I love the stories of unsung heroes. Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada. And who are my unsung heroes? Well, they are people you never hear much about, but they are so important to our ministry at Joni and Friends. These heroes are the prison wardens who partner with our Wheels for the World program. These wardens oversee thousands of prisoners at some of the top correctional facilities in the U.S. And we are so blessed by them, because these are the wardens who have chosen our wheelchair outreach as one of their rehabilitation programs for their prisons.
And you should see these wheelchair restoration shops in some of these correctional facilities – I’ve been to one of them, actually several of them and sometimes the inmates even paint murals on the walls of the shop, depicting the children with disabilities who receive the actual wheelchairs these inmates work on. It was so neat to hear these wardens tell us how much their inmates love working on our wheelchairs. Most of the prisoners had never experienced what it was like to actually give or to do something for someone in need – but they work hard to make our wheelchairs look showroom new.
Recently we held a conference for these wardens. We held workshops on best practices, safety, new security measures, team building, and character development of the men. During the evening when we were presenting awards for some of the topnotch restoration shops, one warden presented us a check for Wheels for the World – it seems the inmates had collected quarters and dimes to make it happen. And the Bible verse we chose for this conference was Ephesians 4:28: “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” What a perfect verse to give those prisoners. They must no longer do wicked deeds, but must work, doing something (I love this word) useful with their hands (they’re not making widgets or some other innocuous work; no, they’re doing something useful restoring those wheelchairs). They must work with their own hands so that they can have something to share with those in need (and, of course, you know who those in need are – it’s the children and adults with severe disabilities who end up being given these wheelchairs). Every warden at that conference – there were 14 wardens -- said he wanted to go home and put that Bible verse up in their restoration shop so all the men could see. Oh my goodness, the Bible is so wise, so full of practical insight. I’m convinced Ephesians 4:28 gives the perfect remedy for any educational or rehab program in a prison.
You know, you don’t have to be a prisoner to appreciate that advice from Ephesians. If only more of us would do something useful with our hands to serve others in need, what a different world it would be! And speaking of serving, if you would like to join us on a Wheels for the World team to take these remarkable wheelchairs to needy disabled people overseas, and then get on board! In just a month or two we will start our 2012 schedule of outreaches, beginning with an outreach in Thailand and then to El Salvador. Because, why should prisoners be the only ones to receive a blessing, right? If you have skills and physical or occupational therapy background, or if you’re a mechanic who’s really, really good with tools, we need you, get involved. Just visit our Wheels for the World page at joniandfriends.org to learn more. And I’d like to hear from you, to hear your story and what you are learning from God’s Word, write me today would you at P.O Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends