Being a docent at our International Disability Center can start a big ministry.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and Claudine Schooley is a beautiful woman who was born in France – she’s got the most lovely French accent and with her blonde hair, she looks like a little porcelain doll. We love Claudine here at the Joni and Friends International Disability Center because she gives great tours to visitors who come. It all started when, several years ago, she visited our headquarters, and when she realized how many opportunities there were at Joni and Friends to serve, she jumped right in. Claudine started in the mailroom, and then helped out in our Correspondence and Resource Department; she volunteered time in our Church Relations department, and then finally she landed as a Docent at our International Disability Center here. There have been many times I have welcomed visitors into my office and art studio and listened to Claudine give her perspective on things.
So as you can imagine, as a docent at our Center, she really got to know what we do well. That’s why when we decided to go to Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010, Claudine wanted to sign up. What could she do to help our Wheels for the World team heading to Haiti to serve the many children who had become disabled as a result of the earthquake? Well, remember, Claudine’s first language is French, which is closely related to Creole, the language spoken in Haiti. So she was able to serve as a much-needed translator as we worked with the special needs families who brought their children in for help. And often, after a child was fitted with a wheelchair, there was Claudine over in the corner, communicating the best she could between French and Creole, counseling and encouraging and providing training and understanding to all our wheelchair recipients.
The devastation she witnessed there in Haiti was overwhelming, and when she returned, Claudine was a different woman. The experience had touched her deeply, and she got a whole new appreciation for defending the cause of the weak and rescuing the needy, as it says in Psalm 82. It was pretty hard on her emotionally, but she was hooked. She returned again with our team to Haiti in February 2011 and will return yet again to work alongside our Haitian partners serving orphaned children with disabilities. Claudine says, “Learning to be more like Jesus is all about love. And when you decide to follow the Lord, very little can stop you!”
By the way, if you’d like to see a short video of one young Haitian girl who received one of our wheelchairs, then you must visit my radio page today at joniandfriends.org. Haiti is a desperately poor country and even though a lot of time has passed since that earthquake, the capital of Port au Prince is still basically in ruins. This is why I share Claudine’s story with you today. There are more than 12,000 references in God's Word about helping the poor and needy… and there’s a whole country of needy people just a few hundred miles southeast of the United States. So, be in prayer for the people of Haiti. And, hey, if you are skilled in the language of Creole, then we really would love to hear from you. We are committed to going back to Haiti to provide more help to more disabled people, so pray about serving alongside Claudine. These people need to hear about Jesus Christ and they need to see His love in action – consider joining us for a future outreach to the hurting people with disabilities in that country. Claudine would agree: God's favor and joy will rest on you as you serve! And once again let me remind you of our website - it's joniandfriends.org. God’s blessings on you until next time when we get together at Joni and Friends.
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