Monday morning as I walked up the hill to the clinic, I had to take a step back as I was overcome with emotion in seeing the cars and people lined up to receive their wheelchairs.  I knew it was going to be a big day, but I hadn’t expected it to impact our team and me as much as it did.

As we handed out fifty-three numbers to those waiting to receive their wheelchairs, others in our team began screening those that would also see the doctor.  Not long afterwards, the team of twenty-two arrived from Bethel Ministries.  Having prepared the wheelchairs ahead of time based on an earlier evaluation, they would be the ones making the final adjustments for each of our patients.

At each of the seven stations, workers of all ages helped fit the new chairs.  As they did, they heard the families’ stories.   One woman, a mother from a community three hours away,  told us of the difficulty in caring for her now twenty-year-old son who could not walk.  She shared how she had asked God to take her son.  God did not answer that prayer, but, today, for the first time in his life, the child received a wheelchair.  And I can’t help but believe the burden of taking care of her son has been lightened.

As the day concluded, less than five hours from when we started, the families began returning to their homes and our teams began cleaning up.  However, I couldn’t help but notice the joy all around.  The families had left with smiles after receiving their new chairs, but we were smiling, too.  We were sharing in the joy of these families and thankful that God had given us the opportunity to once again bring hope.