Victoria
Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada with a story that will touch your heart.
And you know we take wheelchairs and Bibles to disabled people in less developed nations, poor countries, and believe me we meet some of the neediest people in the world. It happens when you’ve got a disability in a place like Thailand or Romania or Ghana, West Africa. That’s why I want to tell you about the remarkable story of a woman named Regina, who lives on the outskirts of the capital city of Ghana.
Every day Regina lifts her 6-year-old daughter, Victoria, onto her back and heads for the local roadside stand where she sells salt, and onions, and peppers. Little Victoria has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk on her own. Her mother is barely able to make ends meet, even with what she earns from selling onions, and peppers, and salt from her roadside stand. Regina’s heart goes out to her little girl with cerebral palsy, but she doesn’t have enough money for a wheelchair for her. Such a thing would cost more than this young mother earns in a year. There’s a local school where Victoria could attend, if only she had a way to get there. A child with a disability is not permitted to attend school unless he or she has a wheelchair. And so everyday, this child sits in the dirt by the road as her mother sells what she can to keep them going for another day.
The neat thing is Regina is a Christian. And when she brought Victoria to our “Wheels for the World” distribution, she spoke amazing words of faith and confidence in God. She said, “Jesus tells us that He will not leave us or forsake us.” Well, that’s all our “Wheels for the World” team needed to hear. I mean, our physical therapist began right away working on a beautiful, spiffy, yellow-colored pediatric wheelchair, just perfect for Victoria. We wanted to do all we could to help relieve the burden on this little family. And oh, you have just got to go to my radio page when we’re done here at Joniandfriends.org to see the happy smiles on the faces of Victoria and her mother. Because for these two, that wheelchair was a dream come true. Victoria, this little girl, will now be off the ground, out of the dirt, and at least up on eye level with that table of onions and peppers, smiling at customers and helping her mom.
It’s a very simple—and some would think small—thing having your own wheelchair, but to Victoria, it means the world. As Regina left our distribution center she said, “Today you have taken away our shame. Today this wheelchair you have given us is a manifestation of God’s love and His word coming true. You have lifted us from shame and placed God’s love on our lives!”
You know, a little wheelchair is a small thing, but it speaks volumes. It shows this mother and disabled daughter that Jesus has remembered them. He hasn’t forgotten them in the midst of their poverty and need. Galatians chapter 2 verse 10 says that, “We should remember the poor, the very thing [we] had been eager to do.” Yep, that’s us, eager to remember the poor, remember kids with disabilities like Victoria and her mother. So would you please pray for this little family? Ask God to not only meet their needs, but ask Him to use us to touch the lives of thousands more like them through “Wheels for the World”.
And friends, on another note, thank you for joining me in praising God. Yes, I just want you to praise God with me today for His faithfulness in sustaining me in my wheelchair for 50 years. We are quickly coming up on the 50th anniversary of my diving accident that happened back in 1967. So, join me in praying that many more people with disabilities (that we reach for Christ), will experience the same.
© Joni and Friends
