Last month, Grace hosted the first Mosaic Family Retreat! Mosaic is our ministry for children, students, and adults with special needs or disabilities, and this retreat was a great time for everyone. We had 30 families attend—50 caregivers and 68 individuals (participants in Mosaic as well as their siblings). There were also 90 volunteers present to make this day happen, and we are so thankful for their faithfulness and generosity in serving our Mosaic families.
The retreat provided two tracks—one for caregivers and one for individuals in Mosaic and their siblings. Caregivers attended teaching sessions specifically geared towards the unique experiences and challenges of caring for an individual with special needs or disabilities. They then had a chance to engage these ideas in a small group setting after the teaching. It was such a blessing to see parents and caregivers from all our campuses come together in community, support one another, and learn together. Caregivers also had time to process the idea of lament as well as come together and worship. Another special element of this retreat was that caregivers had a few hours of free time in the afternoon to either stay on campus and fellowship, or go out on a date or activity together!
Our Mosaic individuals and their siblings had a special day of fun! They got to watch Finding Nemo, play Nemo themed games, make crafts, enjoy outdoor activities including bounce houses, and just be loved on by our volunteers.
A few participants shared how the event encouraged them:
I’m so thankful for the Mosaic ministry and all of the volunteers and people coming to love on and minister to caregivers of those with special needs. We enjoyed great eats, treats made by those with special needs, lunch, and then a date at Top Golf—all of this while we know Zane is being loved on and having a fantastic Saturday with his friends! —Randi Harper
The room was full, and we learned about living in community and bringing our burdens to the Lord through the body of the church. Bearing up sturdy under being seen by the Father over the urge to hide from the eyes of others and their potential thoughts, praise or otherwise, whether perceived as good or not. Oooh, we all felt that! It gave comfort that we are not alone and hope to carry on as we count it all JOY. —Joy Foster
Will you join us in celebrating how God worked through this retreat? We are beyond thankful for all the staff and volunteers who made it possible, and we pray that God will continue to provide opportunities to serve our Mosaic community well. To learn more about Mosaic, click below.
