Wheelsblog, Eldoret: Final Thoughts

The Wheels team have been in Eldoret and Kimilili, Kenya for ten days, working with hundreds of people and fitting dozens of recipients with wheelchairs. Lives have been changed as a result of their work and your prayers and support. Team leader, Rob, sent through this message...

'A massive thank you to all of you for traveling with us digitally on this kenya trip. Your prayers have worked real results for us as you have well seen!

They have been precious.

We worked out he most repeated phrase on the trip has been "in God's grace". We have said it over and over again because so much has worked for good in big an small details over and over again.

Over 130 wheelchairs were fitted safely and professionally, with each client valued and prayed for personally.
So thank you for prayers and support.

Landed back in UK now - Leading next trip to Uganda in June this year - pray for God's people on the team again.
Until then, thank you and see you soon.'

Thank you Rob, and all the team!

Wheelsblog - Kenya, Eldoret 4

Here's the fourth report from the Wheels team in Eldoret, Kenya, written by team leader, Rob Dalton. The team will be on their way back on the 17th Feburary.

We are here working for God, but in truth God is working in us.

Coming away on a mission trip can be a time where God teaches you things to challenge and grow.
Every evening we have had 'Team Time' a time to study Gods word, sing and pray. For tonight's team time we split into groups and prayed deeply for each other as we prepare to re-enter western life. So many stories and joys as well as heartaches and sadness of situations we have seen.

The distribution itself today went well! Children with complex seating needs went away with a safe and practical wheelchair thanks to many joint-efforts between the team.

We had to say goodbye to Lauren this evening as she heads back a day early - her first wheels trip (but you wouldn't have noticed). What a legend. Pray for her as she travels back alone tonight and tomorrow!

Tomorrow he rest of us depart back. Full of thankfulness for God's mercy and grace to all.

Plus we (I) made a Fort with the leftover foam... why not...

Wheelsblog: Kenya, Eldoret 3

Here's the third report from the Wheels for the World team, covering Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The team are hard at work until the 17th February, and have just moved from Kimilili to Eldoret for the second leg of the trip.

After journeying to Eldoret the team gladly met old friends and set up for an afternoon distribution.

We saw 9 people, mainly children. In this second part the people who come are mainly complex children. We are grateful to Sally and Paul and Mike who have joined for this part to give extra help and support for harder cases.

This little one in the white top is moving herself in her chair for the first time! A precious moment for a precious little person!

We also had local TV come again, and were able to speak about the work - nerve racking, but found the right words flowing naturally in God's grace.

The Day Salvation Lay in the Hands of Disabled People (Ros' Blog)

There’s a story in the Old Testament that I’ve grown to love. In fact, if you’ve been to any of my training workshops you may well have heard me speak of it – I often try to shoe-horn it in somewhere during a workshop! The story is found in 2 Kings 6 and 7.

The city of Samaria had been under siege by the Aramean army for so long that the food had run out and people had even resorted to eating the corpses of the dead. A donkey’s head changed hands for the equivalent of about £400 in today’s money and 100g of seed pods for about £25.

In the midst of this disaster, God had a plan, and He revealed it to His prophet, Elisha: “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel (roughly £1 per kilo) and two seahs of barley for a shekel (about 50p per kilo) at the gate of Samaria.” Some of his hearers scoffed; it seemed Elisha was living in cloud cuckoo land.

Just outside the city gate were four men with an infectious skin condition. They were trapped within the area besieged by the Aramean army, but they were excluded from the walls of the city itself, banned from mingling with the other citizens. These four men got talking, and they decided there were two options open to them: stay where they were and suffer an almost certain slow death from starvation; or go and surrender to the Aramean army, with the risk of a summary execution, but also the possibility of being taken prisoner and given food.

They waited for dusk to fall and cautiously made their way to the edge of the enemy camp. Unknown to the four men, God had supernaturally scared the enemy away. They had abandoned their camp with all their food, belongings and livestock, and had fled. The four men couldn’t believe their eyes. The fell on the food and drink and began to fill their empty stomachs, as well as filling their arms and their pockets with silver, gold and clothes.
After this frenzy of satisfying their hunger, their consciences began to niggle at them.

“What we’re doing is not right,” they said to each other, “This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.”

So they hurried back to Samaria and, ignoring the ban that excluded them from its walls, they went straight to the gatekeepers and told them, “We went into the Aramean camp and no one was there — not a sound of anyone — only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents left just as they were.”

The good news was shouted from one gatekeeper to the next, until eventually it reached the king’s palace. At first the king was suspicious, believing that he smelled a rat: he got up in the night and said to his officers, “I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving; so they have left the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, ‘They will surely come out, and then we will take them alive and get into the city.’”

One of his officers suggested a plan – take five of their remaining horses, and two chariots, and send some men to investigate and bring back some spoils if it turned out not to be a trick. And if it was just a snare set to catch them – well, the men were doomed to die of starvation anyway, so there was really nothing to lose.

The charioteers grew more incredulous, and then incredulity gave way to excitement, as they made their way down the road to the army camp and found it strewn with the clothes and belongings the army had discarded as they fled.

