Banana Boy
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and it’s National Physical Therapy Month. And I’ve got in studio today, again, my friend Kimi Archer. She is a physical therapist who leads up our Internship Program, and she leads many young physical therapy students on Wheels For the World outreaches. Kimi, welcome.
KIMI: Thank you, Joni. I’m glad to be with you again.
JONI: You know, our team observed you for many years serving on Wheels For the World trips, and you used to live with your husband back in upstate New York, a tiny community; you were living on a farm. And when we offered you the job of heading up our internship program at Joni & Friends, you just packed up your bags and you left the farm – you and your husband – and you came all the way to busy, crazy Southern California. I gotta ask ya – do you regret doing that?
KIMI: Absolutely not. No regrets, Joni. I think that way back in 2002, my husband and I sat down and said to the Lord, if you ever make your will clear to us, we will say yes. And that began a habit in our life. We had a single mom and her child live with us, and we did some other Katrina relief, and then we started doing Wheels trips. And boy, it’s just been a habit of saying yes to God. So this was really a calling from God that we were glad to say yes to. It was a little crazy; people kept saying, “What are you doing? Moving to California, really?”
JONI: Well, what I love you doing, is that you’re developing relationships between Joni & Friends and Christian physical therapy schools all across the U.S. Whether it’s what – Hardin Simmons University? And who else?
KIMI: Huntington University, University of Northwestern, Messiah College –
JONI: I love that.
KIMI: We have a lot of different universities.
JONI: I love it because you are helping young physical therapy students catch a vision for helping those who are far more disadvantaged in a developing nation like Thailand or in India. Kimi, on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities who receive those wheelchairs – thank you!
Well, friend listening, you must know a young person who could serve as an intern with us, and you can find out all the details for either our internships or Wheels For the World outreaches at joniradio.org.
JONI: Wow, Kimi, twenty trips. Twenty Wheels For the World trips. Kimi, out of all those trips, there must be one child that you remember particularly.
KIMI: Yeah, I affectionately call him Banana Boy, ʼcause I can’t say his Indian name. But he came to my station; this little boy was very tiny, and he was malnourished, and his jaw was dislocated. I’m not a speech therapist, I’m a PT, but God showed me to massage his jaw, and to really help him eat some of his first foods. And I gave him banana that day. The little boy was bright; mom didn’t know it. I tried to share with her how to talk with him, and his eyes just lit up. And he became my Banana Boy in India. Four years later – I thought he was gonna die, and as I left the country I was crying and praying that God would just protect him. I tried to give mom as much knowledge as she needed. Four years later I was at that same location, and my friend came over and said, “Kimi, I want to introduce you to someone.” And I went across, and there was a mama holding onto me saying, “There’s the woman that saved my son’s life.” And I said, “No, no, no. I don’t understand.” And it was Banana Boy’s mother. This boy had learned to eat and over 4 years grew, and I was actually able to give him a rolling walker and a wheelchair, and he took his first steps with me that day.
JONI: And I bet he had a big smile on his face.
KIMI: Yes, he did. And his mama and I just spent a lot of time crying and praying and just giving God the glory for that.
JONI: Ministry like that showcases the love of Jesus Christ like nothing else.
KIMI: Absolutely.
JONI: Kimi, I’m so proud of Jesus and you.
KIMI: Amen. And Joni, I’ll give you a picture of Banana Boy and myself, and you can put it on your radio page. People would love to see it, I think.
JONI: Well, there you go. Go to joniradio.org and see that awesome photo of Banana Boy and my friend Kimi. Thanks so much for joining us, Kimi.
KIMI: Thank you, Joni; it’s good to be with you.
JONI: And please know that we at Joni and Friends care about your struggles, too. Our staff gathers every morning to intercede on behalf of friends like you who contact our ministry in need of prayer. Again, just write us at joniandfriends.org. And then, please keep us posted on how you’re doing and what’s going on.
© Joni and Friends
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