A Rose in Uganda

By Joni and Friends|Published On: August 15, 2019|Categories: 4-Minute Radio Program|

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and you’re listening to Joni and Friends. And one of my friends, of course, is Shauna Amick.

JONI: Hi, Shauna, thanks for coming in today.

SHAUNA: Happy to be here.

JONI: And, friend listening, Shauna and I are going to bring you a powerful praise report from a recent Wheels for the World outreach into Uganda, where the Lord performed so many miracles; but, the one that’s top of mind and heart is the story of 8-year-old Rose. Now, Rose has spina bifida, and she has spent all of her 8 years either being carried around or she lays on the ground. That is, until her father brought her to our Wheels for the World outreach where Rose received a custom–fitted wheelchair and with it the gift of God’s Word! I think you saw it first hand, didn’t you, Shauna?

SHAUNA: I sure did. It was so exciting, because we gave out those Luganda Bibles so that people could read God’s Word in their own language (JONI: I love that.); but, you know, what was truly remarkable about little Rose is that even though she had never been able to go school, because she didn’t have a wheelchair until then, she could speak and read English!

JONI: Rose’s father, seeing the God-given value of his daughter’s life, but knowing that without a wheelchair she couldn’t go to school, he took it upon himself to teach this little girl how to speak and read English, which, of course, Rose was delighted to demonstrate by reading from an English Bible. And what part of the Bible did she choose to read? She started in the beginning with Genesis chapter one, where we’re told that God created mankind in His own image. Rose’s dad sees the value of his little girl’s life, and, according to Genesis, so does our Heavenly Father. God our Father sees His image in each one of us, and that’s why, friend listening, it’s our joy to share that same truth with everyone at each Wheels for the World outreach – through the gift of giving a wheelchair, but even more so the gift of the Gospel.

SHAUNA: Oh, and you know, those Bibles are so desperately needed in Uganda. In the US, you know, we just take it for granted that everyone who wants a Bible, well, they can have a Bible. But in Uganda, Bibles are so scarce that even pastors don’t necessarily have their own copy of God’s Word. So, we were able to give the gift of Luganda Bibles to more than 275 people on that outreach. And every time, each family acted like we were handing them the most precious gift they’d ever received, and of course, when we share the gift of the Gospel, nothing is more precious, more valuable, more needed than that free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone. In so many ways, a Wheels for the World outreach, really, it’s evangelism at its finest!

JONI: And we try to hand tailor it, don’t we, Shauna? I mean, you glossed over that word Lugandan. I mean, in Uganda, they speak Lugandan. (SHAUNA: That’s right.) We try to give Bibles in the language that people are speaking in their own country; and, I think that’s a beautiful way to evangelize. Really gets to the heart of people’s needs, in the language they speak.

SHAUNA: That’s right; it’s taking the body of Christ seriously. It’s really taking someone else’s burden upon ourselves and making straight ways where there seems to be no way. And speaking of the body of Christ – Christie, one of the volunteers who ministered to little Rose and her father – she shares with tears in her eyes that everyone on that Wheels for the World trip, well, they were willing to do whatever it takes to serve families desperate for a wheelchair and desperate for Jesus. It happened in Uganda; our team just got back from Peru – it happened there. And we’re just getting ready to go to China.

JONI: And you know what? That’s all it takes to serve, friend – a willing spirit and a heart for the Gospel. So, if you feel a tug, that maybe there might be a place for you to serve on a Wheels for the World team, go to Joniradio.org where you will find a video of Rose and her daddy, and please pray for them, would you? Pray for Rose; pray that more and more people in China next week will open up their hearts to the Good News of Jesus, and that our team members will do whatever it takes to give them the love of Christ. Right, Shauna?