Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

Speaker 1

I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and I am so ready for the New Year. I have prayed over it, am excited about it, and am committed more than ever to expanding the Kingdom of Christ next year. And I hope you're with me. People need to hear about Jesus Christ. There is just so much hopelessness and despair. The situation isn't any easier in developing countries, especially among boys and girls who live with really hard disabilities.

Earlier this month, I told you about a 10-year-old with cerebral palsy who lives with his mom and dad in the impoverished country of Zambia. They call him Chisomo. This little guy can't speak, he can't walk, and he needs help with just about everything. His precious parents, especially his mother, must carry him in a cloth sling. She carries him on her back wherever she goes to fetch water, go to the market, or pick vegetables. And this is a 10-year-old. Plus, people in their village are standoffish, distant, and detached from Chisomo's family. That's what a disability does in a place like Zambia. Life is so very hard.

As we stand on the threshold of this new year, I am thinking about Chisomo, his family, and thousands and thousands like them. I guess I'm stirred by anger—a righteous anger—that this 10-year-old with cerebral palsy is considered cursed by so many, all because of his disability. Families like Chisomo's barely survive on the lowest rung of the ladder. It makes me angry that Satan convinces people that something like cerebral palsy is a dark curse.

So friend, we've got work to do. We've got kingdom work. It's the kind of hard work that all of us at Joni and Friends are praying over and are committed to doing throughout the coming year. After all, Colossians 3, verses 23 to 24 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord."

Now, what does that work look like? In the case of Chisomo, our physical therapist with Wheels for the World assessed this little boy and fitted him to his very first kid-sized wheelchair. It's a perfect fit for him, and oh, did his face light up! For the first time ever, Chisomo won't need to be carried around. He's got mobility and can easily take himself places, wheel himself with his family, and take part in village life. Plus, his mother can more easily sell goods at the market to better support their family. The gospel of Jesus is making a difference, and people in that village are amazed. Suddenly, the future looks bright for Chisomo's family.

Now, the team at Joni and Friends and I are committed to repeating that story around the world in the coming year. But I need your help to make it happen. It's not too late to give the perfect gift of a wheelchair and the good news of Jesus Christ because you won't just be helping the children; you'll be helping the whole family.

Today's the last day of the year, so join us in blessing many more families who are struggling hard with disability. Just go to johnnyradio.org and find out more. While you're there, take a look at these heartwarming photos that we have posted of Chisomo and his family. You'll love seeing the super bright smile on this kid's face in his new wheelchair. Again, that's johnnyradio.org.

God bless you for giving the perfect gift from all of us at Joni and Friends, including my radio team at Sharing Hope. Have a blessed, safe, and peaceful New Year.