Families are Buckling Under the Strain of Poverty and Disability in Guatemala
God’s love poured out over hundreds of families buckling under the strain of poverty and disability in Guatemala through our recent Wheels for the World outreach. Children like 12-year-old Carlos got their very first wheelchair after waiting for over a decade for help and hope.
Carlos suffered from a very high fever as an infant that left him with severe intellectual disabilities and violent seizures that would throw him to the ground wherever he sat, but now that he has a properly fitted wheelchair complete with a safety harness, Carlos can start attending school and church. Carlos and his entire family found new hope in the midst of their hardships through his new wheelchair and the Gospel message. Their entire future has been transformed!
“If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
Isaiah 58:10
Christopher experienced God’s immense love for him during the same outreach! He is 11 years old and has hydrocephalus and intense seizures. Christopher was abandoned by both of his parents when he was born because of his disability and is unable to do anything for himself. Christopher ended up being adopted by a kind widow who has dedicated her life to his care.
When he received his first wheelchair and she heard the life-changing Gospel of Jesus, she saw what the love of a father really looks like – in spirit and in truth! Through our Wheels for the World program we are able to share the love of Christ with widows and orphans all over the world!
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”
James 1:27
We were able to share God’s love with Dylan during our Wheels for the World trip to Guatemala, as well. Dylan has spina bifida and was forced to crawl, roll or drag himself whenever he wanted to move from one place to another. Can you imagine living that way for over 12 years… feeling degraded and humiliated by such dire circumstances? No wonder Dylan beamed with pride once he was placed into his new seat of dignity at our Wheels for the World outreach! He is finally able to hold his head up high and experience life at eye-level instead of solely from the floor.
Josue and his family were part of this amazing outreach, too. Josue is also 12 years old. As a small boy, he experienced a head injury while running away from a dog. He required surgery, but complications resulted in an infection that eventually led to meningitis – leaving Josue paralyzed. Now, because of the wheelchair we gave him, Josue will be able to go to school and become part of his community! Josue and his family now have much to smile about!
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!”
Psalm 126:3
And Teresa experienced the love of God first-hand through Wheels for the World, too. Teresa became paralyzed as a baby after she contracted meningitis. She also has severe autism, and although she’s 22 years old, she received her very first wheelchair at our Wheels for the World outreach. She can hardly contain the joy in her heart, which is written all over her beautiful face! And Teresa’s family is overjoyed, too, because they have witnessed the love of Jesus in new and powerful ways!
Yet Teresa wasn’t the only one who learned about Jesus during that outreach event. Because they heard and received the Gospel message through Wheels for the World, 26 people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior that day! There are now 26 new members in the body of Christ – 26 more hearts transformed by our Father’s never-ending love!
The seeds of God’s Word and truth were planted in the hearts of everyone in that tiny village that day, and the visible Gospel came to life right in front of their very eyes through the wheelchairs and Bibles they received! The Lord is using Wheels for the World to impact hundreds of families – in Guatemala and all over the world!
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
1 John 3:1
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