Guatemala Short-term Missions trip
February 10 - 17, 2024
Day 6 | Thursday, February 15
Wheelchair distribution
Ryan Miller
Wheelchair Distributions
This morning we set up at the church where we held the wheelchair distribution. We had some technical difficulties and got there a little later than expected, so quite a few people were there waiting for us when we arrived. With our large group, we were able to have 5 stations for wheelchair fitting and this really sped up the process.
Everyone worked together really well even though we were in a small space which made it got chaotic at times with all the activity. Both the people getting the chairs and their families were so thankful to be receiving a chair for the first time or to have a worn out one replaced. Saul, one of the Bethel staff, did a great job first thing of explaining to the people that these chairs are a gift from God and they are demonstration of His love for them.
Everyone worked hard and all of the people who showed up to get a chair were taken care of before lunch. We ate lunch and then loaded up for our 3 hour ride to Chimaltenango, which is close to Bethel headquarters where we are spending the night before touring their shop and warehouse in the morning.
Shaylee Adrian
Today was wheelchair distribution day! We woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel before heading out to the church which would be our distribution site. We unloaded the wheelchairs, walkers and crutches and got the chairs set up for the families there to receive. After a short introduction from Saul, we split up into groups of three and began calling numbers to fit people one at a time. To each chair we added seat belts, adjusted foot pedals to the height each individual needed, and put a cushion against the back of the chair if they needed to be closer to the front of the seat. We passed out candy, stuffed animals and legos to any kiddos we saw, and that was a very exciting thing for most of them. Throughout the day we fit four children in pediatric chairs with various disabilities from motorcycle accidents to cerebral palsy and scoliosis. Close to 30 adults were fitted for wheelchairs and multiple walkers and crutches were passed out as well. After receiving their wheelchair, each family talks to the local pastor, gets prayed with, and takes home a Bible. The goal is to provide the families with hope. Hope through wheelchairs that offer a better life for the individual and the family that will no longer have to carry them everywhere. But more importantly, hope in Christ. The local pastors are able to check in on these families after the fact to continue to help with their physical and spiritual needs. After distributing the wheelchairs, we ate lunch as a team and hopped in the vans to head to Chimaltenango. After about a three hour drive, we arrived at the hotel at 4:30pm and some of us were able to swim before going to supper, doing devotions and finally to bed.