God opened my eyes and slapped me in the face this morning.
Ilse (our ministry contact) invited Laura, Heather, Stacey (our squad leader) and me to come with her to visit potential wheelchair recipients. We didn’t know exactly what to expect, but as soon as I walked up that dirt path and stepped inside that first concrete house I knew it was going to be a tough and emotional morning.
When my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, I saw a girl lying on a bed, limbs twisted and moans coming from her mouth. Her name is Wendy. She is 13 and she suffers from convulsions. Although Wendy is 13, she was probably only 3 feet tall. Her mother explained that Wendy only drinks milk. My heart dropped when Ilse pulled back her pants to reveal her twisted feet and severely malnourished legs. Before Ilse went any further with Wendy’s examination, she asked Wendy’s mother if we could pray for her daughter and their family. The 4 of us immediately knelt by the bed, laid hands on Wendy’s tiny body and asked the Lord to break the chains that are causing His daughter so much pain and suffering.
We were silent as we walked to the next house, processing what we had just witnessed. While we had seen 3 disabled kids receive wheelchairs at the factory, it was a whole different experience actually going to these patients’ homes and seeing the poverty they live in and the challenges they face day in and day out.
After knocking on a large aluminum door, we were led down a steep, dirt path and into another two room, cinder block house. Immediately the woman who answered the door set out plastic chairs for us to sit in. On the bed in front of us lay a 29-year-old man who suffers from multiple sclerosis and is unable to speak. My eyes were led to an open Bible that stood next to his bed. God was present with us in that room. Again, we circled the bed and began to pray for this man. We were told that he only has a year left to live, but we’ll see what God’s plan is for His son.
Eduardo was the third patient we visited. He is a 3-year-old with a big, loving family. Unlike the others we visited, he should be able to walk with proper physical therapy. Eduardo’s mom takes care of him, her 4 other children and a teenage orphan. Tears ran down her face as we prayed for Eduardo and her family. God has given that family so much love and strength. My prayer for Eduardo is that he will soon be able to run and play with his siblings.
We were led into the darkest house of the day for our final visit. We could barely fit in the room as we huddled together to see the last patient. It took me a few minutes to realize that she in fact had legs because they were so twisted and deformed. With each convulsion, her body becomes worse. The mother told us it was her daughter’s 29th birthday. Despite our rough rendition of “Feliz Cumpleanos” she was so grateful for the song. Her words were barely discernable up until that point, but I clearly heard “muchas gracias” over and over when we finished singing. It always gets me when people in these circumstances are still so thankful. I left the house emotionally drained and with a heavy heart.
Today I was humbled. Today this whole trip got real. God led us to 4 of His sons and daughters and allowed us to speak into their lives. He gave us a small glimpse of what is to come the next 10 months. He used our 8 hands and 4 voices to be vessels for Him. He broke our hearts for what breaks His.
