Sarah Fuller joins Stephanie Daniels to share her story of God’s faithfulness in calling her into missions, special education, and disability ministry. As a mom, Sarah has invited her children into service opportunities—often volunteering with Joni and Friends—which has shaped their hearts and the trajectories of their lives. Sarah shares how God uses everything from childhood dreams to disappointments to deep experiences of grief to guide and direct the steps of those who love and trust him.
Joni and Friends staff member Sarah Fuller joins Stephanie Daniels to share her story of God’s faithfulness in calling her into missions, special education, and disability ministry. As a mom, Sarah has invited her children into service opportunities—often volunteering with Joni and Friends—which has shaped their hearts and the trajectories of their lives. Sarah shares how God uses everything from childhood dreams to disappointments to deep experiences of grief to guide and direct the steps of those who love and trust him.
Like Sarah and her family, you can have a life-changing experience volunteering with Joni and Friends!
Explore volunteer opportunities!
Learn more about our Joni’s House programs internationally and in the United States.
And if you are interested in learning more about starting a disability ministry in your church, we invite you to explore the free resources we have available.
Inspiring books mentioned in this episode:
The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party – This beautifully illustrated, biblically faithful storybook by Joni Eareckson Tada excites children with this truth—that when Jesus comes back to this world, he will bring heaven with him!
Heaven: Your Real Home… From a Higher Perspective – Joni Eareckson Tada’s beloved book on heaven sheds light on how an eternal perspective can inspire us to live well on earth. Drawing on Scripture, Joni answers the deepest questions of our hearts about what heaven will be like.
KEY QUESTIONS:
KEY SCRIPTURES:
Stephanie Daniels:
Hi friends! I’m your host, Stephanie Daniels, and you’re listening to the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast. We’re sharing hope as we answer real questions about disability. Join us every week for an honest and encouraging conversation, along with practical ways to include people with disability in your church and community. So, grab a seat, and let’s jump in!
There are two groups of people in the disability community, those who've been thrust in unexpectedly, and those who have voluntarily chosen to opt in. Meet Sarah Fuller, who belongs to the second category. With a heart to care for people living with disability, she is a cheerful volunteer in the body of Christ. Whether she's on the mission field, or in her community, Sarah is fueled by a passion to serve. As a daughter, a missionary, a wife, and a mother, the Lord has used Sarah in every season giving her strength to walk the journey and do it with joy.
Let's get into your story. You work here at Joni and Friends. How did you come to be involved with disability?
Sarah Fuller:
God really started it really early for me because I was born with my umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, and was born not breathing or have any signs of life. I was completely blue and no one knew how long I had been without oxygen.
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Sarah Fuller:
And so, the doctors revived me, and I ended up being healthy. But then my cousin was born in the same way with the same issue and he actually had a lot of brain damage and had profound disability. So, I grew up seeing that and thinking that could have been me, and what would that feel like to be in that kind of body and to have that kind of life. I was always aware of it and thought that could have been me, instead of them being another category, they were in my category.
Stephanie Daniels:
I love that. That was your perspective. It's been there throughout your life. You've had this awareness because of your cousin. Wow, that's so interesting.
Sarah Fuller:
And then it wasn't until later that I started working at a home for medically fragile children and really fell in love…
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Sarah Fuller:
…with people with disabilities. After that I became a special ed teacher. I thought, hey, I wanna work with people with disabilities.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Sarah Fuller:
And I became a special ed teacher for a few years and loved it. So, I did kind of work in that realm professionally. And it was always part of my passion, but I didn't really know about Joni and Friends and having it be a formal part of ministry and mission until later.
Stephanie Daniels:
Okay, so you were raised in church. Did you always have the desire to serve or was that modeled for you and your family?
