Our first visit of the day was to a family with a rather "challenging" father in the home. Since Dick knows how patient and kind I am to jerks (Did I really write that?), he kindly offered to write the first part of today's entry to protect my reputation as a rather kind person. Thanks, Dick, for covering my back! (The pictures below in the pretty frames are Dick's. Mine are the plain old ones. Thanks, Dick, for sharing!)
Dick writes:
In her August 13 journal Pat wrote about a man and his wife that brought their son in to the wheelchair distribution that we had in Xela. This family had not registered their son for a wheelchair so we had no idea that he was coming to this distribution. Had the family brought along the wheelchair that we had given their son 3 years ago we could have possibly made it larger so that it would accommodate their son but they had left it at home. If he needed just a regular wheelchair we would have done our best to give him one. However this young man was extremely rigid and after looking over every chair that we had I had to tell the family that I would have to take measurements and photos of their son and bring them a chair in a week or 2.
At that point the boys father became extremely agitated and told me that he knew that we would never give his son a wheelchair. I promise that we would return but he would not give us a phone number and even ripped a piece of paper that had their address on it out of Pat's hand. Since they had not registered with us or filled out any paper work it would be difficult to ever locate this family. However even though Father was anything but friendly this young man needed a wheelchair. After he stomped out of the room mom told us what town they lived in and even gave us their phone number but told Pat that her husband would be angry if he found out that she had given it to us. Common sense told me that we should let this one go and do nothing about it but I had made a promise, besides I knew that a proper wheelchair could help keep this young man alive. Should I forget about him or his mother who was the one that had to carry him around simply because father was being a jerk? Pat felt the same way. That is why this morning we headed out to look for a family that we had no address for other than the nearest town which to our knowledge could be miles from where they lived and a phone number that we had been calling for the past several days but so far had not reached anyone on.
Before heading out from the motel Pat made one more call and to our delight some one answered the phone. It was the boys father. Pat quickly explained to him who we were and that we had a wheelchair with us that the men at our shop had prepared for their son. Father seemed quite friendly and agreed to meet us at the central park of the small town that they lived near. When we got to the park no one was there but about 15 minutes later father arrived. He got into the car with us and pointed up a narrow dirt road. He told us that they lived only a short distance up the road.
Here in Guatemala a short distance can be anything from a few hundred feet to several miles. Today's ride was even further than that. Father was very friendly though and seemed happy that we had brought the wheelchair. Perhaps we had read him wrong. When we finally got to their home we went inside. The young man that needed the wheelchair was lying on a bed. The wheelchair that we had given him a few years ago was sitting there but after taking one look at it I knew that there was no way that I could make it work for this young man. He had outgrown it and his body had also become too rigid for this type of wheelchair. I told the family that I was glad that we had indeed brought a new wheelchair. Because his old one was no longer going to work for him.
About a half hour later I had everything adjusted and we had him in the wheelchair. I asked father if we could take the old wheelchair that was of no use to this family and in need of lots of repair back to the shop with us so that it could be rebuilt and given to someone smaller than his son that could use it. Father refused. I tried to explain that this wheelchair that was of no value to him would be a big blessing to some one else but he would not hear of it. Now that he had the new wheelchair we saw the same personality that we had had seen on the day of the wheelchair distribution. One look into his wife's eyes told us that you did not mess with this man. We shook hands and were on our way. I had thought about asking him to ride out with us to the town where we had met him because there were all kinds of switchbacks and turn off and I was not sure that I could find my way out but decided that I was likely better off getting lost for half a day than having his man in the car with us. I must admit the ride out was a lot further than the ride in and even though we never did get back to the same town we did eventually find our way back to Xela. Were we sorry that we made this trip? Not one bit. We kept our word, the young man got the wheelchair that he needed, mom would no longer have to carry him around and even though we are not sure how well it was excepted we did share with this family that we were there to demonstrate the Love of Jesus to them in what ever way we could.
Even though Henry, the boy who had the not so friendly father needed a wheelchair as badly as Christopher did the attitude of Christopher's family made this visit a little more pleasant ~ Dick
Christopher and his grandfather were home when we arrived, and one of his brothers went to get mom. I can’t be sure, but I think she was down at the creek doing laundry, because when she came her hands were wet. She is such a little bit of a woman, it wasn’t hard to believe that part of our reason for visiting was to arrange for a tutor for Christopher. He had been attending school, but, now at 16, is just too big for her to carry up and down their hill to the house where his power wheelchair is stored. And I used to gripe about driving my kids to school! Mom is pretty heartbroken that Christopher can’t attend school because she just can’t get him there anymore.
We asked him if he’d like to see his new chair, and he just about jumped with excitement. Dick offered to carry him down the hill to the truck, and then we would drive the rest of the way to the house where it would be stored in the pickup. As we walked down the hill, I was again amazed at the unselfishness of his mom, who had carried him up and down twice a day for years just so he could attend school. I’d had difficulty just walking up the hill myself. I really can’t imagine how she did it. The power of love is the only explanation I can come up with.
After changing out the joystick, and moving it to the left side of the chair, Christopher was off and “running.” He had such a look of freedom on his face. Watching him, I realized that it was probably just as hard on him that mom had to carry him as it was for her to do so. I realized once again the blessing of this independence for both of them. Now if we could only figure out an easier way for her to get him to his chair. While he doesn’t go to school each day, mom still takes him with her to market so he doesn’t feel quite so isolated. Even a once a week trip up and down the hill is too much for this lady, but she does it for her son.
It started to rain, so we headed back to their house, driving them as far as the pickup could go. When Dick offered to move the car and then come back to carry Christopher home, mom refused, saying she was able to do it. As we turned around, mom stopped, with Christopher on her back, to make sure we could get out. I can’t get the picture of her out of my mind as she stood watching us leave, waiting until we were out of sight, to make sure we were okay. I am grateful for meeting this amazing lady, and someday hope to grow to be as unselfish as she is!
Shortly before I left a friend of mine prayed Habakkuk 3: 18-19 over me, that I would have "hinds feet in high places." She reminded me that when we are living in our "glory," in the place God has created us to be, we still need to be sure-footed in our reliance on Him. As I watched these sheep graze on a very steep mountainside, I gained a new appreciation for the truth of these words. Thank you, Evelyn, for reminding me once again, even from a distance.
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| 18Yet I will exult in the LORD,I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 19The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds' feet, And makes me walk on my high places. Hab. 3: 18-19 |
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