Wheelchairs bring China hope

“I can live with some dignity now,” one Chinese wheelchair recipient said during a recent wheelchair distribution to a remote mountain village in China. The recipient is a man in his 50s who has been unable to walk his entire life due to severe cerebral palsy. His parents cared for him until they passed away a few years ago. Left without siblings, he has survived on his own with a meager government stipend of $50 per month.

When the Luke Society China team met him, he was on his knees in front of his house. He excitedly greeted them, but as they got closer, they realized he had holes in his pants near his knees from constantly having to do household chores and gardening without any assistance. He didn’t mind this but said going to the store was very difficult. It was hard to walk on his knees for such a long distance and it seemed like everyone was looking down on him.

A wheelchair changed everything. He could now go to the store on his own without the fear of what people would think of him. He had a new sense of dignity and self-worth.

Each spring and fall, the Luke Society China director — whose name and location are undisclosed for security reasons — and his team distribute more than a hundred wheelchairs to people who would not otherwise be able to walk. Each time they do, there is a person just like the recipient above whose life is transformed by their gift.

But that is not all. The team points these individuals to the One who can transform us not only physically but also spiritually. They explain how Jesus gives us dignity and worth, and how we can be made completely new in Him.

Every year the Luke Society supports this wheelchair ministry with $10,000. The fund for these distributions is getting low. Our goal is to raise $30,000, which will provide support for the next three years.

Follow this link to make a donation to the China wheelchair project.