Growing a Heart for Disability Ministry – Wilame Leal Silva

Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast

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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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, Retreats and Getaways, and disability ministry training.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.