THE STORY OF A WHEELCHAIR AND A WOODEN CRUTCH

From: Bridey and Mark Stirling
Sent: April 14, 2004 12:38 PM
To: Billy Willbond
Subject: wheelchair

Hi Dad,

Do you know of a group in Toronto that would like a wheelchair?

Bridey

From: Billy Willbond
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2004 1:14 AM
To: Bridey and Mark Stirling; Connie Smith
Subject: RE: wheelchair

Connie – can any of your folks going overseas with PTPs [Physician Travel Packs: Ed] carry a wheelchair with them for donation to a needy third world patient?

Blessings
Billy

From: Connie Smith
Sent: April 15, 2004 6:25 AM
To: Billy Willbond
Cc: Wes Robinson
Subject: RE: wheelchair

Dear Billy,

Good morning!

We are building a container to go to Zimbabwe to a Salvation Army hospital there. They need many things, and on their list are wheelchairs. We would be delighted to send this chair to them.

Would Bridey and Mark be able to contact our Distribution Centre about when to drop it off? The number there is 905 [Telephone Number Provided: Ed]. The person to talk to is Wes Robinson.

Thanks so much for thinking of us!

Cheers,
Connie

From: Billy Willbond
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 6:11 AM
To: Connie Smith; Mark and Bridey Stirling; Mark World Vision Stirling
Cc: ‘Wes Robinson’
Subject: RE: wheelchair
Importance: High

Dear Mark and Bridey

Dr Keith Martin loading wheelchairs at the Compassionate Ministries Warehouse for shipment to Africa by ICROSS CanadaConnie from HPIC [Health Partners International, Canada], has some charity folks who can use your donation of a wheelchair – contact phone number below.

Did you know we at ICROSS CANADA sent 33 wheelchairs in our last load to Kenya on the 27 of March? Folks are obtaining these electric wheelchairs like Rascals and we are benefiting by receipt of their donated manual chairs. Most of the chairs sent by ICROSS CANADA were donated by Dell Wergeland of the Compassionate Ministries.

Some things to remember – This wheelchair is part of your drop – each person who provides assistance to the poor adds their drop. Like Mother Teresa of Calcutta replied in her response to a statement by a reporter who stated that what she [Mother Teresa] was doing was only a drop in the bucket. “Yes, that is true; however, it is my drop! Eventually with increased help from others your cup will runneth over.”

A wheelchair, to a legless person is wonderful, indeed. When you have nothing, something is wonderful: When Lynne and I started ICROSS CANADA we kept these words prominently displayed on a sheet above our computer; we continue to try and live up to that ideal because so much is wasted here in the land of plenty and a used bicycle or wheelchair is very important to the poorest of the poor.

Remember the story we heard in Africa of the young man who split his toe with a panga (machete), he hobbled for three days to reach the Maasai Hospital in Kajiado where (due to gangrene) they amputated his foot – He was given a donated crutch upon his open wound healing and he began the long hobble back to his village. Camping out with a group of young men, who were drinking beer, he drifted off to sleep, only to awaken to find his wooden crutch being used as firewood for the hung-over travellers’ camp fire. It got cold during the night and they didn’t search too far for firewood (normally a job done by women).

There were many sets of crutches donated by the Mt Newton Centre here on the Peninsula in our last load, and among them were several sets of Aluminum Crutches and I immediately thought of that young man. I wonder how he fared out – I know he crawled, hopped and hobbled to some destination because he lived to tell his story. If I could find out who he was and where he lived now, I would ensure he received a set of the Aluminum Crutches when we go out in July. Wouldn’t that be a great ending to this story; one of the thousands of tales where wooden crutches and canes from ICROSS CANADA have made and are making a difference.

You are living up to our motto: The needy will not be forgotten, nor the hopes of the afflicted perish (Psalms 9:19)

Blessings, hugs and prayers
Love
Dad