And So We Fight…
Abby (not her real name) was begging in the marketplace when our friend Jimmy saw her. Jimmy had just received a brand new leg from Filadelfia, and when he saw Abby he knew he had to tell her about this ministry. She rode in on her wheelchair, coming down the side of the street, assisted by her 3-year-old daughter. This is a very dangerous way to travel, but there was no way to use the sidewalk, as they are uneven and filled with obstacles. Not handicapped friendly, to say the least! The street wasn’t much better, but that was her only option. In Bolivia, public transportation is very difficult to use for those who are disabled. There are no laws that says a driver has to stop, and most don’t want to take the time to help someone in a wheelchair board. All of that translates to extra time and fewer fares collected. The thought of Abby with her little girl so close to the crazy traffic made me gasp. When I heard Abby’s story, I fumed at the injustice.
“The thought of Abby with her little girl so close to the crazy traffic made me gasp”
The Tragedy
Three years prior, Abby had been working as a housekeeper in a hotel in Santa Cruz, a city about 8 hours from Cochabamba, when she accidentally came in contact with an exposed wire. Two hundred and twenty volts of electricity traveled through her arm and out her leg. She lost both. You have to understand that, in Bolivia, there is no such thing as OSHA, no workman’s compensation, and no lawsuits, at least not for those who are poor. Accidents happen all the time…and for those to whom they happen, life gets harder. All Abby’s hopes and dreams for her life were broken in that one moment. She was left to fend for herself.
“Accidents happen all the time…and for those to whom they happen, life gets harder.”
The Consequences
Though losing her limbs was devastating, Abby tried to make the most of it. She moved to Cochabamba where she had a brother, and after some thought, she decided she would go back to school for bookkeeping. This was something she could do while sitting and with only one arm. She worked hard to get through the first year. But when the second year rolled around, she was forced to drop out. You see, classes were on the second floor of the building where she attended school. And since handicapped people have no rights in places like Bolivia, the building was built without an elevator and there was no access to the second floor except by the stairs. Unless she crawled up the stairs with one leg and one arm, Abby had no way of getting to her class. Besides, even if she did crawl, she had no way to get her wheelchair up. And let’s face it: most people shy away from the disabled. It’s simply too uncomfortable.
“Unless she crawled up the stairs with one leg and one arm, Abby had no way of getting to her class.”
The Blessings
When she arrived, we began to work immediately. The goal was to get Abby walking as soon as possible. When we got to watch her first new steps, we were all elated! Imagine what it may have been like for Peter and John when they met the lame beggar. You know the story: Silver and gold have they none, but what they had, they gave. In the name of Jesus Christ, they told the man to stand up and walk, and he did! Well, we may have had to wait a bit longer on the miracle as Steve made Abby a custom leg, but it was no less miraculous that God would use us to see her walk again in His name. We never tire of sharing with our patients how God sees them. And to think that we get to be a part of that? Sent by God? And he leads others to give, to make all of this possible? And God can use you as well!
“And God can use YOU as well!”
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