Sarah Fuller:
I was a preacher's kid, a PK, and I grew up in the church. I was seven years old, and we had a missionary from Africa come and share about what life was like as a missionary in Africa. And I just was like, I know I'm supposed to do that. Like, that's, that's what I want my life to look like. And for me, the category of living like a Christian radically for the Lord meant international missions in my mind. And so that's what I started then pursuing. That's what I really wanted to do, was to be an international missionary.
So, that started at seven and then I ended up going to Bible college and getting a Biblical Studies degree because that's how I thought I needed to go.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's how you thought you got to the mission field.
Sarah Fuller:
Right. I had no idea how to get to the mission field, honestly. Even though I grew up in the church, it was not. I didn't know how to get there.
So, I, started with a degree and then I took an anthropology class in college and we read a book about a man who was from the Yąnomamö tribe in Venezuela. And I hosted him for the day as he came to our campus with the missionary that was translating. And through the translator he was like, "What do you wanna do with your life?" And I said, I wanna be a missionary. And he's like, "You have to come to my village."
And so I was, I think 22 at the time, and I was like, "Alright!" So I graduated with my biblical studies degree and went off into the jungles of Venezuela with Yąnomamö people by myself without a mission organization or anything. And, just lived with them for a few months.
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Sarah Fuller:
I saw what jungle missionary life looked like.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's so amazing 'cause it makes me think about, you know like you said, when you were seven a missionary came to your church. And I just remember our church used to do like these “World Fest” things. It was in connection with our church anniversary conference. And missionaries would come and we would always sing that song by Darlene Zschech where she says, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you. Oh God, that's the cry of our hearts." So, I feel like you had that same heart and you actually went. I'm just so intrigued.
Sarah Fuller:
And honestly, like I got there thinking one thing that I was going to help with the missionaries. They were doing some biblical translation.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Sarah Fuller:
And they had an infirmary, so a dispensary for medicine. So, I thought I'd help I took a first aid class, so of course I was qualified to help. And then it turned out that I was so floored by the believers there, what Christianity meant for them. Because the Yąnomamö culture meant that they were always at war and the mortality rate is so high, and for them, Christianity meant telling everybody about Jesus.
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow
Sarah Fuller:
About God. And that meant costing their life a lot of times.
So, I was really humbled. I thought I was doing this great, brave thing and the people there are living their lives for God in a different way that I was really humbled by. So, I came back going, "Okay God, I thought this is what I was supposed to do. I'll do whatever you want. I thought this is the direction I was going." But it opened me up to, "God where do you want me? Even if it's here, use me in your way." More of looking to him to guide me.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah. So, you get there and you're working with the Yąnomamö people, and, did you come across anyone with disability there?
Sarah Fuller:
Yes, and the people with disabilities there often helped with translation. So, there was one man who was blind and outcast by the tribe. He had to actually live outside of their communal house because of his disability. He was shunned and the missionaries brought him in, and he helped with the Bible translation, and it just so happened that God had gifted him specifically in that area also.
It doesn't always work out that way, but you see these missionaries changing that culture. That's not what they set out there to do with disability in mind, but it is a part of the Gospel and a part of what they were doing.
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow. And Joni often talks about people in other countries with disabilities being shunned and not valued parts of their society. And so, it sounds like that's exactly what you saw when you went to go serve.
So, you come back from the mission field. Then what?
Sarah Fuller:
Well then, I was a little bit lost. I wasn't sure how God wanted to use me. In that process being humbled and seeing God's mission as bigger than just international mission, I think that was the first time that I considered maybe God isn't gonna lead me internationally. ' Cause that's how I thought a Christian should live and be sold out for the Lord. That's the only model that I could really envision living.
Then I started looking for a job. And like I mentioned, I started working at that home for medically fragile children and fell in love more with people with disabilities. Started becoming a special ed teacher in California. That kind of introduced me to a different world of disability locally...
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Sarah Fuller:
...that I hadn't been a part of. I'd been in the church my whole life, but I hadn't seen people reaching people with disabilities formally in the church. So, I kind of thought the route was through work. So, I, I became a teacher and I loved my students and tried to have that be my focus and mission through my job, and not necessarily the church yet.
