A Model Of Good Works

It’s amazing the things you find in a garbage truck.

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and this story starts with Dan, the garbage man, as well as a few of his fellow sanitation workers. You see, early on most Saturday mornings, Dan and his garbage truck friends, they gather at a neighborhood coffee shop on Chicago’s South Side to share their weekly stories. They talk about all sorts of discarded items they find, especially the things people prop against their curbside garbage cans – things like wheelchairs, walkers and canes. These are the items that make the guys think, “Man, what a shame. Somebody in need could be using this stuff.” Well, Dan is a follower of Jesus and as such, he knows about those people in need. That’s because he knows about our Wheels for the World outreach in which we take restored wheelchairs – you know, pediatric wheelchairs that kids outgrow or recliner wheelchairs from let’s say a stroke survivor. And Dan knows we take these wheelchairs that disabled people aren’t using, and we ship them to prisons where inmates make those chairs like new, and then we send them overseas with our teams of physical therapists. And Dan – well, he caught that vision.

It all started a few years ago when a relative of Dan’s – who also happens to be a sanitation worker – he was sitting in church and heard that Joni and Friends needed donated wheelchairs. And it hit him right then; he realized, “Well, there’s wheelchairs on my truck route all the time!” When he told Dan, the two of them decided to spread the word among their co-workers. And now there are about 100 workers representing four major waste management companies who have agreed to rescue mobility devices that are found curbside or in dumpsters. I mean, rather than have all that equipment consigned to landfills, the aim is to get those wheelchairs to Joni and Friends. Some of these sanitation workers carry Joni and Friends’ brochures in their trucks to pass out to new recruits. I tell you what, these new guys on the job – they think it’s great. And why not? Hebrews 10:24 says “… to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” Yep, that’s a loving thing when you are out on the job and find a way to help someone in desperate need. And so, Dan’s network of garbage collectors is growing as they all keep their eyes peeled for used but good, sturdy, serviceable wheelchairs.

Titus 2:7 says this, “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works.” That’s great; it reminds us that good works adorn the Gospel. They don’t add to the good news; good works just beautify it. And it’s a beautiful thing that Dan and his friends are doing. You know, there are all sorts of creative ways we can adorn the Gospel of Jesus. Ways we can make the Gospel appealing to those who suffer. And in every respect, we are to be a model of what Jesus would do when it comes to helping those very people who suffer. Hey, March is Wheelchair Collection Month, and if you would like to help us, go to joniradio.org and get involved. And be praying for our Wheels for the World teams that are heading out soon with wheelchairs and Bibles to El Salvador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Brazil. Ask the Lord to soften every heart of every disabled person who receives a wheelchair. You can learn more about it at joniradio.org. And while you’re there, enjoy a great photo of Dan the garbage man. Again that’s joniradio.org. 

Finally, I want to thank this station for granting me these precious minutes in which I can share hope through your hardship every day. And I do pray you found my words hopeful today.

© Joni and Friends