“Bold City blog entry”

The Bold City (Jacksonville, Florida ) team served with Bethel Ministries in April. The Bold City group is an excited partner in the Mission:Mobility network, who has already started collecting equipment. They passionately serve the needy in the Jacksonville area. We encourage you to check out their efforts.

Bold City Guatemala Mission Trip: April 10th-17th, 2014

The first day in Guatemala, Pastor Chris showed us around the wheelchair repair shop. There were tons of wheelchairs and since we wouldn’t be doing wheelchair distribution for several days I never really gave them much thought. We spent the first few days doing food distribution, loving on kids, praying with families, and building houses. It was such a blessing to be a part of.

By the time we got to wheelchair distribution day I was physically, emotionally, and mentally spent. I was overwhelmed with love and compassion for the Guatemalan people. I knew wheelchair distribution was a big part of Bethel’s ministry, but it sounded like an easy day to me. I thought we would just be passing out wheelchairs. I soon found out that the easy day I thought we would be having would be one of the hardest emotionally. Here in America when a wheelchair doesn’t meet our needs we call customer service, send it back, and wait for them to deliver one that works. When a chair doesn’t work for a person at a wheelchair distribution the saws, screwdrivers, and bolts are pulled out. It is fixed right there on the spot. Whatever tools are in the Guatemalan tool bag are what you get. You use whatever it takes to make it work. I spent my time running back and forth finding the right size chairs and the tools needed to send them home in a wheelchair that fit and met their individual needs. Seeing people experience the freedom of mobility for the first time in their life was absolutely priceless.

Young and old alike were overwhelmed to tears. Many of them had to be carried into the building by family members and were able to leave in their own wheelchair. Not only was it an act of love to the disabled individual, but it also showed love to their family members – the people that have spent countless hours caring for them.

Those that left with a wheelchair not only received freedom, but they also received the hope of salvation as every person at the distribution got to hear the gospel. Bethel’s wheelchair distribution was so much more than just passing out wheelchairs. It was literally changing the lives of “the least of these” (Matt. 25:40). It was worth every second to see tears turn to joy as chains were broken and captives were set free. Every wheelchair counts and makes a physical difference through Bethel Ministries International.

Serving Him Together,

Pastor Shelly Divido

Light of the World Ministries

www.lightoftheworldjax.com

Iowa container arrives!

The container was loaded in Washington, Iowa on April 30th, and arrived in Chimaltenango, Guatemala on May 21st.  Bethel Ministries International has been eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Once the container is unloaded, the Bethel wheelchair technicians will immediately begin to refurbish the chairs.  There are many groups from the USA and Canada that are coming to work alongside Bethel this year to distribute these chairs to people who desperately need them.

Mission : Mobility has groups in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Iowa and other areas currently collecting chairs for their containers…and they need your help.  Please find the closest location to you and help collect chairs for Guatemala.

Dios te Bendiga!

Pieces of the Puzzle

God has amazing ways of putting pieces of a puzzle together. Sometimes He shows us a piece of the puzzle that we had no idea existed.

A couple weeks ago Mission: Mobility had several unexpected (but very welcomed) pieces added to the puzzle

First, I received a phone call from an old friend, Tom, in Wisconsin. Not old in the sense of age, but a colleague from a job 28 years ago.

We were sales reps for an Ag Chemical company and we worked and golfed and fished together and were good friends. However, with job changes and such, we haven’t talked since that time. However, we did stay in contact and observe each other’s lives via the annual Christmas card letters. Then, along came Facebook. We connected via the Social media monster. Over the past 4 years, we have watched each other’s lives vicariously through the portal of updates and photos of family and travel experiences. Through the Christmas cards and Facebook, it was obvious that my old friend was a man of God and has raised an awesome Godly family! Cool!!!

Then I get a phone call. It opened with, “Hey old buddy, this is Tom, color in Wisconsin on your map, Mission: Mobility has a partner up here.” I knew that voice from the “Hey old buddy”! Praise God for old friends and Believers who Serve! We visited for over an hour. Barely discussing “the old days”. The conversation flowed through family and faith experiences. He was anxious to serve!

Ephesians 6:7 (NIV) Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.

Same day, I get am email from Donna Mooney from Bethel Ministries International in Guatemala. (our partner who distributes the wheelchairs) She forwarded me an email from a guy in Helena Montana who had some collected equipment. I emailed him immediately, and my phone rang within minutes of sending the email. COOL!

It was our new friend in Helena Montana, Roger.

