Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Planned by God

Yesterday morning and then again today, as we began work, Gordon, one of our therapists, noticed a very unusual chair. It was designed to be used by a person with the use of only one arm--the left arm. If you turn just one wheel on a normal wheelchair, you go in circles. But this one has a long lever mechanism that is pumped by the one arm to move the chair forward.

About mid-morning, Francis arrived and was assigned to Gordon. Francis was injured in a work accident. His legs are permanently damaged and one arm is missing. You guessed it--the right arm.

Some time in the past, probably before we even thought of going to Cameroon with wheelchairs, this chair was manufactured for use by a person we don't know. After a while, that person was finished with the chair, we don't know why. It was donated to Joni and Friends and renovated in a prison workshop.

When a container was being filled with chairs for this mission, we had no idea which people we would see or what kind of chairs they would need. So the assortment of chairs is totally random--by human standards.

But nothing is random with our sovereign God. God knows Francis and the chair he needed. God was preparing a chair for Francis long before today.

6 comments:

Kristy said...

This story brought tears to my eyes. Our God is so specific and tangible! Continuing to pray for your team-- for strength and health and continued tangible glimpses of how much God loves us. Thanks for all that you are doing.

For Gordon... :)

Kristy
Louisville, KY

Marie said...

What a great story! Thank you for sharing it with all of us back in the states :)

Ben Mordecai said...

Amen!

Praise God!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for sharing this with us we are blessed by what the Lord is doing through you.

Williams said...

What a moving story . . . evidence of our all-knowing, Sovereign God.
Continuing to pray for you all and so anxious to see the pictures and hear more stories of this wonderful provision God has given these Cameroonian people. May hearts be softened and the seeds that are being planted bring much fruit in His time.
Denny & Bonnie

Talitha Piper said...

wow, what a awesome story!