Wheels for the World Brings Help and Hope to Brazil

By Joni and Friends|Published On: October 28, 2022|Categories: Wheels For The World|

On a Joni and Friends Wheels for the World™ trip to Brazil, our team from Texas met a three-year-old girl named Lunna.

They learned that Lunna almost didn’t get a chance at life, as her birth mother tried to terminate her pregnancy.

While Lunna survived, the abortion attempts caused her to be born premature, with multiple significant disabilities.

Tragically Lunna’s mother couldn’t foresee a hopeful future for her daughter or their life together, but God had good plans for Lunna from the start.

“My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.”
Psalm 139:15–16

Shortly after Lunna was born, God brought Lucileide to become her adoring adoptive mother.

Lucileide recalls loving Lunna the moment she saw her, fragile and wrapped in rags. During her infancy, doctors painted a grim picture of Lunna’s prospects.

But Lucileide prayed for her daughter’s life, through two heart attacks, meningitis, and collapsed lungs.

“It was God’s grace that allowed Lunna to survive,” says Lucileide.

She and Lunna now live outside Sao Paulo with extended family nearby. But Lunna’s caregiving needs weigh heavy on Lucileide. For one, Lucileide couldn’t afford a new wheelchair when Lunna needed one…

Hope swelled for Lunna’s family when they learned about our Wheels for the World outreach. They traveled for many hours to come, and God made their trip worthwhile! Our team fitted Lunna in a wheelchair that she could propel on her own.

She grinned as she wheeled around the distribution site. Lucileide shared her daughter’s joy.

“This wheelchair brought independence to my daughter. She can choose what she wants to do and where she wants to go. It is a very different world for her.”
Lucileide

Eight months after Lunna received her wheelchair, Lucileide sent our team an update. She shared that because of her wheelchair, Lunna’s arms are gaining function and strength. She is growing more independent. Lucileide also told us how, through Joni and Friends, God had exceeded her hopes and confirmed her faith:

“I believe in God’s sovereignty and love, and I know that this wheelchair was his gift to my family. He prepared this wheelchair especially for Lunna before I started to pray for it.”
Lucileide

Around the world mothers like Lucileide and children like Lunna have yet to experience the almighty power and love of Jesus. They are praying for miracles, for healing, and for hope. You can be the hands and feet of Christ to people with disabilities, from Texas to Brazil and beyond!