And then I got married, had a few kids. Ended up here in Washington State. And my second daughter, her best friend was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We were really close with this family. Really good friends, saw them every day. We were homeschooling together, things like that. And she ended up dying.
To be a part of that process of her losing physical abilities as a 10-year-old, my daughter was nine at the time. And watching my daughter respond with compassion and adjust her play to what her friend could do and look for ways to encourage.
My daughter and I are similar, uh, personalities in the fact that if someone needs us, or if we feel if our friends really need us to support them, we're there wholeheartedly. She was like that at nine years old where I felt like a lot of other friends pulled back because death is scary.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
And it's hard to explain that to a 9-year-old. My daughter needed to be there, and so I kind of let her guide. There's no books on how to do that with your children. Dealing with death. So, we were there every day. And, and that was her first dealing with death, but also she had a lot of questions.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
And one of her major questions was, "Why would a good God allow this?" I thought if he was good, he would heal her. And I distinctly remember her asking me one day, "God can either be good or all-powerful. He can't be both, or this wouldn't have happened." And as a 9-year-old asking me that, I was like, okay, I need to pull out my books. And out came my, Joni's book on heaven. And we were reading that together 'cause she had a lot of questions about heaven too, like where did her friend go? And so we talked through what heaven was gonna look like, and what happens after death? And if her friend would still be a child...
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
...when we get to heaven. Things like that, that we don't know all the answers to, but the book was a great starting place.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
And so, through that book, Grace learned about Joni, learned about her story, and she wanted to learn more. She was hungry to learn more at that point.
Stephanie Daniels:
And I just wanna say, I'm so glad that you had Joni's book to reach for and go through that with Grace, because death is a hard thing. For children to understand, and I mean, even for adults. But Joni's written another book called The Super Fantastic Forever Party, you know?
Sarah Fuller:
Yes.
Stephanie Daniels:
That kind of is on...
Sarah Fuller:
It's a great book.
Stephanie Daniels:
…a kid's level to understand what happens when we leave this earth, what's next. And so I love though that you did have the opportunity to walk her through, just such a challenging time for a 9-year-old.
So you found out about Joni, and Joni and Friends, through this experience. What happened next?
Sarah Fuller:
We actually looked it up on the internet. And up popped joniandfriends.og. And Family Retreats was on the first page. I felt I should have known about this. Here I was, a special ed teacher. I had no idea that retreats existed. And my daughter, as we kind of watched through these fun videos of what it looked like and all these people with disabilities having a great time and looking like they're loved and accepted, although it doesn't seem related to this tragedy that we're living through, she looked at that and I think it was this hopeful joy, that God is at work.
These people that obviously know what suffering is, are experiencing belonging and joy that she said, "Mom, I know I'm supposed to go and serve there." With such conviction that I was like, “Whatever you need to do, I will move mountains. We will get there.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Sarah Fuller:
I don't know if a 9-year-old can serve.” So, I called Joni and Friends. The closest to us was in Oregon and we lived in Washington state. And I called and said, can a nine-year-old come and serve?
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
First of all, first question. And they said, "Yes, with you she can come and serve with an adult."
Stephanie Daniels:
Oh.
Sarah Fuller:
So, I said, “We’re there. I don't. I don't know how, but we're there.”
Stephanie Daniels:
I love that, Sarah. It's so beautiful. Just seeing you as a parent trying to help your daughter through this whole experience of losing a friend. And I can't even believe that your daughter at nine is comprehending what she's seeing on the Joni and Friends website and saying, I don't know what that is, but I need to be there.
I'm so glad the Lord allowed you guys to see the website and you make the call and you get involved.
Sarah Fuller:
It was really amazing. And I think the first year we got there her friend died in April. Family Retreat was in August, so it was still very fresh.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Sarah Fuller:
I think the grief was still very new. It was easy to point to this thing that's joyful and exciting as, "look God's at work. Let's put our hope in him." And we got to Family Retreat, and she got sick and we had to leave. God had moved mountains, I think, to get us there. So, I got a hotel and we stayed nearby. I was so sure God was just gonna heal her and we were gonna go back. And he didn't.
At the time it was hugely disappointing. It felt like a second blow of, you know, what is God doing? I thought I understood, and we waited a whole ‘nother year and went back the next year, and I think that year was necessary. I think we needed the waiting and anticipation and the healing time for her to fully be ready to love someone else like that. And she did. And we had a camper who had cerebral palsy and Grace just clicked with her. We had the best week. It was so fun. By Wednesday ,Grace was saying, "I've never been so happy in my whole life then here serving."
I just was crying and thought, "God if you had told me that through this process that we would receive so much joy through the process of grief and serving. I would've laughed in your face probably." Because it was hard. But I think that was the starting place for us where we were hooked.
We went home and told the rest of our family how amazing it was. And my husband said, I feel like we missed out on the most significant week of your life. And we're like, you kind of did. And they have never not gone since.
Stephanie Daniels:
I think it's really cool, it probably wasn't in the moment, that season of waiting. I think that there is so much that the Lord does when we have to wait. And I think your appreciation of the whole experience, I mean it's the anticipation of it all, but your appreciation is just so much deeper. Once you finally got there, it, that's such a sweet story.
And you had mentioned something before, and I don't want to miss this little fact because it's actually a really beautiful fact, but Grace's friend that passed away, how was she involved in you guys serving at Family Retreat?
Sarah Fuller:
Yeah. When we finally like, were talking to their family, 'cause we were still really good friends, about how we found out about Family Retreat and the cost involved. You know, at first you hear a price tag like, I have to pay to serve? And that at first was scary to us, honestly.
She's nine, she doesn't have an income. But her friend's mother gave us her friend's savings account to fund us going to Family Retreat. So, it was really tied to her friend. And she almost was doing it in her name. I think it's perfect because many people have said that Family Retreat is, "heaven on earth," or "a piece of heaven" or "a slice of heaven," and it felt like we were participating in heaven, a little bit.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
The way that we can on earth. 'Cause that's where she is now.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
And experiencing all of that joy. So even though it seems like a jump, it really tied it into the joy and the grief intermingled together. And that's what I feel like made it richer.
Stephanie Daniels:
I have goosebumps and when you initially told me I had goosebumps then too. Téah's life was a seed, and it has really produced some beautiful fruit in you and your daughter's lives.
Sarah Fuller:
In this world today, it's so self-focused and self-absorbed, to see your kids, go and serve at a place that their whole focus for the week is on somebody else and someone else with a disability, and to see the world through their eyes. Family Retreats and Joni and Friends has been such a massive vehicle of God's grace and our whole family's life. And even my children's discipleship because they got modeled every summer what it looked like to love someone unconditionally. And the joy in that, that it isn't something that's impossible or hard. I mean, there are sacrificial parts of it, but the joy far outweighs the sacrifice.
They saw that year after year. The people that they saw emulating Christ's love year after year became their role models that they wanted to become like. I think it has endless effects on my kids' lives and the choices that they have made to follow the Lord and to serve wholeheartedly.
My son's at Moody Bible College now. He wants to become a list of things, it's pastor, missionary, disability ministry leader. Like, it's, it's all three things to him.
Stephanie Daniels:
It's you,
Sarah Fuller:
Right? Like that's what, I didn't know how to get there. I just went, that's what he's doing too. But I think it gives him a vision of what that looks like, whether you're here or in Africa, or wherever God sends you, it's all his mission. Family Retreats was a great place to start for that.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes. And it is so true. That makes me wanna cry. I love the impact that it's had on your family. Your ‘yes’ in your life has just had a ripple effect and your kids are getting to kind of walk this out for themselves now. And it is just so powerful to see it.
Hearing your son being at Moody and how this has affected him makes me think of something really fun, for me it is, because here at Joni and Friends, I get to respond to the comments and messages that come into the ministry on social media. We posted a really sweet video that actually went viral. It was wild. And you actually captured the footage Sarah. And it involved your son, and a very precious woman named Christine. And you were able to film Christine's first time ever experiencing a swimming pool. What a video. And I'm so thrilled that you captured that footage because it shows so beautifully, just a bit of the joy that we get to experience and provide for people all around the world.
I wanna lean into the power of your ‘yes,’ like I just said. You said yes to following the Lord's calling on your life to serve others, and it's not only impacted you but your children. You just talked about your son, but can you tell us about that outreach in Uganda and how it impacted you, your son, your daughter, everybody?
Sarah Fuller:
Yes, of course. That trip was really funny because, as I said, my whole start was I wanted to be a missionary in Africa, right? At seven years old. And then here I was a parent in Washington State, so far from the jungles where I thought God was leading me. And then my daughter, Grace, when she wanted to do Family Retreat and we weren't sure, and we were still praying about it, we limited her to asking once a day. 'Cause she would ask constantly about going to Family Retreat. That's how determined she was.
Stephanie Daniels:
I love that.
Sarah Fuller:
Um, so when she found out about an International Family Retreat in Ghana, we limited her to asking. I thought, oh my goodness, we're going to Ghana. This. She has the same, like spirit in her heart. This is happening. And so...
Stephanie Daniels:
I love it.
Sarah Fuller:
…we, uh, went to Ghana together at an International Family Retreat, and she's quiet and reserved. What she was blown away was she would sit, and these children would come and climb on her and play with her. And a lot of the children there had disabilities related to their birth.
That started a fire in her about, maybe I wanna go into nursing and especially midwifery like, helping women have children that have medical care so that they won't have disabilities related to birth. It actually started her on that, right? And now she's a postpartum nurse in the Seattle area that has been a part of her story. That's been pretty amazing. So that really impacted her, just doing this one 10-day International Family Retreat.
The second time we went on an International Family Retreat, I went with Jack. And we took the video of Christine. Before I went, I thought it was really funny talking to people thinking, "You need to take videos, you need to capture this. It's gonna go on our website." And I actually looked at you, Stephanie, doing one from a Family Retreat in Texas. And I was like, maybe I can do that. I don't think I'm as cool, but I'll try.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mine never went viral!
Sarah Fuller:
I took all these videos and that one just was captivating. Christine was just amazing. Christine lives with her mother who's in her eighties. Her mother has been caring for her her whole life. Christine barely has left the hut that their family lives in because she didn't have access to a wheelchair.
So, meeting Christine who's nonverbal, was very profound. We, we paired her with a volunteer who is Ugandan, who had never even touched or talked to someone with a disability before, to then have to care for Christine, feed her with her hands. And she did so but was terrified. She confided in me later that like, "Christine and I were just gonna stay right here in this one area. We're not gonna go and do all of the things. The pools are too far away." All these excuses. And I said, "No, she's going, and here's a wheelchair." We fitted her with a wheelchair. We took her out to the pools, and then that video was the result and it blew her volunteer away. Her, her buddy said, "I had no idea that she could do those things."
So that video is just a glimpse in that experience of Christine actually getting out and living life and experiencing things that she has never had access to before.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm. I just,
Sarah Fuller:
And you could tell by her smile that she loved it.
Stephanie Daniels:
Her smile, the, the laugh. It's so funny. Every time I would get on to check comments on that video, all you hear is her little giggle.
Sarah Fuller:
Yes.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's the thing that would point over and over and over. It's just so sweet. But I wanna jump back to something you just mentioned. So, her volunteer was afraid. That was her first time interacting with somebody with disability. And earlier you mentioned the kids seeing volunteers over and over every summer serving at these Family Retreats, and they wanna emulate the people that they're seeing each year.
