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SHAUNA: Hi, it’s Shauna here on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. And I’ve got a story from Joni about Chan.
JONI: I know, that’s an unusual name! That’s because Chan is from the city of Xuzhou [“Suchow”] in the Jiansu Province of China. Chan is 13 years old, has muscular dystrophy, and he uses a wheelchair. Now, he and his mother attended our international Family Retreat in China, sent there [bless their hearts] by a church in Xuzhou. This boy and his mother were very tentative at first, so reluctant when they arrived at the retreat; even though our volunteers welcomed them with shouts of joy, it was obvious that Chan was a shy 13-year-old. Having a serious disability, and too weak to use his legs or hands, Chan had never been accepted so warmly. He and his mom just didn’t know what to make of all of it.
Well, during the Family Celebration Night [that’s the evening when lots of kids with disabilities get up on stage and dance and sing and perform with their volunteers] anyway, during that night, Chan and his mother quietly sat off to the side watching everything. He sat there stiff and rigid, but you could see in his eyes that he was moved by the celebration. My friend Judy who was there volunteering at the retreat noticed this. And she went over to this mother and son and beckoned him to join her up on stage. “Oh no,” his mother protested in Chinese. “No, my son cannot do that. He is not able to dance!” But Judy explained that he could dance in his wheelchair! She said, “It’s no problem, he will have a great time up there” and she reached for the handles of his wheelchair. Well, you could see the excitement in Chan’s eyes. And before he knew it – before his mother knew it – that young man with muscular dystrophy was lifted up onto the platform by strong male volunteers.
And Judy showed his mom how she could swing and sway his wheelchair this way and that. And Chan was having a blast up there, and Judy couldn’t help but glance and see that his mother was crying big tears. The next day, when water guns were brought out for all the children, again Chan’s mother said, “Oh no, my son’s hands do not work; he can’t use a water gun.” But then another volunteer took the hands of that young man, wrapped his forefinger around the trigger of the water gun and not only did he hit the target, but then he began spraying water over some of the other kids! And Chan erupted into giggles, at which point his mother just sat back stunned, hands on cheeks, and amazed. She had never seen her son so happy.
Oh, friend, it is so incredible, how God uses his joy to break through our barriers. And before that retreat was over, Chan and his mother wanted to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; they wanted to know the source of joy, and that made the church that sent them to the retreat, so very, very happy. During the final meeting Chan’s mother told everyone, “When I came to family retreat, God did a great favor for me. My child now is so happy. He didn’t go outside until now.” Wow! Isn’t that incredible? Thirteen-year-old Chan had never gone outside to play before, but now, since our family retreat, his mother is going to take him outside to the park and enjoy life the way it should be enjoyed when you have a disability. With God all things are possible! So, think about serving with us at an International Family Retreat. And pray for all of our U.S. Family Retreats which are going full swing this week. Just visit joniradio.org for all the details and thank you for praying for Chan and his mom as they grow in Christ. Again, that’s joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends