Hi, I’m Joni and today I’d like to introduce you to a woman in a burqa.
That’s right, for some time, we've been praying at Joni and Friends about how we might take the Gospel of Jesus to disabled people in Islamic nations. Because there’s such a great need: people who have disabilities are told that it's the fatalistic will of Allah that they are cursed with suffering, and because of that, they have no hope. Well, after much prayer, we decided that one way to get the Gospel into Muslim nations would be through delivering our wheelchairs. I mean, who would reject a wheelchair for her disabled son or daughter, right? And with such a gift, who wouldn't want to know the giver? And, of course, we all know who that is.
So after much prayer and planning, late last year, our Wheels for the World team headed out for Egypt to deliver wheelchairs and give Joni books in the Arabic language. I was on pins and needles as the team landed in Cairo and spread out to the smaller towns beyond the city. I loved reading the daily e-mail reports from our team leader, but one in particular touched my heart. The e-mail included a photo showing a little disabled girl being fitted to one of our pediatric wheelchairs while her Muslim mother, cloaked entirely in a black burqa from head to toe was reaching out to steady her little disabled girl in the chair. The photo left me breathless. I had seen Muslim women wearing burqas before when I traveled abroad, but with their face and body totally covered in black from head to toe, those women seemed to have no identity... you couldn’t see their face; it was as though the burqa had stripped them of any individuality. But when I saw the hands of that Muslim woman try to stabilize her little girl in her new wheelchair, I felt like I knew her, I felt like she was like any mother of a disabled child who wants the best for her daughter. I didn’t need to see her face; I could easily understand the heartfelt anguish she had for her child… the woman in the black burqa cared like any mother would care… even like my own mother.
Mothers -- especially mothers of disabled children -- are the same around the world, and that day, that little Islamic family discovered that Jesus cares. It made me so grateful to God for the many creative ideas He keeps giving His people when it comes to sharing the love of Christ with those who have no access to the Gospel, especially in nations where Islam is the predominant religion. It says in Psalm 96, “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’” It doesn’t read “Say among some nations,” or “Say among those nations that welcome you,” or “Say among nations that have freedom of religion,” it says “Say among the nations.” All nations. And that’s exactly what we’re doing through Wheels for the World. And you know what? I would love to show you the photo of that woman in the burqa – just visit me on my radio page today at joniandfriends.org. You won’t be able to see her face for all the black cloth, but you’ll be able to sense the love and devotion she has for her child – a child that she carried from some distance so she could receive a wheelchair from our Wheels for the World team.
And one more thing: If you are a physical therapist, we’re in need of your help on a Wheels team. There are lots of outreaches planned for the rest of the year and a few spaces still open. So pray about it and see if God might have you say to the nations that the Lord reigns… and be praying for our Wheels for the World team heading out to China with Bibles and wheelchairs today… be a part of changing the lives of families affected by disability around the globe. Get involved, would you at joniandfriends.org? I‘d like to hear from you; I’d like to hear your story. Write me today, would you, at P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376 or you can always visit Joni’s Corner at joniandfriends.org.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends