Jim went on to tell me how his wife and him recently went to I think Honduras was the country and flew in and measured 40 children, flew home and built the wheelchairs and then had the privilege of flying back and delivering the wheelchairs to the 40 children. Jim told me to call and set up an appointment to meet with him and we could talk.
Needless to say I spent much time in prayer for God to open doors if it was his will. We are now up to 28 children in the Miriam Home and 26 in For the For Jonathan’s Sake Outreach Program. One thing we are in desperate need of are wheelchairs. Wheelchairs mean so much more than mobility in Haiti. They mean that a child can be fed safely and have a decreased risk for aspiration, it means that a child has a decreased chance of being left in their crib, and most of all it puts them in a position that makes them feel apart of what is going on.
I finally got the opportunity to meet with Jim 2 Fridays ago. We had a wonderful conversation. Jim started out taking me into the workshop area and showing me all the tools I would need to make a basic wheelchair kit to fix and adjust the current wheelchairs we have in Haiti. Last summer, I attempted to do adjustments on many of the children’s wheelchairs but did not have the correct tools. The next day God lead me to K-mart that was going out of business and I found a tool kit on sale with most all the tools I needed in it How awesome talk about BIG GOD!
Back to my visit with Jim, when we got back to his office I began sharing about NWHCM and then specifically the Miriam Center. I showed him a book I made with the children’s pictures and a description of each, I showed him a video of the building and some video and pictures of the kids.
Previously I had talked to Jim about making an electric wheelchair for one of the girls Courtney and I think would really benefit from 1. Jim was against this idea, he did not think there was any place for an electric wheelchair in a 3rd world country. After proving that I 100% believe Kem would benefit from an electric wheelchair, showing pictures and videos of her and showing that our facitily had electric to charge the battery and concrete floors for her to get around on…Jim agreed to make Kem an electric wheelchair!!!!!!!!!! PRAISE GOD!
Then as Jim was watching the video he saw Den-Den and said…”He would benefit from an electric wheelchair.” I was like “YEAH…He would.” Jim and I decided that He would make an electric wheelchair that would fit both Den-Den and Kem. He then said he would also donate 5 more manual chairs. That I should pick the most cognitively aware children. The children that know they have a disability and it would help them feel apart and increase their independence and ability to participate. (I was thinking…Somebody pinch me….is this for real…did someone just say that they would give 6 of my kids custom fit wheelchairs)
As our conversation continued and I handed Jim a copy of my most recent support letter and a CD of videos and pictures of Haiti. He turned the letter over and began to read my needs list. He said, I can help you out with some of these…First I have some matt tables down stairs you can have those, wheelchairs I got covered….He then looked at me and said, I have tons of standers and other therapy equipment in the basement of Shriners you can have to take to Haiti (WHAT REALLY…that is what was going threw my head…at this point it is taking everything in me not to run around and jump for JOY).
Our conversation did not even end there…NEXT he said that he wanted me to come back before I leave for Haiti and he will teach me to take measurements for the chairs. Then when I get back from Haiti he wants to meet to go over the measurements. He will then make the wheelchairs and ship them to Haiti. When they arrive in Haiti, He wants to fly in with me to deliver them. AND if everything goes smoothly he said he would then make wheelchairs for all my kids 5 at a time!!!!! PRAISE GOD…I serve a BIG GOD that provides for our every need when we bring the needs before Him and lay them at His feet and WAIT on His perfect timing.
Ok…so I am not done yet…Jim had been texting a friend of his who does work in Haiti, by the end of our conversation Jim ended up calling this friend and I got a chance to talk to him. He has been doing work in PAP and has been there since the earthquake doing work. God had laid a burden on his heart for a need for a amputee trade school that would teach amputees to use the remaining limbs to be productive and to provide for their families and to give them purpose and worth in a society that looks at people with disabilities and handicaps as worthless, possessed, and as though they did something wrong and are cursed.
Well, God then laid upon my heart to share about the new compound that we are in the process of designing and that the land has been bought in Bono. This compound is going to be focused on disabilities. It is going to hold the Miriam Center, an Autistic boarding school, our deaf school, the Miriam Home that will be able to hold 100 kids, For Jonathan Sake Programs, etc. I discussed the possibility of adding a school for Amputees to learn a trade. Later that week I talked to Courtney and she liked the idea as well.
I don’t know what God has in Plan for us BUT 1 thing I do know is that is was not a coincidence that I met Jim. I also know that God has great plans for our friendship in the coming months and years. God has given Jim a heart for missions and heart to help those in need. He brought our 2 similar hearts together to make an eternal difference in the lives of disabled children in Haiti. PRAISE GOD!!!!!
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