And I just wanna encourage somebody who's listening. You may be afraid to step out and volunteer, but I just wanna encourage you to do it. It is such an enriching experience, and I promise you, you'll build relationship with people that have been serving for years, and I guarantee you're gonna wanna say, "you know what? I wanna do it just like them." And you'll be hooked. So I just wanna encourage somebody who might be thinking, "I don't know. I don't know if I can do it." Yes you can. And it's gonna change your life. So just like it has your kiddos. That's incredible. Sorry to interrupt. Keep going.
Sarah Fuller:
Well, I think also, I actually just came back from Uganda in December and got to see Christine again...
Stephanie Daniels:
How's she doing?
Sarah Fuller:
...and reconnect with her. She's doing great. She actually had Malaria when we saw her, so she wasn't feeling well. But her mom has been involved in the church there in her village. They receive occupational therapy and physical therapy through the Joni's House in Uganda. And they get regular visits and devotions and so they are no longer isolated. They are a part of the body of Christ, and she doesn't have the same story anymore. So that has been beautiful.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's the whole point of why...
Sarah Fuller:
Yes.
Stephanie Daniels:
...Joni and Friends exists. And I promise...
Sarah Fuller:
Yes.
Stephanie Daniels:
...you were hitting on just about all the things we do. Family Retreat, International Family Retreat, Joni's House. I mean, that is the whole purpose of it all. Where they connected to their church before?
Sarah Fuller:
So that area is heavily influenced by Islam.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Sarah Fuller:
And so, the church there when we first started going was pretty small. It's very rural area. Since then, since the Joni's House starting, where they're going out into people's homes and doing care and treatment, it has grown so much and the families that were a part of a mosque, or other things, are now fully a part of the body of Christ at the church there. So, I think yes, it has made a humongous impact in that area.
These moms with children with disabilities and grandmothers who get together once a week and they make baskets. They sell them so that they can afford to put their children in school with disabilities, who wouldn't normally go to school. These single mothers that don't have any other source of income. It's making a difference not only with financial, but if their hut falls over through floods or whatever, Joni's House will come and help them rebuild it.
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Sarah Fuller:
So that they're meeting those needs and that speaks so loud to those families. Even if they consider themselves part of a mosque. It's like that verse, if you give someone a cup of water in my name, you know, you're meeting that need, that physical need, that is the Gospel to them.
Stephanie Daniels:
Absolutely.
Sarah Fuller:
The church has grown so significantly there. And the ripple effects I think are culture-changing. It's not gonna be these small International Family Retreats, that's just the start.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Sarah Fuller:
It's gonna be that Ugandans, the church there that continue the mission, that are transformed by seeing, “No, these people with disability are not cursed. They're loved, they're accepted, and they can be a part of the body of Christ."
Stephanie Daniels:
That is so rich, Sarah. I love that you are able to just articulate that with our listeners and it's just so beautiful hearing that the Gospel is going forth. And even like you said, in the simple ways. And I'm so glad you're here today sharing that with us.
So, when you guys came back from serving at Family Retreat, what did you do next?
Sarah Fuller:
Well, we were so moved by this model of what being a Christian look like. And for me, I hadn't seen that before, of including people with disabilities and how beautiful that is. And how enriching to everybody that is not only as a service, but that these true friendships, these people are made in the image of God, have gifts that he's bestowed on them to give people.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Sarah Fuller:
And that when we're not incorporating them, or involving them, we're missing out on that. And so, I really felt like going back to church was never the same for me 'cause I missed that part. So, we started a disability ministry. I didn't know how, I didn't really know what I was doing. I just kind of looked at what we did at camp and thought, "I think we need buddies." And, talked to like church leadership. I didn't really know how to do that, but I knew that something had to change.
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Sarah Fuller:
'Cause I wanted those families to be able to participate in church. And so, we did, we started a disability ministry. I started a like special needs parents group. We met once a month. That has continued ever since. I was already connected to families through my profession, through the school system, I already knew the community. I already knew the families. And it was just a matter of saying, "Look, the church is ready to welcome you. Let's take those steps to come into the church."
You know, it's hard. Church leaders, you look at someone who's in a wheelchair and you think, "Okay, can we really incorporate them into our life physically if the church building isn't accessible?" Or "What age group do they fit in if they have an intellectual disability?"
It wasn't smooth. Every issue had things to work through, but it was the beginning. And now I don't even run it anymore. I'm not in charge of the disability ministry. It is all on its own now. And God used that as a catalyst, I think, to change my church. That was a beautiful part.
Stephanie Daniels:
Sarah, that's so great. I feel like every church needs a Sarah. Somebody that's gonna come, come in and just say, "You know what? I don't know what I'm doing, but I volunteer. I'll do it."
Sarah Fuller:
Isn't that how God does it?
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
I mean, he uses all of us for whatever gifts we have. It doesn't have to be a Sarah, it's a Stephanie, it's Bob, Sandy, whoever.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
Like God's gonna use that person and it may not be neat, and tidy, and smooth, but it will start something. All of us can do it.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes. And all he wants is your ‘yes.’ He just wants a willing heart. And that is what I have seen in your story since the very beginning, is you just saying yes. And the impact it's had on the ones you love and the people you serve. It's incredible to see.
I'm so glad you've shared all this. I wanna jump back to you talked about Joni and Friends being a vehicle of God's grace. Where has your husband been in all of this?
Sarah Fuller:
That is a great question. As you have heard me, it's me and my children. We go and do these things. My husband and I are opposite personalities. I was a special ed teacher, he was not. This isn't something that he's grown up feeling passionately or drawn to.
Part of our training at our retreats now, he shares his story about his first time coming to a Family Retreat, how terrified he was. He jokes, how badly injured do I have to be become to get out of this? Like they, is it just a sprain or a break? You know, jokingly. Because I think as a man who hasn't thought of this before, it was terrifying.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Sarah Fuller:
It was terrifying to be that person to serve. But by the end of the week there were tears. He didn't wanna leave. He couldn't wait for the next year.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Sarah Fuller:
And I'm the one who's like, "We're going, we're doing this." And he's the one like, "Hold back." So, to hear him talk about, "I can't wait another 52 weeks to get to go to Family Retreat," was really huge in our life. And the fact that our whole family, this is something that we can do together and serve together. It was really unifying.
So then when we came back and we're talking about disability ministry at our church, I had instant buddies because our family had been trained at Family Retreat.
Stephanie Daniels:
Oh, wow.
Sarah Fuller:
They were ready. Everybody was eager. And that only grew every year as we told more people and more people came. Our whole disability ministry just grew.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Sarah Fuller:
Outside of the Fuller family because of what they wanted to bring. So even reluctant yeses, God can do profound things with. You know, I think that has been amazing too, to watch him change and him become more comfortable and passionate about this ministry too.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's so beautiful. I just adore you and your heart. Thank you so much for joining us today. Your insight and how you've modeled your faith for your children, and those you serve, is quite an inspiration.
Sarah Fuller:
Thank you, Stephanie. It's been so fun just to talk to you and I'm looking forward to our next conversation.
Stephanie Daniels:
Like I said in the beginning of this episode, Sarah voluntarily chose to opt into the disability community. Not only through her journey of ministry, but through foster care. But you'll have to join us next week to hear Sarah share about how her family stepped out in faith to love and care for children with disabilities in a brand-new way.
And if you're interested in the books we've mentioned during this conversation, Heaven Your Real Home, and The Awesome, Super Fantastic Forever Party. Check out the show notes or search joniandfriends.org/shop.
We hope this conversation touched your heart today. If it did, consider sharing it with someone who might be encouraged as well. And don’t forget to follow us on your favorite podcasting app so you never miss an episode. See you next week!
© Joni and Friends