A post written by Team Leader Rick Fulton

Wheelchair day is an extra special day when working with Bethel Ministries International. Their mission began around 20 years ago and was primarily focused on fitting the disabled with wheelchairs. In Guatemala,  there is no safety net. There is no medicare,  no health insurance. If you can’t buy the wheelchair you need, you do without.   Their wheelchair ministry has grown to where they’ve provided over 1700 wheelchairs to the disabled just in 2016! As they host teams like ours over the next two and a half months, they will distribute over 600 wheelchairs!

Today we participated in a wheelchair distribution at a church hall right next to the Bethel Ministries shop. The morning started with the team moving the wheelchairs and walkers and crutches to the hall. We then organized the chairs, the tools and supplies for the day.

Next, Chris Mooney gave the team a demonstration of how and why we are fitting the people. He explained the proper way to seat the person,  and to check for proper size, and how to install a seatbelt.   He also reminded us that this process is not about the wheels. It is about sharing the Gospel with these people, showing them how the Lord is providing them with that wheelchair.

We prayed for the team,  we prayed for the equipment we were about to provide and we prayed for the folks we were about to interact with.

Chris then called the team to the front of the auditorium. He proceed to explain that we were a team from Iowa and that God sent us here today to help provide them with a free wheelchair! We were here today to Bless them.

Chris asked me to address the crowd.  I told them that as we collect the wheelchairs up in the states with Mission: Mobility,   we collected for the people of Guatemala. I explained that when our volunteers load the equipment on the shipping container, we always pray for the equipment and for the people who will receive it. I told them that we did not send these wheelchairs to them, but I reminded them that God sent the this equipment to blessthem. Throughout the event,  the recipients and their families would thank Dios (God), not us!

After dinner,  the team had debriefing time. “Where did you see Jesus today?” Even the quietest on the team had stories to tell. Stories of how they saw God moving through the interaction with the recipients and their families. Many were moved when the older Guatemalan ladies and men would lay hands on us and pray for us!

Others told stories of how they can’t imagine the new found independence the families will now have. That a child now can have an independence because of this new gift of mobility. The parent, the new gift of independence from not being burdened with carrying that child, and seeing them gain some independence. 55 wheelchairs were distributed today. Seven people became our brothers and sisters, accepting the Lord!

Tom summed up today very well when he paraphrased the Matthew 25: 35 says,   “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

” I was disabled and you gave me a wheelchair!”

Thank you Lord!   It was a good day.

Before we headed back to the hotel,  we loaded the three homes we will build the next three days into the truck.  Everyone pitched in to load the metal for the homes,  the stoves, the bunk beds, blankets, tools and other supplies.

Tomorrow we put on our work gloves.  We will break into three teams.  Team #1 will be hand mixing cement for a floor and foundation for a home. Team #2 will be building a home on a pre-poured slab. Team #3 will be visiting families to provide clothing and shoes and food.

We are in the rainy season in Guatemala. We have seen alot of rain the last two days!   We ask for prayers that it doesn’t rain the next three days as we will be working on these projects… rain or shine!

“This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118.24

Dios te bendiga,

Rick

A post written by Team Member by Megan Lehman

Since learning I would be traveling to Guatemala, God has been inserting constant and supportive messages throughout my days. One that I have found particularly comforting and encouraging comes through a song: “God is on The Move” by 7eventh Time Down.

I wake up at 4:30 every morning, get dressed, and drive into Iowa City to pick my sister up for our boxing class. I take that drive, that first hour of my day, to pray, thank the Lord for what He is doing in my life and ask for guidance throughout the day. Every day that I have done this since learning I would be traveling to Guatemala, I have heard the same song, “God is on The Move” by 7eventh Time Down. The chorus of the song repeats the words “God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah! God is on the move in very mighty ways.” I have never felt more like God was giving me a direct message, and after our first wheelchair distribution today, I now understand more fully what God was telling me.

We stood in front of a room of nearly two hundred people who had traveled many miles and hours by bus to get to the church and receive their first wheelchair. There were women crying, men walking around trying to help and learn what we were doing. We heard stories of women who had carried their disabled children for 19 years because they were unable to get a wheelchair. There were stories of women who were abandoned by their husbands and left to raise two healthy and one disabled child on their own. As we gathered in groups of three to talk with and help these people, I watched God use my teammates to do amazing things. It was as if God gave us all the talents we needed for the very moment, and the very person we were serving.

These words will never be enough to explain how much this day meant to our team and how much it meant to those God enabled us to serve. God is truly on the move here in Guatemala. And I know he is going to use the rest of this week to do even more.

Check out the song here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPB9ENSd1Xc

(followup to But then God….   by Annette Fulton)

A few weeks prior to this trip, we discovered a need for a special wheelchair. A mom we were building a home for had a 10 year old daughter who could not walk and is deaf. This Mama had carried this child, Claudia, everywhere. Also, due to the muscle condition in Claudia’s legs, it was often necessary to comfort her in a special position which often caused her mother to hold her for hours and hours a day. This prevented this single mom from finding work, and also required her older son to forgo his education so he could work in the fields to help the family. This dear child required lots of attention and this dear Mama provided it.

We recently posted a wheelchair need on Facebook. I had many doubts we could find a chair, but God didn’t. Within hours of my post, a chair was found and within days it was delivered to our home to be taken on our trip. Many faithful friends were part of this miracle. I was in awe of God this day! We not only received this speciality chair, but other small children’s chairs in the process.

Excitedly, we transported this chair and another through airports and customs. We couldn’t wait to show Chris (from Bethel Ministries) this amazing chair! Upon arrival, Chris examined the chair and agreed it was amazing, but then our hearts sank. He explained that this incredible chair was desperately needed in Guatemala, but it was unlikely to fit Claudia. This chair was made for a younger child. Disappointed, we consoled ourselves with the knowledge that the chair would certainly bless some child in Guatemala. Claudia would definitely get a chair at the wheelchair distribution, but they may not have the right size yet. We knew Claudia would eventually be given a chair that would suit her needs.

Our first full day in Guatemala was wheelchair distribution day. Chris began the day by praying with the crowd that had gathered in the large, tin-roofed auditorium on that rainy morning. I understood little of what was being said, (as I only know how to smile in Spanish), but it was clear that this was a faithful crowd. Old and young were there, and many had travelled hours to arrive on time. As we lifted our heads from prayer, tears could be seen on their faces, their hands still held together, lifted high as the continued to proclaim, “Dios, Dios”!

This day was not about a team from Iowa, or about a chair we lugged through customs for hours the day before. This day was about God. These people had not yet even received a chair but they were praising and thanking God. Tears began welling in my eyes as I scanned the crowd and spotted Claudia. Her precious mom was also praising the Lord.

This is the rainy season in Guatemala. It is not unusual to receive a downpour for an hour and then the sun returns. This was not that day. Rain continued throughout the morning and afternoon, providing a constant hum on the tin roof in that large building, sometimes loud, but often a low rumble.

Once the teams began the fitting process, the ‘hum’ of the room was not the rain, but the whirl of activity surrounding each fitting. Families gathered around as a team of three to four ensured each component fit the person properly. Seat belts were made and added to chairs, as the rough terrain could easily cause a person to be thrown from their chair. Foot rests were adjusted; seat pads were added to protect the person from sores; and ultimately the team was able to pray with the family. The families then met with a pastor to hear about the Lord and set out to make the journey home.

I anxiously awaited Claudia’s family being called up. Her dear mom, Angelica, along with a small friend, waited patiently with her – often shifting Claudia in their laps to make her more comfortable. It had been a long day for them, and being amongst a crowd in the city was not normal for this family. 

The young girl who accompanied them watched cautiously all day as others around them received chairs. Her tentative look of concern rarely left her face. She was very sober. Angelica also sat with little expression, but would certainly return a gentle smile whenever engaged.

Claudia required a specialized chair, and Bethel had several amazing technicians to carefully fit these needs. These fittings often took a long time, and most other regular chairs had been distributed by the time she was called up. Bethel had a few small chairs that might work for her temporarily, but we also had the chair we brought so they could get an idea of her specific needs. We already knew it was unlikely to fit her, but it was important to get measurements so a perfect chair could be found.

She was scared and did not want to leave her dear mama’s arms. As she wriggled around, Chris and Saul carefully walked around the chair checking her position from every angle. After a period of time, and a series of measurements and checks, Chris paused and stepped back to take a final look. He paused again and then said,

“You’re not going to believe this… this chair fits her perfectly! It is going to work for Claudia!”

What? What did we just hear? We couldn’t believe it!!! My arms began to tingle, and I had that feeling of awe again. The same feeling I had on the day this chair was discovered. I knew this had nothing to do with us, other than for God to reveal His presence. He is always around, but we often miss Him. I am so grateful He allowed us to witness this. Again, it’s not about us at all, but He does want us to know him. I stood back as Saul adjusted and transformed that chair for Claudia, for her mom and for her family. Their life’s were about to be changed, and so were all of ours who witnessed this.

Once Claudia was finally placed in the chair and began to roll around her expression changed from fear to joy!! Oh, what a good God we serve!!!

Claudia and her family left the day changed; physically, emotionally and spiritually!

The story doesn’t end here. The very next day a team went to their home to prepare the ground for a new home for this family. We were fortunate to be on this ‘cement slab’ team.

But then….God!

Teamwork

Saul  Chopen from Bethel Ministries in Guatemala spent this week in Iowa. He worked with the design team at MD Orthopaedics to design an affordable, adjustable kids wheelchair.

We rarely find these chairs, and new ones cost over $2,000. They will manufacture them in-house at Bethel’s shop for around $100!

Thank you On His Path and MD Orthopaedics for the support of Bethel Ministries International!

Saul not only worked,  he enjoyed taking in a little fun, Iowa-style.

It was great seeing Saul again!

We look forward to seeing you again!

Adios Amigo!  Dios te Bendiga

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him

Praise God for new partners!

Posted by Rick Fulton

We had an opportunity to work with a local ministry today.

It all started when Mission: Mobility volunteer Debbie Hills in Pennsylvania put us onto a need that Bethel had.  Debbie indicated that Bethel was seeing a need for some of these. Also the need to repair some that were already in the area.

P.E.T. Carts. (Personal Energy Transportation).      www.petia.org

These PET carts are cool little carts that are peddled by hand. It provides mobility for many across the world.
PET International is based in Columbia Missouri. They have 20+ branches across the country.
The group we met today is in Leighton Iowa.
The focus of PET is to build these units and provide them around the globe to provide mobility to those in need.
The secondary focus is to provide a productive way to SERVE for retired folks across the country.

At Leighton, we were given the grand tour of their facility. An old school building, now the workshop. It was inspiring to see the assembly line type setup they had. They hand build and hand paint the wooden body. The metal frames are welded by local farmers in their shops. Then the metal pieces are taken to a local machinery manufacturer who paints them, for free.
Each cart is them assembled, tested, then disassembled. They are then boxed and prepared for shipment.

These dedicated volunteers work 2 days a week. Last year, this group built 550 carts. Many go to Africa and Haiti. They have a container full order destined for Haiti to go out in a few weeks.

Today, John Mitchell from On His Path and I picked up 7 adult carts. These were actually assembled, tested and boxed today!

(John test driving an adult PET cart)
We also got 3 kid carts. These were actually produced in the Columbia Missouri facility.

(A kids PET cart)

It was a blessing to visit PET International today!

I love their mission statement. It reminds me of our mission!

New partners!

Praise God for new friends! New partners.
One of the huge blessings I receive volunteering for Mission: Mobility, is the opportunity to meet so many awesome people! This week was no exception!

Annette and I had scheduled a trip to Long Beach California to visit family. We truly had NO schedule or long list of things we had to see or do. But, God decided to add a couple great items on our itinerary.

(A little different view than the cornfields of Iowa!)

2 days before leaving for So Cal, I was looking at Bethel’s Facebook page, wondering where the current team was from. Soon thereafter, my whatsapp beeped. (It is an app on my phone that allows me to text directly with Chris and Donna at Bethel……a great tool!)
The message was from Donna. She asked who I had mentioned was a possible contact to store wheelchairs in Huntington Beach California. (Annette’s brother). She asked, because the current team was from Huntington Beach! She also indicated they were fired up to start collecting equipment! Needless to say, I was excited!

I responded to Donna, “when do they return back to Cali?” Her response was “Wednesday!” (The day we departed for Long Beach/Huntington Beach)

So, apparently God had our schedule open for a reason! Monday, Annette and I had a meeting to discuss Mission: Mobility with new friends. It was great meeting Chris Murray and Kirby Wood! They told us about their recent trip and how their church has taken teams to Bethel many times over the years. They also shared how they were especially impacted during the wheelchair distributions. They knew that they needed to help Bethel’s wheelchair mission by helping collect!

Kirby also had a giant smile on his face as he told us all, “collecting for Mission: Mobility and Bethel was definitely meant to be!  As I was coming to this meeting, there was an abandoned wheelchair waiting for me in the alley behind my house! ”  (how’s that for a Godly confirmation!)

