Mobile Freedom Gained By The Wheelchair Foundation
Before his untimely death from an illness he contracted while doing his missionary work, the Deacon Steve Oliver started and made successful a branch of the now huge Wheelchair Foundation (http://www.WheelchairFoundation.org). At first when he came in front of the Calvary Chapel church and expounded upon the idea, many of us thought this was folly. But over the years we have come to realize what a great work this truly is for those in need.
But I get ahead of myself. Let's discuss a little more about what it is this foundation does. You see, every year many thousands of wheelchairs are donated to this great charity. The foundation makes any necessary repairs, and then ships out wheelchairs all over the world. The reason they do this is there are thousands of people who cannot walk, many of these children. Unfortunately for these people, they cannot afford such a luxury and without the foundation's help, would not be able to enjoy life as you and I do.
So Steve, in conjunction with our church, were collecting them to go to many places on the outskirts of Mexico. My Uncle had passed away a few years ago, and our family had a wheelchair in decent condition that we were doing nothing with, so we brought it to the church so we might help someone else who needed it so much more. Steve thanked us, and asked if we would like a picture of who received it when he returned. We laughed and said we would, and then helped to load the truck with the other donated wheelchairs.
The next morning, Steve and other volunteers he had acquired set off on a journey they would all not soon forget. The rest of us returned to our regular lives, pausing to pray for these men and women that our offerings would be true blessings upon them.
The church received several postcards from some of the locations Steve and the others had visited, and Steve even sent a package of thank-you notes and pictures so we may see what was occurring. When the Pastor showed the pictures as a slide-show one Sunday morning, we were all moved by them. We witnessed adults whose limbs were shriveled up, looking more like tree roots then limbs. We witnessed a pregnant mother who was missing a leg. She had lost it due to a spider bite, all because she could not afford medical attention. Finally, we saw a small child who had to have had the biggest smile all of us had ever seen.
But there was something else about this picture. My parents and I could not believe it – that wheelchair used to be my Uncles! The very same one who made sure we could take Andrew everywhere was now blessing a family in need, and the young boy was now able to attend school! Never before had we felt so proud!
If you know of anyone who has a wheelchair they are not using, or have one yourself, please contact the Wheelchair Foundation about donating it to this fine cause. Also, if you can but spare $75, you can help purchase a wheelchair for someone out there who cannot afford one. More information is provided at the site. Thank you.