Unlike MOST of the Mission: Mobility connections, Roger had never served with Bethel Ministries. He knew NONE of the current partners. However he had been to Guatemala. Roger was out walking (in Helena) one afternoon and noticed several “apparently discarded wheelchairs and walkers at a local Rehab center.” He spoke with the director and said that the equipment was headed for the landfill. Not knowing what he would do with them, but knowing they had a better destination, he asked the director if he could have them. She said, “absolutely!” Roger thought….”that was nice, but now what was I going to do with them”.

Roger began to think that he knew of wheelchairs being distributed in Guatemala. In comes GOOGLE. After searching on the Internet, Roger found Bethel Ministries and then our Mission: Mobility website. He ultimately connected with Mission: Mobility!

After a wonderful visit, Roger agreed to be a Mission: Mobility Network Partner in Montana. He has put the chairs in storage and we are working on logistics. Will they travel to Iowa? Will they travel to Salt Lake City to our partner there? Maybe God will reveal more partners for Roger in Montana and we can collect more equipment and ship them directly from Montana. God knows.

I am confident that the Holy Spirit put Roger on that walking path to see that equipment! He wasn’t looking for them…like we are constantly! He was called, not knowing why or what!

Psalm 91:15 (NIV) He will call on me, and I will answer him.

A couple days later, get a call from a nursing home in a little town in Northern Iowa. The director was referred to us by someone in my area who had donated equipment. I thanked our new friend and donor and said we would work on getting the equipment picked up (this is 3 hours from where I live). So, next I go in the house and tell my wife (Annette) about the new donation in NE Iowa. Then I said, “I wonder if this would be something that is logistically possible for Tom in Wisconsin to pickup.” LITERALLY WITHIN MINUTES, my phone made it’s customary loon sound that indicates a received email. It was a note from Tom in Wisconsin. It started with a greeting, followed by a blurb how he has been sending out flyers and talking to people to find equipment, then….. “I’m still waiting for my first “come pick up some equipment” call; but I’m most confident in the Guy in charge (God) to have things happen when it’s meant to be.”

WOW! I emailed him back with the response….”ask and ye shall receive, buddy”.

Tom said, this was in his territory and he would gladly pick them up soon. COOL!

God is pretty darn good at putting puzzles together!

I am anxious to see what is next! Cool!

Rick Fulton – Mission: Mobility Volunteer and Collections Coordinator (volunteer)

We have been blessed with the rapid expansion of the Mission: Mobility Network. Currently, we have official volunteer/collection groups in 15 states. Several more unofficially! God has been good in putting this all together! Our last container, shipped on March 30 arrived at Bethel Ministries on May 19. The need continues to be great, so we are pressing forward in our search for equipment. We anticipate on sending containers from Iowa and Kentucky yet this year. There is inventory accumulating at other centers and it would be AWESOME if we could ship a few more from other states! Please join us in praying for successful collections. Thank you for your support! Please visit our website to see how you can help!

Wheelchairs at 35,000 feet

There are moments in life where clarity comes in the most unusual places.  I had one of these moments today at 35,000 feet, somewhere between Seoul and Dubai.  The fact that became crystal-clear to me was this, “While we may be scattered across a very large planet, much of life can be boiled down to one thing…’relationships’”.

While traveling for work, several coworkers and I were standing at the back of an airplane talking with a man from England who is in the sea-freight business.  His job was fascinating to me.  While as a Pilot for UPS, I have spent thousands of hours in the air, the life of a sailor has always been intriguing to me.  While listening to this man talk about his job, he said the most enjoyable part for him is “working with people; and building relationships with those around him”.  While you may be asking yourself, “what does this have to do with wheelchairs”, the answer became immediately evident to me…”everything”.  Why do we collect wheelchairs?  People.  Where do we collect them?  From people!  Who do we interact with every step of the way?  You guessed it…people.  We can never lose sight of the fact that all we do in life, from our jobs, our families to mission work, all involve building and cultivating relationships.  It’s not a coincidence that this is the way God designed it to work.

I spend a lot of time calling nursing homes, hospitals and physical therapy businesses asking for help in collecting wheelchairs.  I tell many people along the way about how desperate the need is in Guatemala.  I have a lot of pictures to show, and I’m always ready to hand a business card to anyone who seems remotely interested in helping (maybe even some who are not).  At the end of it all, we are being given the opportunity to “connect and collect”.  We are “connecting” with one group, to “collect” for another one.

I am thankful for moments like this.  I am thankful for old friendships, and new ones as well.  Who knows, maybe we will be able add England to our map of volunteers.  Wouldn’t that be cool!!!

Dios Te Bendiga,

Brad