Saturday, August 2, 2008

Wheelchair Outreach

In January 2007, I was part of a team distributing wheelchairs in Cameroon, West Africa. This was a combined ministry of JAF and Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Team members raised their own support. Internet connection was spotty, but we were able to post a few entries in a team blog

The wheelchairs were provided by JAF. People in the US donate chairs to JAF and then the chairs are renovated in a shop in one of several prisons around the country.

In many countries of the world, wheelchairs and walkers and other equipment are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive. Also in some countries, disability is viewed as a curse. This means that people with disabilities receive little or no assistance and perhaps never leave their homes. Physical and occupational therapy is largely unavailable.

The gift of a wheelchair can change a life, and when the wheelchair is fitted by a person who shows care and prays with the recipient, Jesus' name is glorified in the gift. Each person also receives a Bible and other Christian material in a language they or a family member can read.

I was going to post some photos from the Cameroon Project, but the Internet is giving me problems right now (not just an African problem!), so I'll save that for another time. Be sure to watch the video on the JAF Wheels page

No comments: