience otherwise.”

Joni and Friends Minnesota broke through the despair and isolation that Rob, Cyndi and Colton were feeling and became a lifeline to their very special family. But there are countless other families impacted by disability who still need a transformational encounter with Jesus.