They Came to Know Christ Through a Wheelchair!
Every wheelchair donated to Joni and Friends is lovingly restored and given to someone in need, like 4-year-old Angel in Peru, who has cerebral palsy.
Angel’s mother, Martha, was so ashamed of her son that for the last four years she would cover him with a blanket so no one could see him.
She would rather hide her child and pretend that he didn’t exist than carry the burden of rejection felt when those in her community realized that Angel was disabled.
This type of deep shame associated with disability is all too common, both around the world and right here in the United States. And it’s a burden no parent should be expected to carry.
But through the simple gift of a wheelchair for little Angel, Martha now sees her child with new eyes.
Our Joni and Friends Wheels for the World team shared the Gospel with Martha, and she learned that her dear son was created on purpose for a purpose. Her little Angel is God’s image-bearer!
“God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
We gave Martha a Bible, the Joni book, and food so she and Angel could be fed in both body and soul. And when Martha pushed Angel home in his new seat of dignity, she held her head high with new-found appreciation for the child Jesus gave her.
Martha once thought her world had fallen apart. She thought Angel’s disability was a curse with no purpose other than to ruin her future. But now – through the simple gift of a wheelchair – Martha and Angel have new hope for a brighter future. Hope through hardships. Hope in Christ.
Right now, 75 million people worldwide need a wheelchair.
They, too, carry the weight of shame and disgrace felt from other people’s rejection and a faulty worldview. They, too, are created in God’s image; worthy of their own seats of dignity and deserving of a biblical perspective on their suffering.
March is Wheelchair Collection Month at Joni and Friends. You can be part of the solution to millions of families’ problems. Here’s how you can help!
- Donate a wheelchair. Used wheelchairs will be refurbished to like-new condition and given to a needy person impacted by disability along with a Bible and the Joni book!
- Join our Wheels for the World Chair Corps team and collect the wheelchairs that other people donate!
Small acts of kindness translate into miracles for families living with disability. God bless you for pointing others to Jesus through the simple gift of a wheelchair!
Donate a Wheelchair!
There are millions of people worldwide who are in desperate need of a wheelchair. Will you help us bring the gift of mobility and hope of Jesus to thousands of people impacted by disability?
