Today we got the opportunity to deliver 2 wheelchairs to families in Dia Loc. The drive was nice especially since I was sitting in front with the air conditioner in the van. It is HOT and HUMID. Accuweather says it is 100 and a "real feel" of 111.
Ali helping deliver a wheelchair
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As I said, the drive was nice, then we got out of the van and the heat hit us. What stopped me short in my tracks was seeing our first recipient. I have to be honest; my first instinct was to turn away. I wanted to ignore him and talk to the family or pass the responsibility of interviewing to a team guest. What I have learned is that what the disabled need most is to be touched and noticed and yes, feel love.
This man was so twisted, and as I kneeled down and stroked his arm, he first jolted at being touched but then smiled as best he could. We talked with the older brother that told us how the last chair was lost in the floods. Since then he's had to lie in the bed and the only time he gets up is when he is picked up.
Twisted and stuck in bed...
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The man's name is Vo Dinh Phu and he is 43 years old. He was born with this condition. Vo kept saying words. When I first asked what he was saying I was told, "Nothing, he's just babbling." So we kept up the interview and then placed him his chair. Again Vo began to talk but this time Tam my program director bent over and listened and yes Vo was making sense!
with mom and dad
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He sat in his chair and said, "I get so tired of just lying in my bed all day. I get bored! Now my niece and nephew can take me for rides. This makes me very happy." He waved and smiled big as we were leaving and I stepped back in to shake his hand. He said in very broken and twisted English, "Thank You!" Still not believing what I heard, I asked again and heard, "THANK YOU!"
Thank you!!!
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I sit and wonder how often I (and others) ignore the disabled. How often do we assume that they are not making sense when really their minds are working and still feeling and needing to be heard? Well, I learned another lesson today. Thanks for letting me write about it.
Our second stop was not much easier. We walked into a house to see a 12 year old boy lying on the bed in an incredibly hot house. As soon as he saw us he became scared and almost began to cry. No wonder, a dozen people showing up in his house, with cameras like the paparazzi!
Here was a typical situation I have heard and seen written about but here it was in front of me; parents gone and the handicapped person left to lie on a bed alone. There is no TV and in this house, I didn't even see a fan. It breaks my heart thinking how many, not only in Vietnam but all over the world, live like this their whole lives.
As soon as I saw his emotions build I got out some bubbles and first kneeled, then sat next to him. He began to smile when he saw the bubbles. Then when he got to blow some himself, seeing the joy in his face was priceless.
Simple bubbles move him from fear to fun.
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His father came not long after we were there. He had been working in the fields. We heard the story of this young man. He has had Cerebral Palsy since birth and has never attended school. He had a surgery at the orthopedic hospital 8 years ago but the family was unable to get him back to town for a follow-up. This boy has a keen mind but he has this disability and it did not seem that bad...
"I can move by myself!"
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We got him into his chair and he knew right away how to use it. He began pushing on the wheels and was moving. Now he can go to visit his friends instead of waiting for them to stop by and visit him. One of our team asked the father if he could now go to school but he said there's no way. There is no school for disabled near here. And it is too expensive to get him to Danang for school.
It's not over yet..."
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But I don't think the story stops here. We are getting him to the Da Nang Orthopedic Hospital to see if more can be done. As I am typing this I have to wonder if this is another case where because of a disability, the person is discounted. Is there an assumption that they will never be able to do something?
I think my Father God's heart cries as he sees things like this. I thank God for Free Wheelchair Mission and their calling to give mobility to the world. I am grateful for the chairs we get to give out and for the people we meet. I think that there is more God wants from us....
Here is a note from one of the returning Texas teens;
"This is my second time going to Vietnam and it's even more exciting than last year. I feel like I know more of my surroundings, and now it is more exciting to see the kids because I have already built a relationship with them. I leave tonight at eight and I am so ecstatic that I could barely finish this paper. I am ready to see all the kids that I miss and build relationships with ones I don't know. I will serve as much as I can and have the most memorable trip as possible."
Jonathan Briggs
Thank you Robert (Robot)
><((((º> BBlessed
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