EMQ » Oct – Dec 2024 » Volume 60 Issue 4
Wheelchairs of Hope
Summary: A vision for recycling wheelchairs gave birth to a ministry in Japan that provides wheelchairs to people in several countries who desperately need them. The ministry has brought God’s transforming hope not only to wheelchair recipients, but also to volunteers working to refurbish the chairs.
By Mitch Tani and Mary Esther Penner
Daniel was not your typical missionary. He couldn’t walk or talk or even swallow. He had to be strapped into his wheelchair, but he inspired a ministry that greatly affected many in Japan, Asia and even Ukraine. Daniel lived in Japan. Growing up, he and other children like him received a brand-new wheelchair every four years from the Japanese government.
The old wheelchairs were simply discarded until God planted an idea, a vision. Why not collect the old wheelchairs and distribute them to those who need wheelchairs in other countries in Asia, and spread the love and hope of the gospel of Jesus at the same time?
I (Mary Esther) gathered a group of people, and we worked together to collect used wheelchairs. Friends connected with friends to collect more chairs. Then we cleaned and repaired them as we connected with each other. Some had never touched a wheelchair before. Some were Christians and some were not. We learned together and visited as we worked, sharing meals and our lives. That was the birth of Wheelchairs of Hope.
