As most of you know, I recently finished my third month working for Joni and Friends, an international disability ministry founded by Joni Erickson Tada. I was asked to memorize our mission statement for my orientation, so let me share: To communicate the Gospel and equip Christ honoring churches worldwide to evangelize and disciple people affected by disability.
Joni and Friends has several programs. I work in the Wheels for the World department which has four stages:
1.) Collection--hundreds of Chair Corp volunteers collect donated wheelchairs, crutches, and canes from around the United States.
2.) Restoration--the donated wheelchairs are sent to fifteen different prisons throughout the United States where they are refurbished by prisoners. The inmates generally have lifetime sentences, and our program often has waiting lists.
3.) Transportation--the wheelchairs are put in shipping containers, driven to a port, and shipped over water to their destination. This year we are going on 21 outreaches to 17 countries in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. We cannot distribute within the United States because of liability issues.
4.) Distribution--the wheelchairs are distributed in partnership with local churches or nonprofits. We send teams of therapists, mechanics, and support workers who individually fit every recipient to their new wheelchair. My job is to communicate with all team members from the moment they apply until their departure, assisting them with their application and other necessary paperwork. This endeavor has claimed the lives of many sticky notes as I sort through details. If any of you are interested in going to Romania in August, India in September, or Jordan in November, we need therapists and the mechanically inclined!
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