God moves us together for Javier’s tall order

In 2022 we reestablished working connections with two ministries in Guatemala and watched God bring them together to help one of His children in need.

Karen Scheeringa started Hearts in Motion to reach the sports minded disabled in Guatemala in 1993. Our first contact with her was in 1998. We provided sport wheelchairs, standard wheelchairs and other items.

Since then the Hearts in Motion has grown! They now provide clinics, hospital care, mobility equipment and more. Karen contacted me back in March asking if I had any sport chairs. I had two that were easy to refurbish. I kept looking and found frames and parts from around the shop. We came up with four sport chairs for Hearts in Motion. We made plans for the pick up and I told her to bring a truck and helper for the other chairs and walkers. When she arrived I showed her all the custom tilt-in-space chairs I’ve been working on during the pandemic. (I described this project in detail in last year’s newsletter.) I asked “Can you use these?” Her response (unlike the previous ministries that we had asked) was absolutely “YES!” She could use them all! This is such a blessing because these chairs have been made ready and waiting for just the right time!

In August Mark Richard, of Beeline Wheelchairs in Guatemala, asked if I had a chair for a Guatemalan named Javier, who happens to be seven feet tall and needs a 22 inch wide, 20 inch deep seating system with a tall-back heavy-duty chair. I thank the Lord that I found the perfect chair in the warehouse, just waiting for Javier! It’s very adjustable and in great shape. I even found custom seating and a headrest assembly and special leg rests to make the chair complete. All everything needed was a good dusting off!

The next issue was getting the chair down to Mark in Guatemala. I emailed Karen and Mark about the need. The Lord got the two of them communicating about how close some of their projects were in Guatemala, and worked things out with her and Mark to transport Javier’s wheelchair. Prayer and waiting: with God providing the connections at the right time — that’s all it takes.

In a “—stan” far, far away …

Through a missions connection began several years ago, we have recently been able to help with a new wheelchair modification project in 2022 in a very closed country. The missionary who works there has a heart for disabled children and has begun, after years of prayer and cautious ministry, to provide and fit wheelchairs to those God brings, using and modifying existing in-country equipment. Through an Ohio volunteer to whom we provided simple custom seat mounting hardware, lives are being changed and opportunities to share about Jesus are opening up! Here is a modified report from two newsletters:

“[XXXXX] came to visit for a week and start experimenting with adapting wheelchairs in preparation for another visit … with a team. We had hoped that he could adapt two wheelchairs, instead [he] and a young guy … who is spending a few months in [our city] working on wheelchairs and adaptive seating, were able to fix, adapt or build five chairs! We got to pray and share Bible stories with multiple families. It was such a blessing!”

Later “It was such a blessing to have a team from my home church come serve here … They were amazing and built special chairs for some very complicated kids.” One wheelchair was destined for [XXX] “who was a perfectly healthy little girl, had [XXXX] a year ago, and is now severely and permanently disabled. We happened to have a specialized chair that was perfect for her.

“We later went to her village with a local believing family who does humanitarian aid, evangelism, discipleship and church planting in that area. We sat with [XXX]’s grandparents and mom and heard the story of loss, and we got to talk about Jesus. The grandfather has read some of the Bible! We were able to encourage the family, adjust the chair to fit [XXX] and we will go back to visit with [a short-term PT] to do more physical therapy. “

We are very encouraged and excited over the doors opening this year to help make a difference!