We welcome Chris and Kirby and Christ Pacific Church as our newest members of the Mission: Mobility team! If you know anyone in the LA area who might be a connection, we now have the volunteers! Praise the Lord!

After our coffee meeting, we scheduled a time to meet another contact. Frank lives south of Huntington Beach about 30 minutes. He came up to Huntington to finally meet face to face. I first started talking with Frank last Fall. In mid harvest, I received an email followed by a phone call. Frank believed God had guided him to us.

In his career as an immigration attorney, Frank has come to know many clients who were from Guatemala. Over time, working with the Guatemalans, he felt drawn to go to Guatemala to see, first hand the land of these strong, hopeful, resilient people. He spent a week with a contact who took him to the huts and homes similar to those we work with when SERVING with Bethel. He even recalled, in hindsight, going to Bethel to pick up a wheelchair for one of the people they helped.

Frank told how he returned home, his curiosity satisfied. He now could understand his clients from Guatemala a little better. Turn a page, back to life.
3 years pass. His trek to Guatemala, but a memory, not in the forefront of his mind, he is awakened in the night hearing “Guatemala, Wheelchairs!” He looked around, his wife was sound asleep, no radio, no TV!   Apparently, God was trying to tell him something!   He went to his computer and did a search regarding Guatemala and wheelchairs.  His search produced Bethel Ministries International and Mission: Mobility!   It was then that he contacted us.

A few weeks ago I heard from Frank, he is now wanting to join a team to experience a mission trip with Bethel, and to experience a wheelchair distribution event.  We are working to pair him up with a team to provide that opportunity.

As with all of our volunteers across the country,  we are so thankful for you all!   Thankful for all you do to SERVE the Lord through collecting wheelchairs with Mission: Mobility!    It is an honor and privilege to work with you all!  Many, we have met.  We look forward to meeting the rest of you someday.  However, most I feel a great connection, because I am very thankful for our technology of today.   Cell phones, email and Facebook make this world much smaller!

Thank you all  for following God’s call to join our efforts!

1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

Guest Blogpost

Thank you to Penne Smith from Iowa. She recently returned from a week serving with Bethel. She, her husband and 3 daughters had a great week serving those in need in Guatemala. Their first such experience. Thank you for sharing Penne!

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves…” Philippians 2:1-3 (NIV)

Our first full day in Guatemala was spent in Chimaltenango helping to distribute wheelchairs to roughly 80 disabled people from the very young (3 years old) to a lady that was 99 years old!   Many had traveled hours to get to the location by carrying their loved one. It was humbling to see their gratitude and patience, some waiting for almost 4 hours for their turn to be fitted! They were so humble, selfless, gracious and thankful. After they were fitted, they would meet with a local pastor who would pray with them and encourage them. It was a great experience for me, as I was able to work on the pediatric specialty chairs to adapt them for the children. I was humbled by the knowledge of Saul, (from Bethel Ministries) who had no formal training in wheelchairs, but by experience and reading text books, as well as taking wheelchairs apart in Bethel’s wheelchair shop (another amazing and humbling place, where many of the employees are in wheelchair themselves!), he had learned how to fit wheelchairs with great skill!! He was so patient with me as I fumbled with my wrench and sockets. Me, the Occupational Therapist, thinking I know wheelchairs… “in humility value others above yourselves…”

From Brad:

God never ceases to show me His power and authority.  At the same time…He shows me my weakness.  Yesterday was a perfect example of all of it in one situation.

To make a very long story short, the container was delayed 5 hours.  The driver had a blowout, waited 3 hours for someone to change it, then ran out of duty time so he was not legal to continue.  He was only 73 miles away when all of it happened.  So close, yet so far away.

When I got the news, I was standing in line at Krispy Kreme doughnuts (I like to keep the volunteers well fed and happy).  I had to take a deep breath because I could feel myself getting worked up inside.  This always happens.  Why can’t it go right just one time!!!  I called the dispatcher back and was as kind as I could muster at that moment.  I don’t think I did very well.

I think Rick’s and my greatest concern is not the fact the container is late, but the effect it has on the volunteers.  People have set time aside.  Everything is coordinated.  I feel bad for changing plans on them.  That is what gets me going.  I tell myself every time that God is in control. Yet, I always feel I fail at trusting Him in the midst of it.

In the end, it worked exactly the way God wanted it to work.  It actually gave me time to go get more organized at the storage facility, have some quality time talking with a friend who helped load supplies, it gave other volunteers time to get things done with their families and eventually have a relaxed pace of loading the container.

