Mon. Nov. 14, 2011
I had carried my grandson’s out-grown “Canadian” crutches in the suitcase to Peru, hoping to meet the child who would walk – with the use of Zachary’s crutches. It was our last day of outreach in Peru, and although many children had been helped with other disability equipment, none of them needed crutches. I knew I needed to accept that I might not meet the child who received these crutches. So I planned to simply leave them behind at the local therapy center for whoever might be able to use them in the future.
But on that last day of the outreach, I was thrilled when a therapist said to me “We have a child who may be able to use your grandson’s crutches.”
My desire was to bless a Peruvian child with the gift of mobility, and also to help my 12-year old grandson see God using his disability, and his out-grown equipment, to reach out and bless another child.
I watched our mechanic work to loosen up connections on the old crutches to shorten them for Deysi. The mechanic labored with those “frozen” crutches – until they were the right length for this little 9 year old girl. I watched and snapped photos of the seating-specialist and the interpreter teaching her how to use the crutches, and of our mechanic demonstrating the use of a similar pair of crutches. We were all excited to see Deysi take those challenging, beginning steps of independence. I thanked God for answering the desire of my heart. 
And when I arrived back in the U.S, I was once again blessed as I showed Zachary the photos. He could see how God used his equipment to help little Deysi in distant Peru, to walk without needing to hold onto furniture. And I prayed for both of these children – for Deysi experiencing a new sense of freedom in Peru, and for Zachary, seeing how God could use his disability to bless others. What a sweet double-blessing for this grandmother on a mission trip! “Thank you, Lord.”
Written by Chris Fouser 
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