In our final episode of season 5, we hear from Joni and Friends team member Wilame Leal Silva. He and his wife Erica Leal were overjoyed to hear they were pregnant with their second child. Then doctors gave a diagnosis that sent them reeling. Their son, they were told, had trisomy 13, a condition likely to end the baby’s life soon after birth. Even if Daniel survived, doctors said, he would be severely disabled and not live long. Grieved facing the loss of their son—and pressured to terminate the pregnancy—Wilame and Erica experienced disability in a new way. And while their son—to doctors’ amazement—was born without a disability, Wilame and Erica live with lasting deep empathy for families living with disability. Wilame joins the podcast to tell his family’s story, and share how God led him into disability ministry. Wilame Leal Silva currently serves with Joni and Friends as International Regional Director, Western Hemisphere.

• Explore disability ministry training and resources for you and your church.
• Get involved with Joni and Friends international ministry by serving at an International Family Retreat.
• Hear another family’s experience with trisomy 13: Walking Her Home: Learning to Say “Your Will, Not Mine”

KEY QUESTIONS:

• Do you trust God to use your pain for his purposes?
• When has God asked you to wait?
• How do your life experiences equip you to reach others for Christ?

KEY SCRIPTURES:

• Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
• Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

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Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and daily devotional.
Follow Joni and Friends on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Your support makes this podcast possible!

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, we provide Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways, and offer disability ministry training.

Across the United States nearly 53 million people serve as caregivers to family members, friends, and others in need of care. On call around the clock, often without pay, caregivers can experience discouragement and burnout. Rebekah Dowhy knows the rigors of caregiving. After years of caring for her mother with multiple sclerosis (MS) Rebekah founded the Caregiving Support Network to provide caregivers with Christ-centered respite, community, and encouragement. She joins the podcast to offer help and hope to caregivers, and the communities called to support them.

“God placed the idea of the Caregiving Support Network on my heart when I was still caring for Mom around 2015. I knew other caregivers had to be facing the same hardships and joys, and was compelled to tell them that they were not alone. Through God’s providence and grace, the Caregiving Support Network was founded in 2022.” – Rebekah Dowhy

• Learn about the Caregiving Support Network
• More encouragement for caregivers from Joni and Ken

KEY QUESTIONS:

1. Do you or someone you know currently serve as a caregiver?
2. What are the greatest unmet needs among caregivers?
3. How can churches provide respite and encouragement to caregivers?

KEY SCRIPTURES:

• Galatians 6:2: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
• Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

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Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and daily devotional.
Follow Joni and Friends on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Your support makes this podcast possible!

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, we provide Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways, and offer disability ministry training.

Cami Lundt didn’t expect any surprises with her fourth pregnancy… until the doctor broke the shocking news. Baby Grace was diagnosed with trisomy 13 and a Dandy-Walker brain malformation—conditions that doctors considered “incompatible with life.” The baby, they said, had a 99.9% chance of dying just minutes after her birth. But God had a different plan. For almost five years, Cami and her family got to love and care for Grace, walking her home to heaven. Tune in to hear Cami’s story, and learn how God can meet you with his peace and strength, even in the most devastating circumstances.

After Grace’s death, Cami went into the healthcare field for several years. She has since returned to her teaching career in Wisconsin, as a Special Education Teacher, hoping to help those who find themselves in situations similar to what she experienced.

Get your copy of Cami’s book: Walking Her Home: Learning to Say, “Your Will, Not Mine”

KEY QUESTIONS:

• How has God shown up for you in painful moments or seasons?
• What do you do when the burdens of life feel too heavy to bear?
• What do you need to entrust to God today?

KEY SCRIPTURES:

• Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
• 2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

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Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and daily devotional.
Follow Joni and Friends on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Your support makes this podcast possible!

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, we provide Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways, and offer disability ministry training.