Nine volunteers were there.  One drove from 2 hours away just to help.  We had time to talk and grow closer as a group.  We had the opportunity to pray and acknowledge that God’s ways are not our ways.  It all worked out well.  Even better than I would have expected.  If the container worked the way I wanted it, everyone would have showed up last minute, loaded the container and went their separate ways.  In God’s timing, we were able to share fellowship and enjoyed each others company.  It was much more meaningful.

I stopped for lunch at Dairy Queen and the cashier asked me about my Mission Mobility shirt.  She has a mom who has many chairs and pieces of equipment.  Turns out, the cashier has two degrees and is working towards her PhD to teach.  She needed a job to help fill in her time that would not require a lot of effort.  Yet, there she was, in God’s provision.  Another conversation with a person I would not have had otherwise.

Lastly, there was the driver.  His name was Andy.  He is German-Hungarian who is from Romania. He appeared to have physical disabilities.  He was a kind man.  I offered him money to buy dinner on the way home.  He refused.  He said, “If you want to give me anything…find me a good woman”.  I asked him what kind of woman.  He just wanted one who would accept him for who he was.  I asked him if he was a follower of Jesus.  He said he went to church sometimes but believes he just needs to help people, which he does by volunteering in his Romanian group in his home town.  I told him I would do something better.  I would pray that God would bring the woman He wants Andy to have.  Andy’s eyes got big.  I don’t think he was expecting that.  It opened a conversation about why Jesus came, and how our service to others is ultimately meaningless without the Holy Spirit and allowing ourselves to be used for God’s purposes…not ours.

Which brings me back to myself.  I struggle to get my pride and plans out of the way and allow myself to be used in the way God wants.  Friday was a reminder that God is sovereign and that He knows better in ALL circumstances.

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

God is Good!

Guest Blog –  Shelly Divido from Jacksonville, Florida.

Thanks for submitting Shelly!

My first trip to Guatemala with Bethel Ministries International was in April 2014. It was such an amazing trip. I cannot say enough about how wonderful the Mooney family and the staff at Bethel is. The love of Jesus truly overflows from each of them. We built a couple houses, did home visits, and a wheelchair distribution. Each project was an amazing experience.

Honestly my first wheelchair distribution was overwhelming. There was so much need. And personally, the only interaction I had with a wheelchair was with my grandma. Fifty to sixty handicapped adults and children traveled who knows how far just to receive a wheelchair that day. Most of these people have had no way to get around other than their faithful family members who would carry them everywhere they needed to go.  And these aren’t just young kids.  Many are older men and woman that have been handicapped their whole lives without ever having the opportunity to be mobile.

Many people in the US have the opportunity to get a wheelchair through insurance. Many people even have an old wheelchair stuffed away in storage. Yet, the only opportunity most Guatemalans have to get a wheelchair are through ministries like Bethel Ministries International. To have the opportunity to lift one of these Guatemalans out of their chair and put them in a wheelchair for the first time, giving them the freedom of mobility was life changing. Joy just overflowed from each one of them. Then to be able to share the gospel with them was just the icing on top. It was overwhelming emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. To see God work through a simple wheelchair that so many of us take for granted left my heart bursting with joy and praise.

Bethel Ministries International has a wheelchair distribution serving 50-70 people almost weekly!   This means that they need wheelchairs!   My husband and I have a ministry in Jacksonville, FL that is blessed to partner with Mission: Mobility to collect wheelchairs to send to Guatemala. With the help of volunteers we were able to collect wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and much more.

We loaded and shipped a 40 foot container, the first one out of Jacksonville, on April 4, 2016! Praise the Lord! Each item we collected will soon be in the hands of a person in need. Not only will a physical need be met, but it will open up the door for our friends at Bethel to share the gospel and shine light into darkness.

We have been to Guatemala five times since our first trip and leave for our next trip in just a couple weeks. Each time God has done miraculous things at the wheelchair distributions.  We cannot wait to see what He does at the distribution we will be serving at next month!   Mission: Mobility is such a blessing and has made it so easy to collect and ship wheelchairs!   We thank God everyday for these ministries that bring the hope of Jesus to those in need. Get involved! Whether you are collecting wheelchairs, serving at a wheelchair distribution, or simply getting the word out your life will be changed and God will be glorified!

Got wheelchairs?

Serving Him Together,
Shelly Divido
Light of the World Ministries

http://www.lightoftheworldjax.org/