AL: As you know, Joni, our Wheels for the World teams always come back with the best stories of God’s blessings.
JONI: And I’m thinking of a story that involves a very odd wheelchair with red leather that reclined and had only one footrest. It ended up in Romania with the rest of the wheelchairs, all of which were rather normal looking, at least with two footrests, not one.
AL: Joni, don’t all of your wheelchairs pass inspection... they’re all refurbished, aren’t they?
JONI: That’s why this one with only a single footrest was so strange. Our therapists were scratching their heads – what to do with this oddball chair that seemed to need a lot of work? They set it aside to concentrate on fitting the Romanian children and adults with disabilities to the chairs they had.
Halfway through the day, a family of gypsies showed up at the distribution. The mother of the gypsies had brought along her sister who had cerebral palsy. Like most gypsies, they were all decked out in their colorful and “quite different” dress. And also like most gypsies, they were shunned by the other Romanians — gypsies in that part of the world are looked upon as tramps and thieves. Even the Romanian translator who was helping our therapists shook her head with misgivings — she thought for sure that the gypsies only brought their disabled family member to get a chair and then later on sell it for money.
But the therapists thought about the Scripture from the gospel of Matthew which talks about not judging others. That convinced them, as well as the Christian translator, not to judge these gypsies.
When the family was finally called for their fitting, the therapists tried several different chairs, but none seem to fit. As the Romanian translator, as well as other Romanians looking on, observed the dedication that this gypsy family had for their disabled family member... as they saw hopes rise and then fall when a proper chair could not be found, it was clear to everyone that these gypsies definitely intended to keep the chair... they had sincerely come for a wheelchair... a chair to be used.
Finally, someone thought of the oddball red chair that reclined and had only one footrest. When the disabled gypsy was placed into the red chair, her face brightened... so did the rest of the family’s. Even the missing footrest worked: the woman’s legs were so contracted that one crossed over the other... and on the right side where there was the one and only footrest. When the fitting was finished, the family received a New Testament in Romanian, much to their joy. And much to everyone’s joy, the unusual red chair found a home with a very unusual family.
AL: That’s a wonderful story. Can you picture yourself helping a family like this on a Wheels for the World trip? Well, we’re putting the word out for physical therapists and seating specialists, for teachers specializing in disabilities, for translators, wheelchair mechanics, and even construction workers... we have Wheels for the World trips scheduled next month to go to Poland, and then later on, to Ghana, West Africa and Peru, South America. If you have a heart for reaching people who... for the most part... are often least reached (disabled families like these gypsies in Romania)... then write Joni and Friends today and ask for information on Wheels for the World. Joni, give us that address.
JONI: Well, friends can write us at Post Office Box 3333, Agoura, California, 91301 or fax us today at (818) 707-2391.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends