Day 9 - Thursday (Wheels Elburgon 2016)

A lovely sunny morning again and we all enjoyed walking from the hotel to the centre taking in local life on the way – sheep and goats wandering across the road, little toddlers helping dad fill tins with charcoal to sell and stall holders washing plastic flip flops and shoes before displaying them for sale.

We had a lovely welcome from the nursery school children and their teacher in the classroom next to the centre – all smiling and waving and singing for us as we entered the compound. Teaching pre-school children is a challenge for anyone, but it takes someone special to have 48 children in her class enjoying their initial school experience.

The team and some of our partners and friends in Elburgon There were not many chairs left and we were conscious that several children would be coming although fewer were registered. Amazingly God provided and chairs were found for all who turned up except for a couple who had very particular needs.

Jill had two very complex and challenging children, but with the help of Roy and the rest of the team we were able to provide a couple of very satisfactory chairs with adapted seating after many hours work. Many families left having had their lives transformed, clutching their bibles and wearing a huge smile.

Also, we had another first (on the last day of distribution!) as we finished our work in daylight and were able to walk back to the hotel, encountering a minibus in the town with two wheelchairs strapped into the roof. Roy checked that they were securely tied and suggested another piece of rope as they were a little wobbly! We prayed that they would arrive at their destination intact so that the children would be able to experience being an integrated member of their community whilst giving glory to God’s goodness and provision.

Day 8 - Wednesday (Wheels Elburgon 2016)

We woke to a lovely sunny day after the rain and storms of the previous night. A large number of children from a special boarding school came with their social worker and pastor and because they knew the children and their needs they were very helpful when we were assessing the needs of the children and their families. We saw a large number of people and worked well after dark - but the person of the day was a child with very severe and complex needs who was still being seen seeing when the power went off just after 7pm. Gunn carried on by torch light, but when it became too difficult to see the mother and child were taken to Pastor Davis’ house to stay the night so they could come back the following day to complete the assessment as she lived too far away to go home. What generosity and kindness!

Day 7 - Tuesday (Wheels Elburgon 2016)

In the afternoon Gunn and John accompanied Pastor Davis in his car to a remote village Mariashoni 12 kms away high up in the forest hills as it was difficult for the disabled people to make the journey to Elburgon. The wheelchairs and walking aids needed were loaded onto a truck which came with us. The road in places was deeply rutted and potholed so progress was slow.

Our first visit was to see a 4 year old boy who had hydrocephalus (water on the brain), he had a very large head small for his age and was paralysed. We walked a quarter of a mile through a field with sheep and donkeys, over a fence to the house made of mud and sticks – it measured about 12’ by 10’. The entrance was through a doorway bur there were no windows. A family of five lived here – there were some cooking facilities otherwise only some rugs and one stool. The family would sleep on the floor. The little boy lay on the floor and could not go outdoors. As we arrived a girl of about 3 screamed and ran away – it was the first time she had seen white people.

Mother and son before fitting with a new chair
As Gunn chose a wheelchair and adjusted it we were surrounded by the local people. The little boy can now sit in his wheelchair, go outside the house and watch other children play. The family were so pleased as the “Prophet” had been unable to heal him but God had performed a miracle through a wheelchair and given the boy a new life.

Pastor Davies and a family with the little boy and his new wheelchair As we moved on to the local church the rain started followed by thunder and lightning. We were greeted by many parents and children, some of whom had never seen a white person before and wanted to shake our hands or just touch us. The church was no bigger than a small chapel, made of wood with a sandstone floor. Gunn worked tirelessly in cramped and dark conditions with interested onlookers peering in. Wheelchairs were given to two boys and crutches were given to a couple of others.

When we finished there was no truck to take back the wheelchairs that were not used. As we left in the car with Pastor Davis the village give us a good send off. A young man hailed the car as he wanted a lift to Elburgon – he turned out to be God’s angel. The road was wet and deteriorated quickly. The car started to skid on the mud as though it was ice so we drove at a snail’s pace to avoid going into the ditches on the sides of the road. We then encountered several abandoned lorries that had skidded off the road making passing them extremely difficult. Our angel was able to get out of the car to guide Pastor Davis on the best route to avoid deep puddles and ditches. There were moments when we thought we might be spending the night in the car – we prayed hard.

Two hours later we arrived back safely. The rest of the evening the team were guests with Pastor Davis, Ruth his wife and their children for a delightful meal at his home. Gifts were exchanged at the end – Jill and Gunn each receiving a beautifully made bead and bamboo bag.

Day 6 - Monday (Wheels in Elburgon 2016)

Wheels for the World are working hard in Elburgon, Kenya until the 10th September 2016 - follow their journey with our regular blog updates.

After breakfast we meandered through the town to the Distribution Centre to set up for the day. Due to a thunder storm the previous evening there was no electricity. This gave Roy, our Techie an opportunity to improvise. About 36 people were seen throughout the day and into the early evening. People left with smiles on their faces. The elderly gentleman in the brown cap suddenly proclaimed the goodness of God as he sat in his new wheelchair repeatedly shouting ‘thank you Jesus’.

As it grew dark the mobile phone torches emerged providing ample lighting to see the last seven or eight clients, the last of whom were seen after 8pm. The team retired to the hotel in time to see the electricity come back on, and to eat a well-deserved supper around 9.30pm.

Here’s to the Paralympics! (Ros' Blog)

This week’s blog post takes the form of an interview with Michael Sharkey, a visually impaired athlete who was part of the Team GB goal ball team at the London Paralympics.

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I grew up in Buckinghamshire, in a Christian family, and for some of the time I went to a school for visually impaired students in Worcester. It was there that I discovered goal ball and was able to participate in sports more seriously than ever before. It was also significant because I did A level biology there, which enabled me to go on and study physiotherapy at Birmingham University, and also because I met my wife there, although we didn’t start going out until some years later. Now I have been working as a physiotherapist for ten years. It’s a lovely job because I’m helping people, making a difference, and because it’s enabled me to go on a couple of Wheels for the World trips with Through the Roof.

When and how did you become a Christian?

Because I grew up in a Christian home, I had always accepted that the Christian faith was true. But at university I tried out different churches, and found some that were very different from my Anglican background. They had a more charismatic style of worship and used electric guitars, which was new and appealing to me, and during that process I really made my faith my own, and discovered from some of these churches the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian.

When did you begin playing goal ball professionally?

I first played for Great Britain in 2002. But of course the highlight came ten years later, being able to take part in the London 2012 Paralympics. It was in 2005 when the decision was made to award the Olympics to London. I remember it well because I was a student at the time, and I was actually treating a patient, with the radio on in the background, trying to concentrate half on what the radio was saying, and half on my patient who was on an exercise bike. When they announced that the Olympics was going to London I shouted, “Yes!” and did a little jig. And everyone wondered what my patient had done on the exercise bike that was so exciting! But even after that, it wasn’t until March 2005 that we learned the goal ball team was definitely going to the Paralympics, so that was also a very exciting moment.

The Paralympics turned out to be every bit as incredible and amazing as you would hope. I wondered beforehand, after working so hard for so many years would it be utterly wonderful or terrifying? But it was really incredible. There were all the different flags hanging from all the rooms in the Olympic Village, and a massive food hall the size of an airport terminal. It had to cater for athletes from all over the world, so you could sample every kind of food imaginable.

I had never played in front of more than two hundred people before, and at the Paralympics there were crowds of seven thousand watching us. But it didn’t put me off; in fact I thoroughly enjoyed the crowd and played the best goal ball I’d ever played.

I saw God at work, too. I had a friend on the team who was a bit of a lad, a very different character from me but we got on really well. The night before the first game he had an accident and twisted his ankle which swelled and ballooned up. I examined it, and I knew as a physiotherapist that an injury of that type ruled him out of the Paralympics. I asked him if I could pray for his ankle, and he said yes. I prayed and he was miraculously healed. He had to rest it the next day but was able to play from the second day onwards. I hope that he might look back one day and remember that and see that God is real.

What would you say to a disabled person who might be wondering if or how God could use them?

This reminds me of when I went to Kenya with Wheels for the World. This is a question that arises quite often there. One of my best moments was being able to talk first to a waiting room full of disabled people and then to a congregation of Kenyan people in church about the story from John chapter 9 where Jesus heals a man who was born blind. Jesus was asked whether the man or his parents had sinned that he was born blind, and He replied that it was not the result of anyone’s sin but so that God’s good works could be shown in him. That is very different from what people hear in Kenya, that sin is not only not a curse or punishment as they are taught, but that God wants to show His good works in disabled people.

But it also applies back here. Disabled people can use their talents and serve in the church, and in fact many of them may not realise how much they already inspire and encourage people. So I would urge them to seek out God’s purpose for them and find out what He wants them to do, and then serve Him.

Is there a Bible verse that particularly inspires you?

I think I’d have to say it’s this same passage in John 9. I love the idea of God’s good works being shown through disabled people. I love sharing it with disabled people whether in Kenya or the UK who have been taught a prosperity Gospel which focuses on having to be physically healed, and I hope it makes them see their disability differently. When I talk about playing sport and goalball, it’s the greatest form of worship anyone can do, to explore a talent God has given them and develop it to their best ability. So I think my message would be enjoy your talent and do it for God, it’s the best form of worship you can engage in.

We are grateful to Michael for giving us this interview, and we hope it will inspire you as the Paralympics TV coverage begins this week.

DAY 5 – Sunday (Wheels Elburgon 2016)

A team from Wheels for the World are hard at work in Eldoret, Kenya from the 31st August to the 5th September - we'll bring you blog updates from them as often as possible.