They returned and confirmed the news the four men had brought; and by the end of the day flour was selling for £1 a kilo and barley for 50p a kilo, just as Elisha had prophesied, and the city was saved from what had seemed certain doom.

Why do I love this story so much? Right from the outset of the siege, God had a plan for the people of Samaria, and it was not a plan to let the city perish. It was a plan for salvation and deliverance. But God’s plan, devised in heaven, required agents on earth to bring it about. And whom did He choose? Four disabled people, marginalised and excluded, feared as carriers of disease, forced to live outside of community.

To me, this is a marvellous metaphor for God’s purposes for His Church, with disabled people contributing to the life and health of God’s people. Perhaps you feel marginalised and excluded from church life, whether by physical barriers that keep you out of church buildings, the attitudes of fellow-Christians who fail to see your God-given potential, or simply by some condition or impairment that prevents you leaving the house.

I have good news for you! You are essential to God’s plans for His church! He needs you to bring about the salvation and deliverance He has planned for His world. Begin asking Him today what gift you have to bring to the Body of Christ, and whom you should speak to in order to allow your gift to bless the community of God’s people in your area. And then expect God to open doors of opportunity to you, and prepare to be amazed at how He will.

Wheelsblog: Kimilili 2

Here's the second report from the Wheels for the World Kimilili team, covering Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The team are hard at work until the 17th February - please do support them in your prayers over this time. If you head on over to our Facebook page, you can see a couple of short videos from the trip.

Sunday (Day 3)

Church yesterday as a team. Bonus points if you recognize the preacher - such a clear message! We had a chance to talk about disability also - one member of the choir was an amputee, great to see inclusion of disabled people in church.

Spent a nice afternoon as a team walking to see the mission hospital. In the evening as a team we have had times of worship and teaching on the theme of "The God who is Love". Looking at how God's love works out for Hagar, Rich young ruler, Lazarus and more. Every year I think we have the best Wheels team ever, and this year is no exception- being in a kind and patient team who love and care for each other is a joy.

Monday (Day 4)

We travelled to Natiri, a town east of here to do a community distribution. This is a great way of getting out and openly valuing disabled people- but has challenges for us, so we valued prayer for all the little details working out, and that people would get quality chair fitting. What a day! Finished at 8pm! We saw over 50 people. Team happy but exhausted. So so many stories.

Got a chance to talk on local TV today. And visited by an MP's rep who promised he would champion tax free wheelchair parts for import. Amazing.

Tuesday (Day 5)

Had this flatbed pickup turn up this morning crammed with disabled people just sat in the back. They were unloaded by their helpers like sacks of potatos. Really really sad and moving. But praise God they are all going home with a wheelchair!

Last day in Kimilili today. Smaller number, 8 came from just one school, but amazing to see their teachers keen for them to have chairs and placing great value on educating disabled people.

Tomorrow we go early to Eldoret for an afternoon distribution. Then 2 days there. We are looking forward to Paul, Michael and Sally joining the team for this second stage. It's exciting, but there are lots of prayers needed for the team with change of scenery and team dynamics. Thank you!

Wheelsblog (Kimilili 2017)

There's a great Wheels for the World team hard at work in Kimilili from the 8th to the 17th February - we'll be putting up stories and blogs from the distribution as often as they get the chance to send them through.

Travel:

Hurray! After over 16 hours of travel overnight with almost no sleep the team arrive in Kimilili safely.

While stopping at the equator some team members had a chance meeting with Hugh Dennis and other comic celebs out here for Red Nose day 2017. The team had a chance to share with them about the work of WFTW and chat.
Now for much needed sleep! First day of distribution tomorrow.

Day 1:

So! What an great start to the distribution. We saw just under 30 people for the first day. The team were brilliant. Everyone hit the ground running and we're helped greatly by your prayers.

One of the pastors here told us most of the people we met today never go outside- because they physically have to be carried by several people. Now they can be moved easily and some can self-propel and move with independence.

We are looking forward to tomorrow. God is at work here and it is our privilege for him to work through us weak people to accomplish eternal things.

Day 2:

Today with another amazing day with a great team. One gentleman crawled in...not to crawl out. He was very happy.

We had a young man, 'George' who had previously raced wheelchairs in Europe. However he had been promised a day chair when he returned to Kenya, which never materalised. One of our team Andrew, who's son in the UK is an active wheelchair user, was able to work with this man to find the chair that would best suit his active lifestyle. As soon as he got in each chair to try it out he was off!! The front two wheels barely touched the ground as he did spins and bounced over sets and tough terrain. After many tries the right chair was found.

Charities keeping promises is a big deal out here. Am thankful that we work in one that promises, then in God's grace delivers.

Dan, our pastoral support on the team had opportunities to talk to recipients. One man called 'Gregory', a church youth leader was not going to let his disability stop him! Receiving a chair, he asked for prayer to inspire young people and make Jesus known to them. Amazing.

Tomorrow is Sunday. The team will split up and visit different churches then visit the local mission hospital in the afternoon.

Follow this link to read the previous post

Follow this link to find all of the blog posts from this (and other) Wheels trips