Practicing Resurrection - Rise
I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God ... and when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.
1 Peter 5. 1 - 14
from the website of the Free Wheelchair Mission:
Free Wheelchair Mission is a humanitarian, faith-based nonprofit that designs and manufactures cost-efficient, durable wheelchairs for developing countries around the world.
In collaboration with a network of like-minded partners, Free Wheelchair Mission has distributed more than 1.4 million wheelchairs to people living with disabilities in 95 developing countries around the world, providing renewed dignity, independence, and hope through the gift of mobility, at no cost to the recipient.
A woman in our congregation learned about this remarkable mission as she searched for a way to give back to the world, touch as many lives as possible and encourage as many people as possible to do the same. With energy, passion and love, she pursued this organization and is now a huge proponent of getting people whose lives are destitute because they cannot walk up off the ground and into affordable wheelchairs. Don Schoendorfer, the founder of this non-profit, tells his story with humility and gratitude, but in reality his PhD in Mechanical Engineering and a heart for God enabled him to build affordable wheelchairs and as it says above, they have now distributed 1.4 mission wheelchairs to people who had never been able to get up off the ground before.
Last weekend we gathered as a congregation to hear Don's story and to learn how we can support this ministry/mission. Our church has designated this season of Easter and Resurrection as a season to RISE, rise to the challenge of supporting Free Wheelchair Mission, helping people all around the world who otherwise had no mobility to RISE off the ground and make their way in the world.
There are many examples of good shepherding in this story, but the one that touched my heart most deeply was the love with which my friend pursued this ministry, not only shepherding those lost sheep who need mobility, but also the flock of our congregation who long for a way to help and make a difference in the world. For only $100, we can buy a wheelchair for those who need one ...even the children in our congregation are participating and will soon have earned enough money to buy a chair. What an inclusive ministry led by a blessed shepherd in our congregation.
For more information about how to support this ministry, visit the link below. There is so much more to the story including Don's story about his call from God to begin this non-profit.
