Hear Joni share a heartwarming story about a little boy who finally gets a wheelchair! Give the perfect gift of mobility and a Bible today to a child in need. Find out more at www.joniradio.org.
Hear Joni share a heartwarming story about Chisomo, a little boy who finally gets a wheelchair!
Give the perfect gift of mobility and a Bible today to a child in need!
Watch as Chisomo received The Perfect Gift!
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I am so ready for the new year!
I have prayed over it, am excited about it, and am committed more than ever to expanding the kingdom of Christ next year. And I hope you’re with me. People need to hear about Jesus Christ. There’s just so much hopelessness and despair. And the situation isn’t any easier in developing countries. Especially among boys and girls who live with really hard disabilities. Earlier this month I told you about a 10-year-old with cerebral palsy who lives with his mom and dad in the impoverished country of Zambia. They call him Chisomo, and this little guy – he cannot speak, cannot walk, and he needs help with just about everything. Now, his precious parents, especially his mother, must carry him in a cloth sling. She carries him on her back wherever she goes – to fetch water, go to the market, pick vegetables. And this is a 10-year-old. Plus, people in their village are standoffish – distant and detached from Chisomo and his family. That’s what a disability does to a family in a place like Zambia. Life is so very hard.
And as we stand on the threshold of this new year, I’m thinking about Chisomo, his family, and thousands and thousands like them. And I guess I’m stirred by anger – a righteous anger – that this 10-year-old with cerebral palsy is considered cursed by so many. All because of his disability. Families like Chisomo’s barely survive on the lowest rung of the ladder, and it makes me angry that Satan convinces people that something like cerebral palsy is a dark curse. So, friend, we’ve got work to do. We’ve got kingdom work. It’s the kind of hard work that all of us at Joni and Friends are praying over and are committed to doing throughout the coming year. After all, Colossians 3:23- 24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”
Now, what does that work look like? Well, in the case of Chisomo, our physical therapists with Wheels for the World assessed this little boy and fitted him to his very first kid-sized wheelchair; it’s a perfect fit for him and, oh, did his face light up. For the first time ever, Chisomo won’t need to be carried around; he’s got mobility, and he can easily take himself places. Wheel himself with his family, take part in village life. Plus, his mother can more easily sell goods at the market to better support their family. The gospel of Jesus is making a difference and people in that village are amazed. Suddenly, the future is bright for Chisomo’s family. Now, the team at Joni and Friends and I are committed to repeating that story around the world in the coming year. But I need your help to make it happen.
And it’s not too late to give the perfect gift of a wheelchair and the good news of Jesus Christ. Because you won’t just be helping the children, you’re helping the whole family! Today is the last day of the year, so join us in blessing many more families who are struggling hard with disability. Just go to joniradio.org and find out more. And while you’re there, take a look at these heartwarming photos that we’ve posted of Chisomo and his family. You’ll love seeing the superbright smile on this kid’s face in his new wheelchair! Again, that’s joniradio.org. And God bless you for giving the perfect gift! From all of us at Joni and Friends, including my radio team at Sharing Hope, have a blessed, safe, and peaceful new year.
© Joni and Friends