Greetings and Happy Friday!

Yes, I know it is only Wednesday, but in a few hours we leave for Peru to distribute wheelchairs, so here is your story two days early. It comes from Jef Mindrup.

Fifty-Two

"The scene was incredible. In the last two weeks on behalf of the Free Wheelchair Mission, CV Vadavana and I had distributed hundreds of wheelchairs all over India, but this time something was different. Everyone on the stage was mesmerized by a man sitting by himself on the floor in the very front row. Tears kept flowing down his face profusely; he would wipe them away and then bring his hands together in prayer. He would then look to the heavens and place his hands over his heart as if he were trying to keep it from leaping out of his chest.

I watched the man again, his tears kept flowing; he wiped them away, looked to the heavens and clutched at his heart again and again. I couldn’t stand it any longer; I wanted to jump from the stage and put this man in a wheelchair before my heart burst open.

After the ceremony, we asked if we could photograph and interview him and he agreed. His name was Willsabban. It wasn’t the usual interview. CV translated and Willsabban began telling his story. I looked at CV and saw something I hadn’t seen before. Tears were running down his cheeks and he bit on his lower lip as if to keep it from quivering. CV looked off into the distance for a long moment, took off his eyeglasses and wiped the tears from his face. He could barely speak, slowly he forced each sound from his throat… “He says that this is the first time in his life that anyone ever did anything for him. He is fifty-two years old and says that until today no one ever helped him in his entire life. He says he prayed everyday for fifty-two years that a day like this would come and now he knows….” CV paused a long moment…. “His prayers have been answered.”

Willsabban left, and CV and I looked into each other’s eyes, hearts and souls. Instinctively we knew what the other one needed, because it was the same for both of us. Without speaking we walked away from each other to be alone. Both of us were now just staring off into the far distance, past every horizon, and past every star had it been the night. As I write this today, ten thousand miles and a hundred thousand moments distant, I know that this moment never will pass for either of us. It is one of those rare events that marks one for life."                                                            - Jef Mindrup

God Bless,

Don