It was a beautiful sunny day so time for a quick stroll in the garden before breakfast. We walked from the hotel to church taking in the sights and sounds of the town, and meeting a family of 5 on their way to church all crammed on a motor bike! At Church we were greeted by many members but had difficulty remembering their names as they were all spruced up in their ‘Sunday best’ rather than grovelling of the floor with a spanner! A few people were singing to loud music, whilst the children went to their Sunday School lesson and Young People went to their bible study.

The service started at about 11a.m. as people were arriving in dribs and drabs and then it ‘took off’ with singing, dancing, preaching, reading of the Word and contributions from young people and children presenting their songs and dances. The team were welcomed and introduced and Jill gave a short talk about the work of Through the Roof and Wheels for the World. Roy spoke about his experience as the parent of a severely disabled child.

The service finished with Shaun giving a short talk. Pastor Davis then asked Jill and Gunn to encourage the group of single mothers in the church who are pastored, trained up in a skill or trade and are supported by Pastor Davis and his wife Ruth, and the church leadership. We arrived back at the hotel just before 3p.m. and had some lunch before team time and going out to supper.

DAY 4 – Saturday (Wheels in Elburgon 2016)

Wheels for the World are running a wheelchair distribution in Elburgon, Kenya until the 10th September 2016. We'll bring you stories from the trip as often as possible...

A day of rest and relaxation – hallelujah as we were able to have a lie in! We were collected from the hotel at 9a.m. (African time i.e. 9.30 or so!) to go to Nakuru National Park to see the animals that are in this local reserve. We were joined by Pastor Davis and two of his children, who although they live locally had never been there before. We stopped in Nakuru on the way to sort out the problem with the modem (yet again!) and pick up a picnic lunch.

Arriving at the Park about midday, we were joined by a guide to take up through the park. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had lovely views of the lake as we drove round its perimeter. We saw water buffalo, warthogs, zebra, giraffes, impala, waterbucks, baboons and a wide variety of birdlife. We finished the trip with lovely views of flamingos by the lake and buffalo in the background.

On the way home we stopped in Nakuru for coffee and a snack and arrived back at the hotel about 6 p.m. to change and enjoy a relaxed supper and some team day before bed.

Day 3 - Friday (Wheels Elburgon 2016)

The team was excited as at last we were ready for work, having taken two travelling to the Hope of Glory Centre in Elburgon, which was founded by Pastor Davis in 2013. He has worked extremely hard to raise the awareness of disability issues within his community and the wider area so many representatives from local government, social and medical services were invited to come and learn about his work and officially launch the Wheels distribution.

We were introduced to the team from Elburgon and soon everything was ready for the first client to register and wait in the compound for a therapist to come and assess their seating issues. We registered 53 clients and distributed 25 wheelchairs and buggies and 18 pairs of crutches or walking aids. Unfortunately some clients left before being seen, as with only 2 therapists seating we did not finish until 8.30 in the evening. However, there were many lives transformed and people delighted that they would no longer have to carry family members who would now become integrated members of their community.

Last time Roy visited Elburgon he met Esther, who needed corrective foot surgery, so he was delighted to see her again and watch Gunn give her a rollator to increase her independence at school. She would no longer need to be carried – what joy!

People come in many forms of transport and Stanley arrived wheeling a hand tricycle. He had polio as a young child and wears a caliper, but as he gets older his leg is so painful that he sometimes needs to take it off so cannot go to work. He was therefore given a wheelchair and is now able to get around regardless of his medical condition.

Day 2 - Thursday (Wheels Elburgon 2016)

After a delicious breakfast we crammed our equipment and cases back into the mini-van and set off for our destination in mist and rain. We had a brief stop at the Rift Valley View Point, when the mist lifted to reveal intensive arable land under the viewing point and then opened into a large plain, hills and mountains in the distance. We arrived in Nakuru for lunch and afterwards set about shopping locally to change money, buy foam and explore getting internet connection whilst experiencing the hustle and bustle of a busy African City.

Another hour through rural countryside brought us to Elburgon where we were taken to the church for a formal Welcome Ceremony, attended by ladies who have been praying for the trip for many months. We had a tour of the centre and saw a room full of wheelchairs and mobility equipment but it was too late to start sorting and preparing for tomorrow’s distribution so we shut the door and headed for the Welcome Supper which had been prepared by the church ladies. We were very late arriving at our hotel so our beds were a welcome sight.

DAY 1 – Wednesday (Wheels in Elburgon 2016)

A team from Wheels for the World are working in Elburgon, Kenya from the 31st August to the 10th September 2016 - we'll be adding blog posts and updates from them as often as we can.

The team arrived in Nairobi over an hour late due to a sick child boarding, who later needed to leave the plane. After an uneventful flight we were met by Pastor Davis and driven through Nairobi at night eventually arriving at a lovely Christian Conference Centre in Roiru; it was certainly worth the wait as we had a warm welcome at 1.30a.m. before collapsing into bed, tired but excited at what God would be doing over the next 10 days.