Tues., Nov. 8, 2011 – A young man came with an older, well-dressed lady. I looked at them across the room. They looked familiar, but I couldn’t place them until the memories came together the next day when I remembered they came together to the distribution in WFTW 2008. It was shortly after his hospitalization and paralysis from the 15 bullets shot during the robbery that changed his life. And with him, she came - the caring Christian lady who met this very ill, impoverished young man in the intensive care unit at the hospital where she was caring for her son. She had offered this man, Manuel, the opportunity to come with her to the WFTW outreach to receive a wheelchair. He didn’t want to remain any longer in this large city, but wanted only to return to his town – even without a wheelchair. The lady kept urging him and kept praying. On the last day to apply for a wheelchair, he finally agreed. He came and received a wheelchair fitted for him. The team prayed for him, but those who worked with him had no knowledge of how he was doing spiritually – no indication from this very quiet, young, paraplegic man.
That was 2008. Now 3 years later, Manuel was back. He was wheeled out of the big room where he had just received a new wheelchair to go to the Evangelism room. I walked past that room, and saw him sitting across the table from the pastor. I saw Manuel – with his head bowed low over folded hands, obviously deeply in prayer. My heart rejoiced. Was this the answer to all those prayers of 3 years ago . . . of a Christian lady, a team of Peruvians and North Americans volunteers, all praying for his heart and his soul?Yes. The report from the Evangelism team read that Manuel put his trust in Jesus that day. Glory be to God!
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God gave so many evidences of His knowing just exactly what He was doing – even when we might have wondered.
There were several specially made children’s wheelchairs that arrived in Peru complete – except no front wheels. We were puzzled. How could that happen?
The mechanics searched and someone found a box with wheels in it. The wheels were the right size, but there was no way to attach them to the wheelchairs.But God knew. Beyond our wildest imaginations, God understood.
Garry, one of our mechanics, was on the team in Peru in 2009. He was not there in 2010. But God had a specific purpose for him to return again in 2011. For on this day, as all the team just shook their puzzled heads over these chairs, Garry quietly said – “I am a tool maker. That’s what I do. I know how to make the forks that will attach the wheels in the box to these wheelchairs.”
Garry talked with the team leaders and they all talked with the head carpenter (a Peruvian photographer in his “other world”) and he knew a Christian brother who had a machine-shop. So the North American tool maker and the Peruvian photographer went with the bi-lingual missionary who served as their interpreter– to visit the machine-shop.
Later that afternoon the newly manufactured caster forks arrived at our work site. They fit perfectly, allowing the wheels in the box to be attached to the little wheelchairs which could then be fitted to disabled Peruvian children. To God Be the Glory!!!!
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