Jesus is the perfect gift. Today, on Giving Tuesday, please help Joni and Friends reach into dark places around the world to give the perfect gift to disabled kids like Puumi in Thailand.
Jesus is the perfect gift. Today, on Giving Tuesday, please help Joni and Friends reach into dark places around the world to give the perfect gift to disabled kids like Puumi in Thailand.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with the perfect gift.
And we gave that perfect gift to the most perfect little boy named Puumi who lives in Thailand. It’s hard growing up in a developing country like that with very few resources for disabled kids. And that’s Puumi. He’s 13 years old and he has cerebral palsy. Thailand is a country where Buddhism, it holds a vice-grip on the hearts and minds of everyone. You cannot travel anywhere without seeing a Buddhist temple. Statues of Buddha are everywhere – in restaurants, shops, homes, even on the dashboards of cars. It is a dark religion with no hope, especially if you’re suffering. So, people like little Puumi? His cerebral palsy is considered a bad omen, a curse of sorts; it’s a shameful stigma on the family. A disability is caused by the devil in that religion. So, little wonder this child’s mother left him when he was only one year old. She abandoned him, not wanting to dirty her hands with a child that brought such great shame.
And so, Puumi was raised by Wanida, his grandmother who, although a Buddhist, took pity on this poor child. Grandma Wanida sells noodles from her little house to earn an income. And this little boy spends all his time on a dirty mat on the floor, where he cannot move, cannot lift his hands to say, “help me.” And although Wanida loves her grandson, she worries. Who will take care of him when she dies?
This little family knows the dark weight of despair, and shame, and stigma. Until they heard a hopeful word that our Wheels for the World team was coming to town. Puumi’s grandmother gathered up her little guy and carried him to our outreach. She set him down and stood back as our physical therapist carefully began measuring this boy’s legs and hips. Grandmom watched intently as these strangers, these people of the Bible, kept working so tenderly on Puumi, her grandson.
And when this child was lifted into his wheelchair, he and his Grandmom burst into smiles. And Grandma Wanida received a Bible in the Thai language, and little Puumi was given a children’s Bible in Thai. I’ve posted a great photo of my husband Ken with Puumi; yep, my husband served on that Wheels for the World team. And at the close of the day, all the Wheels physical therapists and mechanics circled around this sweet boy in his new wheelchair, alongside his grandmother, and they prayed for their salvation. It was an unforgettable day for everyone, but especially for Wanida and Puumi.
In a country where less than 2% claim to be Christian, well, this family received proof-positive that the God of the Bible, he cares. Unlike Buddha, the God of the Bible is warm and personal, and his name is Jesus. Jesus is the perfect gift, and Grandma Wanida and little Puumi have experienced it firsthand. So, today, on Giving Tuesday, please help me reach into other dark places around the world to give the perfect gift to disabled kids like Puumi. These dear children, most neglected, oft forgotten, they need help and hope; they need the Gospel; they need a Bible and a wheelchair. They need proof-positive of God's compassion. It’s Giving Tuesday, so go to joniradio.org and join me in giving the perfect gift. I’ve posted a great photo of Ken Tada and happy little Puumi! And as you give the gift, the perfect gift, God has a heartwarming message just for you from Ruth 2: “May the Lord repay you for what you have done.” See you today on Giving Tuesday at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends