Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast Joni and Friends

Meet Dr. Benjamin Warf—a special needs father and pediatric neurosurgeon who has pioneered new ways to treat young children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida. As a neurosurgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Warf has a passion for training the next generation of surgeons and improving access to quality care. In all aspects of his work and personal life, he brings the love of Christ to his patients, students, and family.

When Peter Coleman set out to follow God’s call to serve as a missionary in Nicaragua, he couldn’t imagine the journey ahead. But as he faced danger, uncertainty, and life-threatening illness, Peter learned to lean on the Lord in new ways. Tune in for this episode of the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast to hear Peter Coleman talk about living out God’s call and trusting Jesus through hardship.

Tune in for this first installment of Joni Eareckson Tada’s “Heart of the Founder” series, focused on the subject of disability. Hear straight from Joni as she shares a biblical understanding of disability, along with her own personal experience.

When Joni Eareckson Tada first broke her neck and became paralyzed at age 17, she fell into despair and self-pity. She couldn’t imagine that God had a good plan for her life. She wanted physical healing, to be free from her disability. Instead, God worked through Joni’s disability to bring about his glorious purposes.

The Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast launches its sixth season with Joni herself, and host Crystal Keating, introducing Stephanie Daniels, who will team up with Crystal behind the microphone to share hope through hardship. As a member of the Joni and Friends team, Stephanie loves sharing encouragement and Gospel hope with each person who connects with the ministry on our social media channels.

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.

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.