“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)

Joni is one of the greatest examples of courage in the face of tremendous difficulty. Following a diving accident at the age of seventeen, Joni Eareckson Tada broke her spine and became totally paralyzed from the neck down. After two years of struggle with pain, despair, and anger towards God, during which she even contemplated suicide, she gathered courage and took up the challenge of motivating others to find strength to live a full purposeful life through Christ despite their disability or other adverse circumstances.

Despite her disability Joni has achieved a lot. She is a great motivational speaker; she has written over 48 books and many articles; she has created beautiful works of art (painting using her mouth to hold the brushes); she has recorded several musical albums; she has starred in a major autobiographical movie of her life:and she is actively involved as an advocate for disabled people.

One of her greatest achievements is founding her Ministry: Joni and Friends. Since its inception, Joni and Friends has been dedicated to extending the love and message of Christ to people who are affected by disability whether it is the disabled person, a family member, or friend.

Their objective is to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of this group of people in practical ways and show in tangible ways, that God has not abandoned them – He is with them – providing love, hope, and eternal salvation. Joni and Friends’ undertaking seeks to answer the call in the Gospel of Luke 14, "invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed...make them come in so my house will be full."

The Joni and Friends International Disability Center serves as the administrative hub for an array of programs which provide outreach to thousands of families affected by disability around the globe. These include a radio program where Joni Eareckson Tada shares encouragement and Biblical insights; an award winning television series which highlights God's goodness in a world shattered by suffering; the Wheels for the World international wheelchair distribution ministry, Family Retreats which provide respite for those with disabilities and their families, Field Services to provide church training along with educational and inspirational resources at a local level; and the Christian Institute on Disability to establish a firm biblical worldview on disability-related issue. The centre offers resources and support for people affected by various disabilities including  Alzheimer’s, amputees, ataxia, autism, blindness, brain injury, cancer, cerebral palsy, deafness and other hearing impairment, developmental and intellectual inabilities, diabetes, Downs syndrome, mental health, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, post polio, post traumatic stress disorder, spinal injury and Spina bifida among others. Visit them at   www.joniandfriends.org . You will profit greatly from their articles and especially the personal accounts of the people affected by each condition.

Given the almost thirty years  they have been married, Joni’s husband  Ken Tada models true love of a spouse as per the marriage covenant In 2001, Mr. Tada received Family Life Ministries’ Robertson McQuilken Award honoring “The Courageous Love of a Marriage Covenant Keeper.” Mr. Tada retired from 32 years of teaching in 2004 to work with his wife. Ken along with Joni, are permanent members of the International Board of Directors of Joni and Friends.

In June 2010, Mrs. Tada was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. At the time she was diagnosed she hoped that the event would further stretch she and her husband’s faith, brighten their hope, and strengthen their witness to others… She further quoted Psalm 62:5-6, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken”.

The Life of Joni goes to show that when you get a misfortune, you should find out how God can use you to bring others to Him instead of bemoaning what you have lost of the plans you had mapped out for yourself. Joni had anticipated being “a slim trim 135 lbs, a size 12 dress, a college degree, a nice little home in suburbia with a white picket fence with Ethan Allen furniture, and 2.5 children.” However this was not to be. She revised her expectations in accordance to her situation; “love; warm and deep and real and personal, between a husband and a wife, or a sister, or a brother, or a aunt, or a niece, or a nephew, or a neighbor, or a nurse, or an attendant.” If Joni had got her original wishes fulfilled, maybe many of us would never have known her. But her injury became a gift to suffering people everywhere; a living example of learning to depend on God’s strength only and for His will to be done in our lives.

God says,” Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalms 50:15 (NKJV).