Joni Erickson Tada

Recently I had the privilege of attending my daughters graduation from Wheaton College (Masters in Clinical Psychology I'm so proud of her). The Speaker was Joni Erickson Tada a person familiar to most evangelicals. In 1967 Joni dove into shallow water breaking her neck and turning her into a quadriplegic. Since that time she has built a world wide ministry ministering to the disabled in dozens of countries through Joni and Friends. She started her speech with tears on her face . The speaker introducing her referred to Million Dollar Baby whose heroine has her coach kill her because she is paralyzed. Joni was crying because the heroine did not have the hope that was so clearly in Joni. That hope was lived out in Joni's service to others because of her love of Jesus and the special love for disabled people that Jesus had given her. Joni's speech emphasized that service for each of the graduates.