Making a Difference

When you think of the poorest of the poor, who comes to mind? 

Well, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and we meet many of those people through our ministry. And right now I’m thinking of Miguel; he’s six years old; he lives in Brazil; he’s disabled with spina bifida. And in my mind, he is the poorest of the poor – his father is in prison, and his mother abandoned him because of his disability. And to me, that’s – for this little boy – that’s true poverty. And so, this disabled child, unable to fend for himself, lives with his elderly grandparents. They were kind to take him in, but they have so very little to share. His grandparents also live in extreme poverty – a thin little house, if you can call it that, with cardboard walls and a rusty tin roof.  

As you can imagine, it’s hard for this elderly couple to carry Miguel anywhere, even for just a few feet in their tiny house. They are old; they have their own aches and pains; their own worries – like where to find food; where is there a job? They gave Miguel what they had: a dirty old wheelbarrow. Yes, that’s how his grandparents move their little grandson from room to room, outside and down the street. In a wheelbarrow. It’s not much help, though, as the hard metal has caused pressure sores on Miguel’s feet. And now they’re infected. All this prompted Grandma to courageously ask God please for a wheelchair for her little grandson. In her heart, she knew that the wheelbarrow – well, they’re not for carrying children. They’re only good for dirt. Not boys and girls. And especially boys with disabilities. 

And praise the Lord, God heard this old woman’s prayer. Just recently, our Wheels for the World team went to some of the poorest sections of Brazil to deliver wheelchairs and Bibles in the Portuguese language. When Grandma and Grandpa heard about this, they wrapped up Miguel, placed him in his wheelbarrow and pushed him all the way to our distribution site. This little family was amazed when, immediately, and upon their entry, our team went to work on their grandson. Eventually, his sores were medically treated, and he was properly fitted to a beautiful, junior-sized little wheelchair. What’s more, oh, how encouraged they were when we provided them with food and with supplies. To top it off, everyone in this little family embraced Jesus Christ when we shared the Gospel and gave them that Bible in Portuguese. Immediately, Miguel’s grandmother beamed, “I will now be able to take little Miguel to church!”  

Yes, there is so much poverty in the world. So many struggling people like this child with spina bifida and his elderly grandparents. But you know what? We can make a difference. Yes, in the life of someone like Miguel. And you just gotta see a photo of this cute little boy and his family. Just go to joniradio.org. Come visit us. Help us reach more children for Christ – boys and girls just like this little one with spina bifida. Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” Did you get that? When you make a difference in the life of people like Miguel’s family, and you do it in the name of Jesus, Proverbs 19 says that God will ‘pay you back,’ literally. God will graciously bless you, granting you an increase of faith and a sense of his favor. He’ll recompense your kind deed in the world to come. It’s what a wheelchair and a Bible will do. So visit joniradio.org and help us reach God’s little ones, just like Miguel. God bless you today, and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends! 

© Joni and Friends