Friday, May 27, 2011

Friday Story : "Shoes for an Angel"

Happy Friday!

I was in Bogota, Colombia, rushing around to get what I needed for a full day of wheelchair distributions.  The airlines had just delivered my lost piece of luggage, and inside I found a forgotten, tied-up grocery bag. A couple pairs of children’s shoes. It had been days since we dropped off our delivery of children’s clothes at the orphanage. What to do with these? Without an answer, I stuffed the bag into my backpack.

A few hours later I met Julia. Just fourteen, she is deaf, blind, and has cerebral palsy.  She has been carried all her life. Julia has experienced her entire world through what she could feel, taste and smell.

Her mother, Maritca, gave her constant communication and encouragement through hugs, kisses, strokes of her hair. We placed Julia in our wheelchair and she came alive with joy. She found the wheels all by herself, and when she pulled them toward her, she moved. She felt motion. She smiled, and I have to believe she smiled because she felt comfortable and secure. I reached out and took hold of her hand. Julia could tell that it was a new hand, a stranger's fingers, yet she seemed to take comfort in my coarse clumsy grasp. We held hands a long time.

Her shoe fell off so I went to work to replace it, a very tight fit. I noticed a red mark on her sock. I asked her mom about it and she showed me that under the sock was an open sore. Her shoes were way too tight.

I remembered the bag of shoes stuffed into my backpack, and ran out to the car to get them. One pair of shoes and one pair of slippers, both perfect fits for Julia!

Most of the time I don’t even try to follow the complicated paths God puts before us to accomplish these important tasks. But, today even I could see God’s plan, and along the way I got to hold hands with an angel.

Friday, May 20, 2011

"This wheelchair will help me start my first business in life." - Distribution report from Vietnam

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Vietnam.

Vo Cuong, a seventy year old man is a typical example of those who are physical imperfect by innateness or illness, and cannot easily live like other normal people. But on their face, the overflow of joy and confidence always shines.

A war accident caused him to lose his legs and one hand.
Cuong shared “I have been crawling on the ground for more than 20 years and never stop dreaming to be off the ground. I don’t care the contempt of the physical unbroken people as I do have a family like they do and I am happy as my wife and my children love me. The one thing that has been upsetting to me for years is  that I haven’t got a wheelchair to lift me up from the ground and start working to support my family like a real man in a family”.

Sitting on the new wheelchair, Vo Cuong got struggled to make the chair goes on his way. Honestly, It was so hard for him as he only had one hand to control the wheels, struggled, struggled and more struggled; eventually, we were all amazed by the talent of his curtailed arm. It was so amazing!

“Thank you for giving me this wheelchair. It is such a gift of mobility. Tomorrow this wheelchair will take me to the lottery company and help me start my first business in life. I will start selling lottery tickets tomorrow to support my family. Thank you!”


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

"She did not utter a word but her big tears expressed how thankful she was"-Distribution Report from Indonesia

Thanks so much to our partner in the field for this powerful, testimony straight from Indonesia.

The Wheelchair Distribution by Yayasan Pondok Kasih partnering with District Military Command held in Military Head-quarter in Surabaya, Indonesia. 

There were 26 wheel-chairs distributed. It was overwhelming to see the recipients (young, old and veterans) could not stop crying while sitting on the very chairs they needed which they could not afford. The Commander-in-chief was so thankful that Yayasan Pondok Kasih gave to military handicapped veterans. He personally came to our office to give Yayasan Pondok Kasih a award as token of appreciation. There are a lot of testimonies how the wheelchair meant for them.

10 year old Anik, could not stop crying the entire time during the distribution. She did not utter a word but her big tears expressed how thankful she was for the wheelchair. She was unable to walk since her childhood, and her mother had to carry her everywhere she went. It was a touching sight to see the reaction of the recipients. They did not only come from Surabaya, but also from the neighboring cities , such as Sidoarjo, Gresik, Madura etc. The Military announced the distributions from the radio. People came from far and near. Since this event, they held similar events in other places. It is good that it moved the military to look for the disabled in their areas.




Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Don's photo reflections from India



Early last month, Don took a trip to India to distribute wheelchairs and came across this man, Bashask, and his family. With bald tires and a beggar’s cup fixed to one armrest of his old wheelchair, he received a brand new wheelchair and a scholarship for his daughters to go to school.

This week, Don arrived from a second trip to India and encountered Bashask once again ... this time with his daughters off the streets and in school uniform! Don truly captured the impact of both those moments perfectly with these shots from the field!