Vicky's Last Testimony
Hear Joni's good friend Vicky and her moving testimony. It's still as powerful today as it was back in 1995. You will be inspired by her faith and her story. She is now no longer suffering and in the arms of her Savior.
Shana: I'm Shana with Joni Eareckson Tada Sharing Hope. Here's Joni with a special word.
Guest (Male): Well Joni, some of us have heard you speak often about your friend Vicky Olivares.
Joni Eareckson Tada: That's right.
Guest (Male): She deals with quadriplegia like you, and I know you've been friends with Vicky for decades.
Joni Eareckson Tada: Mm-hmm.
Guest (Male): And the two of you in your wheelchairs have encouraged one another through pressure sores, chronic pain, infections, pneumonia, so much more.
Joni Eareckson Tada: Oh absolutely. And it was Vicky's recent bout with pneumonia that finally claimed her life.
Guest (Male): Oh Joni, I know I speak for all of us who've heard you talk about Vicky. We are so sorry. It's such a big loss for you.
Joni Eareckson Tada: Well thank you for that, and yes it is. But her home-going to heaven has only made me long for that glorious shining day all the more. Now for those of you who do not know Vicky's story, in March of 1976 this young woman went on a job interview. It ended up in an attempted rape. Vicky resisted. The man shot her in the neck. She immediately slumped to the floor paralyzed, left a quadriplegic.
She struggled through 10 long years of deep depression, and it was around then that I met her. And when I shared my story with her, Vicky gladly embraced the Lord Jesus as her Savior. Now I could go on, but I want you to hear from her, especially what Vicky says about heaven. Now this was recorded back in 1995, about 20 years after her accident.
Vicky Olivares: Even though for the first 10 years after my injury I was very angry and bitter, and God was not able to do much in my life, I wanted to control my life and would not let him control my life. He was faithful when I wasn't. But as I have let the Holy Spirit lead me, I have come to the point where I can rejoice that I'm being prepared. Joni, for me to know that I'm sharing with Christ in suffering is really uplifting and comforting. I can truly say that my wheelchair is a gift from God.
This wasn't easy for me to accept, but I can say that it has made me a better mom, it's made me a better friend, a better person all around. From the bounds of this wheelchair I have been able to love and to give and to share just so much more than I know I could ever have done on my feet.
I want to have as much tangible proof as I can to show him that I love him and that I have been faithful for as long as the Lord has us here on this earth. It will continue to be hard, but boy, what an honor to suffer for him and to have the assurance that when we get to heaven our reward will be so much greater than any suffering we have here on earth. I picture God with his wonderfully scarred hands, and me and you and...
Guest (Male): ...we grab each other and start jumping up and down.
Joni Eareckson Tada: Amen! I think you and I are probably going to seek each other out first in heaven, don't you think?
Vicky Olivares: Yes, I think so.
Joni Eareckson Tada: All right.
Guest (Male): Oh friend, we would love for you to read more about Vicky's inspiring faith, and we have a limited supply of pamphlets that include her testimony. They're called *When God Seems Unjust*. Go to joniradio.org today and ask for your free copy. It's our gift to you at joniradio.org.
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About Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope
Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope is a broadcast ministry of Joni and Friends committed to bringing the Gospel and practical help to people impacted by disability around the world. Joni and Friends has been advancing disability ministry for over 40 years. Their mission to glorify God, communicate the Gospel and mobilize the global church to evangelize, disciple and serve people living with disability answers the call found in Luke 14 to “bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame… so that my house will be full.”
About Joni Eareckson Tada
Joni Eareckson Tada is an esteemed Christian stateswoman and respected global leader in disability advocacy. Although a 1967 diving accident left her a quadriplegic, she emerged from rehabilitation with a determination to help others with similar disabilities. Mrs. Tada serves as CEO of Joni and Friends, a Christian organization which provides programs and services for thousands of special-needs families around the world. President Reagan appointed Mrs. Tada to the National Council on Disability, then reappointed by President George H.W. Bush. During her tenure, the ADA was passed and signed into law. Mrs. Tada served as advisor to Condoleezza Rice on the Disability Advisory Committee to the U.S. State Department. She served as Senior Associate for Disability Concerns for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. The Colson Center on Christian Worldview awarded Joni Tada its prestigious William Wilberforce Award, and she was also inducted into
Indiana Wesleyan University’s Society of World Changers.
Joni Eareckson Tada has been awarded several honorary degrees, including Doctor of Humanities from Gordon College and Doctor of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary. She is an effective communicator, sharing her inspirational message in books, through artwork, radio, and other media. Joni Tada served as General Editor of the Beyond Suffering Bible, a special edition published by Tyndale for people affected by disability. Joni and her husband Ken were married in 1982 and reside in Calabasas, California.
Contact Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope with Joni Eareckson Tada
Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope
PO Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376-3333
818-707-5664