God daily bears your burdens, and he invites you into the same work. How can you be generous to someone today and help bear their burdens?
“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and isn’t that a great Bible verse? Psalm 68 conveys the heartfelt compassion of God, who bears our burdens every single day. That’s a verse to bolster not only your heart, but the hearts of people with disabilities in developing nations who struggle morning, noon, and night. I mean, these folks simply cannot make ends meet financially, or physically, or emotionally; they need a God who carries them through their heavy daily burdens. And let me tell you about a quick story, because it’s one thing to endure life with a disability in a developing nation. It’s quite another when there’s double the disability.
Renatta and Melany are twins – five-year-old twins – who struggle with developmental delays, microcephaly, and hip dislocations. Just fifteen days after their premature birth, they both even required heart surgery. Given the impoverished part of Mexico in which they live, scraping together enough for the hospital was not easy. After the surgery, there were follow-up visits to the hospital – the only way these five-year-old twins could be transported was in a double stroller designed for infants. Renatta and Melany’s father works seven days a week as a delivery man, and their mother labors hard on cleaning jobs – but their income simply wasn’t enough to afford one wheelchair, let alone two! That’s when they heard that Wheels for the World would be holding a wheelchair distribution in the town of Guadalajara. So, their mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother brought Renatta and Melany, hoping they might receive not just one wheelchair, but – could it be possible – maybe two?
Praise be to the Lord who daily bears the burdens of children with disabilities in a country like Mexico – disabled children like Renatta and Melany! ’Cause this same generous God inspires all of us at Wheels for the World, and so, it was our joy to be generous just like our great God, and so, two perfect little wheelchairs were provided to these adorable twins! And you just have to go to joniradio.org today to see the glowing smiles of these little five-year-olds, sitting upright in their sturdy, well-fitted wheelchairs with their family beaming over such an abundant gift! And these little girls received their wheelchairs in the nick of time, because they had completely outgrown the infant stroller! Best of all, that day our Wheels for the World team shared the Good News of Jesus with the whole family. They also received Bibles in their language. The twins’ mother told us, “You made my dream come true! My girls have their own wheelchairs! I’m [so] grateful!”
And you know what? I’m grateful, too – doubly grateful. It’s because of the compassionate care of friends like you that we are able to make such an extraordinary gift possible. And in the month of May, I’m asking you to join me and Ken in doubling ministry to children like Renatta and Melany through our May Match – a precious friend of our ministry has put up a challenge, and if Joni and Friends can meet that challenge this month, we will have double the resources to reach for Christ many more kids with disabilities like these twins in Mexico. It is a marvelous opportunity to give two times the ministry and two times the smiles – and two times the praise to our wonderful Savior, Jesus! So, if you want to take part in the May Match, just visit joniradio.org for all the details, and, hey, don’t forget to see that really fun photo of Renatta and Melany and their mother and grandmother and great-grandmother, everybody smiling big smiles at the gift received! Visit joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends