Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a heartwarming story.
And the story has its start along a dusty roadside by a field in northern Thailand. That’s where little Amee’s father would set her down every day before going off to work in the fields. When Amee was born with spina-bifida five years ago, her mother abandoned her. In Thailand the burden and stigma of disability is so great— it was too great for Amee’s mother to bear. And so, she left the child to be raised by her father. Thankfully, her daddy could not bring himself to discard his child in the jungle, or leave her abandoned on a stranger’s doorstep. And so he took care of Amee as best he could – but it meant leaving his daughter by the side of the road all day long while he scratched out a living as a farmer.
But God’s hand is not too short to reach into the dusty roadsides of Northern Thailand. Amee was rescued by ministry associates of “Joni and Friends” who brought this disabled child to our “Wheels for the World” outreach in Chiang Mai, Thailand. There, this little girl was lifted from the dirt where she crawled – this child had spent all her little life crawling in the dirt – she was lifted into a wheelchair fit for a little princess! Amee could not stop giggling with joy as she sat so proud and upright in her bright pink pediatric wheelchair. In fact, you just have to see the joy on this child’s face, as well as this cute little pink wheelchair – just go to my radio page at joniandfriends.org and be blessed. And you won’t be the only one blessed by it.
You see, the men incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison were blessed by it, too. This is one of the prisons where we have a “Wheels for the World” restoration shop; inmates there help restore our wheelchairs. Well, our shop supervisor at that prison, Steve Marsh, wrote me and said, “Joni, I want you to know that that pink wheelchair came from our “Wheels for the World” shop at Arizona State Prison. I was showing the photo to the men on my crew today, and we all tried to recall who was the one who worked on that little pink chair? The men who restore these chairs greatly appreciate the feedback that comes back to them – the photos and stories offer proof that lives can be transformed – even their lives. Each wheelchair touches so many people on its journey and the transformational power of God is felt even here, inside a prison.” Wow!
And what happened to this little girl since she received her chair? Well, Amee now lives in an orphanage, where her father visits whenever possible. And it’s at that orphanage that Amee is free to zoom around here and there in her little pink wheelchair. No more lying all day beside a dirt road, this child has a whole new family that cares for her with the love of Christ. Oh, what a different life Amee now has, and it all began with a little pink wheelchair. You know Psalm 113, verse 7 says, “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.” Friend, that’s what we’re doing through “Wheels for the World” so please be praying for our teams as we distribute wheelchairs and Bibles this week in both Haiti and in the Dominican Republic. No doubt we will encounter many children like little Amee, so be asking the Lord to open up the hearts of these kids with disabilities to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Because He is the one who raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap! And, hey, when you take a look at that cute little photo, Instagram it would you, or share it with your Facebook friends? Tell them about “Wheels for the World”, and let them know that God is doing something powerful among the poor and the needy of this world. And Amee’s story proves it!
© Joni and Friends
Compliments of Joni and Friends
PO Box 3333 Agoura Hills, CA 91376