God has given you a glorious calling to care for those who are in need and who cannot speak for themselves. Be engaged in helping others and speaking up on their behalf.
Today is Giving Tuesday and Joni Eareckson Tada invites you to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves! Donate to make a difference where Christ’s love is needed the most.
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Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Get involved at joniandfriends.org or on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
As a Christian in this wheelchair, I simply must speak up.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I take it seriously when the Bible tells me to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, for those who are needy and destitute, for those whose lives are in danger. Look, I’ve traveled to 57 countries and I’ve seen firsthand the desperate plight of people with disabilities, especially children. Like 4-year-old Ian down in El Salvador who was born prematurely. When that happens in a developing nation, chances are the newborn won’t be given the oxygen he needs. And that’s what happened to Ian. The severe lack of oxygen resulted in a brain injury and cerebral palsy. His mother – her name is Fatima – was heartbroken. There was nothing she could do.
Little Ian needs constant care for all his needs: bathing, dressing, toileting; and Fatima, near exhaustion, constantly changes her four-year-old’s diapers. And the combination of disability and extreme poverty has threatened to consume Fatima and her husband, José. Their biggest challenge is just getting their son from one place to another, ’cause they have to carry him everywhere and their little guy is starting to get heavy. Now, Fatima and José knew that they would never be able to provide a wheelchair for their son; and yet they could not fathom carrying him into their old age. Fatima felt hopeless and she said to us, “Wheelchairs [in my country] are very expensive.” But, friend, that’s the mission of Joni and Friends! I love it when we can make a difference in the lives of people like Fatima, José, and little Ian. Because everything changed for this little family when our Wheels for the World team arrived in El Salvador. On that day, hope was on the rise for Ian’s mom and dad. And when our Wheels for the World physical therapists lifted their little boy and lovingly placed him in a new, junior-sized zip-a-dee-doo-dah wheelchair with a lap board, Ian’s parents were amazed, ’cause it fit him perfectly. And that little wheelchair has opened all kinds of doors. Ian can now go to school. He can socialize with others and pull up to the kitchen table to share a meal with his family. He can go to church and learn – for the first time – he can learn what it means to belong in the family of God.
Most of all, this little wheelchair was a huge relief to Ian’s mother. No longer does she need to carry her son everywhere. Fatima stood back and glowingly admired her little boy sitting upright and smiling. She turned and said to us, “Thanks to Joni and Friends, [we are so blessed].” This little family down in El Salvador is especially blessed because they know that that wheelchair is a gift from the Lord Jesus. And they found hope – true and lasting hope – in him. Just as Matthew 12 says of Christ, “And his name will be the hope of all the world.” Friend, this is what keeps me going. God has given me this glorious calling to speak up on behalf of disabled children around the world like Ian. And on this Giving Tuesday, I want you to join the call. Now, I realize other groups may be vying for your interests today, but hey, I’m the one who’s asking you to remember the children of the world who struggle with disabilities. Kids like Ian. So, friend, get involved. Be engaged. Give a gift. Make a difference where Christ’s love is needed the most. Visit joniradio.org where I have not only posted a link for you to help boys and girls like little Ian, but I’ve posted a wonderful photograph of this kid. So please join us, would you? And thank you for remembering disabled children at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends