Jeremiah 31:13 "Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow."
The sun was warming the back of my legs as I lay on the porch of my cabin, "Heron," one sunny afternoon last week. It was our daily free time, and I opened up my Bible to the book I'd been working on reading - Jeremiah. Often when I read the Old Testament prophetic books, I (shamefully) don't expect to get much other than some stories about long-dead kings and bloody wars. But this particular day, God opened my eyes and heart and brought me to Jeremiah 31. Though I am thousands of years removed from the prophet Jeremiah, his divinely inspired words suddenly seemed so relevant. I was in a place with people who came from all different homes, but each were touched by disability that had caused so much mourning and sorrow. Yet here there was dancing and joy and comfort and gladness of heavenly proportions.
As I drove down to the Joni & Friends Family Retreat, I was a little nervous. I was going alone, and I had no idea what to expect. I listened to the first three chapters of Jerry Bridges' Trusting God, but all I could think about was the upcoming week. Who would I meet? Where would I sleep? What would I eat? Who would I be partnered with? What would I do? That was Sunday morning. By Friday afternoon I was making the same trip in the opposite direction, speechless at the week of my life that I just spent in heaven.
For the first nineteen years of my life, I didn't think much about what heaven will be like. I had a vague picture of streets of gold and glimpses of Paradise - you know, white sandy beaches, crystal clear water - as I imagine most people think of heaven. But this week, I got a glimpse of heaven, of Paradise - not the heaven where I'm lounging on the beach not getting a sunburn (let's be realistic, I probably won't be able to even tan in heaven...), but the heaven of Revelation 21:4 - "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." The heaven in my mind now is one where autistic children who are made fun of in school are embraced with love, where teenage boys who will forever live in wheelchairs have the seemingly impossible opportunity to get in a boat and go fishing on a lake, where weary mothers can get their nails painted and their hair cut while trusting that their children are in safe, loving hands. I got a little taste of this heaven last week, where, in the midst of incredible sorrow and pain and suffering, joy and love were far greater.
I'll be quite honest, when I signed up for Joni & Friends, I had an aching in my heart for people who are considered unlovely and are perhaps a little harder to love, but I was scared to get out of my comfort zone. I requested to be with an infant, toddler, or elementary school child because I was a little bit frightened at the possibility of spending the week with a mentally disabled teenager. I'm horribly ashamed to admit that, but God completely transformed my understanding of love and being made in His image (in fact, I'm looking forward to being able to, Lord-willing, serve at the adult camp next summer). This week I was assigned a three-year-old "typical sibling" (he has no disabilities, but has siblings who do) - completely in my comfort zone, I thought. At first I was disappointed because I can totally spend time with a typical three-year-old; I came here looking for a challenge, and instead I was given something I'd done for years. But God never fails, and this assignment was absolutely His plan, because it allowed me to learn the lesson He had for me this week. My little boy has two older brothers with Downs Syndrome, one adopted and one biological. This was one of the most beautiful families I'd ever met, and I was so inspired by their love and compassion.
Let me tell you about a typical day at Family Retreat:
7:00 - Rise and shine
7:30 - STM ("Short term missionary") devotions on the outdoor amphitheater (except for the one day it rained in the morning). It was absolutely stunning. The sun was just coming up over the lake!
8:00 - Breakfast. STMs ate with their families with the goal of not letting the parents doing any work at all.
9:00 - Morning activities for kids. I went with my little boy to what was essentially VBS, with Bible lessons, singing, crafts, games... and lots and lots of running!
12:00 - Lunch. Same story as breakfast.
We typically had an hour and half to two hours of free time in the afternoon for STMs to rejuvenate and for families to spend time together. With whatever remaining time we had before dinner, we did more games, crafts, and singing.
6:00 - Dinner. Same as the other two meals.
7:00 - Some sort of family event, such as a camp-wide talent show or special concert.
8:30 - More snacks and fellowship - pie night, ice cream social, campfire & s'mores.
9:15 - STM worship & debrief.
I really could go on for pages and pages about this incredible, life-changing week, but let me close by explaining why it was so incredible. For a long time I've been trying to understand love. This week I saw what love looks like. One of the central ideas of this camp is that any camper should be able to have any kind of experience they want, even if we might have to get a little creative to make it happen. For example, one moment that stands out to me as an example of this is when two STMs took a teenage boy out of his wheelchair and into the bouncy house. They held him in their arms and bounced with him. I don't cry often, but this moment melted my heart. Nothing was impossible at this camp. So often in life these kids are told that they can't do certain things because of their disability, but that was a completely foreign concept at Joni & Friends. This was a place so full of love and acceptance that by the end of the week, I felt like I was part of a family. I came by myself, but I left with an incredible group of friends - both people I served and served with. The people at this camp just spilled forth with love. Yes, there were challenges and not every camper was a breeze, but the joy and love I got to know completely overwhelmed everything else.
If you want to learn more about this incredible ministry, visit joniandfriends.org. Perhaps I will see you next year at the 2013 Joni & Friends Family Retreat!
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