Wheelchair landmark gift

Disability ministry Joni and Friends has donated its 250,000th wheelchair to an 11-year-old girl in Thailand.

The girl, Nada, had been carried around by her mother, Mim, before the donation, owing to her cerebral palsy. The pair were presented with the wheelchair alongside ministry president Shawn Thornton. They also received a Bible in their native language and a copy of disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada’s autobiography.

Subscribing to Buddhist beliefs, Nada’s mother had believed her daughter had been cursed through “bad karma” in her past life.

Thornton said it was important he shared the gospel with her because “Jesus never separated the good news of the gospel apart from loving people.” He said he told the pair that they had not been cursed but that “God loves you and your daughter”.

He also explained how Nada now had a new sense of independence and how her mother was free of her guilt in trying to improve her karma for the next life.

The wheelchair was manufactured by Wheels for the World, who have donated custom-fit wheelchairs around the world since 1994. Thornton said in future he hopes to expand the programme while ensuring it remains personal, just as Jesus healed individually.