Hear what Joni and Friends is doing with Joni’s House all around the world in places like Uganda. What a blessing to see that people with disabilities overseas are embracing the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Learn more about Joni’s House today at joniradio.org.
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Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and, oh, am I blessed.
I may be the most blessed quadriplegic in the world. I’ve got a husband, I’ve got a job, a mission, I live in a comfortable home. I have got friends. Despite my pain, my health is stable. And because God has blessed me in so many ways, I’m going to do everything in my power to help other people with disabilities. It’s why I started Joni and Friends decades ago. I mean, I think about disabled people in a place like, Uganda, okay? There, if you have a disability, you are equated to one of the village dogs. Children with disabilities are often locked up in back rooms – tied up in kitchens, or in the back of their homes, hidden from guests. Their family tolerates them when no one else is around, but when people of value do come around, the person with disabilities is pushed away.
And I’m not making this up. It’s why I work so hard to help make a difference in the lives of those people. If I’ve been blessed? I simply must pass on the blessing to those who have so little. Psalm 41 says, “Blessed is the one who considers the poor!” And so, my team and I at Joni and Friends, we give the Gospel, give wheelchairs, give walkers, and a whole lot more. And it’s why I’m so excited that we have established a Joni’s House in Uganda. It’s a disability center where the Gospel is made practical through providing physical therapy, food, housing help, medical attention, and basic life skills training.
I’m thinking of Rihanna and her mother. They have been blessed beyond belief by Joni’s House Uganda! As a baby, Rihanna contracted a high fever that resulted in brain damage. Her limbs, her balance, and ability to speak were significantly impaired. Now, our Joni’s House team met Rihanna when she was six years old and when we learned that she had never been able to stand on her own, we provided physical therapy at Joni’s House. Rihanna learned how to stand up without assistance and she is now walking with the help of a standing frame!
Anthony, who is our Program Manager there in Uganda said to me, “Joni’s House Uganda shows the love of Christ to people with disabilities. People with disabilities are elevated from being nobodies – forgotten people stashed away in back bedrooms – to being seen as our brothers and sisters.” And then Anthony adds, “And when families ask us, ‘Why are you doing this for me?’ That’s when we get to tell them about Christ our King.” Oh, friend, that’s our goal when we build a Joni’s House in a place like Africa or Asia or India or South America. We just want to pass on the blessings to those who have so little.
And whatever blessings God has showered on you, please thank him. Then, find a way to pass them on to someone in need in your neighborhood. Make the Gospel of Christ tangible, whether to an unwed mother, a foster kid, an elderly neighbor, the homeless, or anyone else in your community who is struggling. And if you’d like to learn more about Joni’s House, just go to joniradio.org where I’ve posted a picture of Rihanna with a very big smile! Oh, and be praying as our Wheels for the World team heads to Uganda today loaded down with wheelchairs and Bibles. Because we want to spread more smiles like Rihanna’s. It’s what happens when people with disabilities embrace the Lord Jesus as Savior. Again, you can see it for yourself at joniradio.org. Learn more about Joni’s House at joniradio.org. God bless you today and thanks for listening!
© Joni and Friends