Our connection to Joni and Friends Mississippi began 5 years ago when the ministry visited our family during our son Cameron's hospital stay. A byproduct of Cameron's genetic disorder is yearly hospitalizations to monitor his seizures, and this particular stay was especially miserable for Cameron. The visit from Joni and Friends was especially encouraging and impactful and told our family, "you are seen and loved." Not long after this visit, our Harbor Ministry began working closely with Joni and Friends MS. They provided gifts for our families at Christmas, little happies at Easter, and support for the ministry in tangible and spiritual ways.

Fast forward to June of 2022. Our family of 5 plus a service dog joined 35 other families touched by disability at the Joni and Friends Family Retreat. 41 additional families, including 4 more families from First Baptist Starkville, attended camp the following week.

Nothing quite prepares you for the welcome you receive at a Joni and Friends Retreat. As we turned onto the Camp McDowell property, we were greeted by over 200 volunteers waving signs, shaking pom-poms, and cheering in welcome. It was pure joy. The message was clear, "your family is seen and loved."

The greeting at the entrance of Camp McDowell was only a glimpse of the ways our family felt "seen and loved" over the next five days.

The camp director, Victoria Benson, says, "Family Retreat provides a week of respite, fun, and fellowship for families affected by disability. But it is more than this! It is a week of the Body of Christ coming together to offer the hope of the Gospel to one another."

Hope was shared during front porch chats, mealtime conversations, Bible study, worship, and visits in our cabins. We connected with other families whose daily lives are touched by disability. Our stories are all as unique as our children, yet through our time together, we were reminded of God's plan, provision, and purpose for our children and our families. Every detail reminded us that "your family is seen and loved".

This was the second year for Casey, Martha Ann, and Emma Welch to attend Family Retreat. Morning worship was especially meaningful to Martha Ann. She said, "Being in a room with people of all abilities and different backgrounds singing praises to the One who created each of us is such a sweet time. I can honestly say the pure joy at camp, from the campers to the ones that are there serving, can only come from God. It feels like what a tiny glimpse of Heaven might look like!"

Across the two weeks of Family Retreat, nearly 500 people volunteer as short-term missionaries, serving as golf cart drivers, craft leaders, Banana Olympic coaches, encouragement team, cabin hosts, and buddies for campers and siblings.

Mary Frances Whatley, a youth at First Baptist Starkville, was so impacted by her family's experience at Family Retreat last year that she decided to serve as a short-term missionary or "buddy" this year. She said, "being able to serve a family for a week gave me so much joy it's really unexplainable! It's also a learning experience because even though these families are in somewhat the same situation as my family, it is absolutely amazing to hear about their lives and what they do differently. I love being out there, and being able to serve a family short term gives me long-term joy."

Our children's buddies immediately connected with our family and allowed the kids to be independent and experience time away from their parents. Our son's buddy Stephen traveled from Lakeland, Florida with his youth group to serve at camp. Stephen gave Cameron confidence, and his presence gave us peace of mind that Cameron was safe and cared for. Our daughters Natalie and Abigail were also paired with buddies, and having their needs met allowed me and Adam to have time to connect with other parents and experience respite.

The most tangible byproduct of camp for our family was seen in the final night's talent show. There is no hype crew as great as the families and volunteers at Family Camp, and our normally shy and reserved Cameron was cheered on in an incredible way. Cameron gave the most confident performance we have ever seen from him as he sang "O-o-h Child" by the Five Stairsteps, the lyrics "ooo child, things are gonna get easier, ooo child, things will get brighter" sung confidently. How fitting to a room so touched by the daily hardships of disability.

The impact of Family Camp on our family is hard to capture in a brief story, but the day we left, we knew that we only had to wait 365 days before we could come back.

Thank you, Joni and Friends, for seeing our family and loving us so well.

Our Harbor Ministry ministers to our special needs children during weekend worship services through singing with the children, telling stories and teaching the truth of God's Word. If you would like to volunteer to serve in the Harbor Ministry, contact our Family and Youth Associate, Bridget Bryan.