notice where this man's shoes are?? He's been walking like this for a long time, I think!
This cute "mama" was all smiles when she got her chair! She had such a sweet attitude
Ok, so I admit it, I was having a bit of a pity party the last few days. I'm ashamed of myself, but I was doing it. This morning I have snapped out of it and I will show you why! ! See the man and woman above. they have great smiles, right?? Well the photo doesn't show the bottom half of their bodies which are deformed and shrunken. This morning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated another 21 wheel-chairs to 21 handicapped persons here in Kinshasa. This is the second such morning that I have attended to watch people receive the life-giving gift of mobility. One of the things that has touched my heart very much is how many. many people here are physically impaired. Apparently some of them have withered or mishapen legs because well-meaning nurses have given injections improperly when they were babies. Many have incured injuries from the war. Some have been injured from accidents. It is heart-breaking to see so many who have difficulties. But most of them have found ways to continue with their lives and most have a great attitude and smile.
Below (or wherever it happens to pop up--I'm still a novice at this blogging thing) will be a few photos of some of the people as they made their way to receive their wheelchair. The routine that they have to go through to receive a wheelchair is that they come and request one from this
"Centre de handicappe". Their social service people interview them, then visit their homes to make sure that they can use a wheelchair in their homes and also to make sure that they won't just take the chair and sell it for profit, etc. After they pass that test, then the center chooses those to coordinate with the number of chairs that will be donated that time. The church is able to have a nice plaque on the back of each chair that it gives which says, "Gift of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints". So the church is widely recognized as a charitable and giving church.
Ok, so the pictures are loading in ascending order, so you'll see the ones I wanted you to see last, first--but as the scriptures say, the first shall be last and the last shall be first....so you'll just have to figure it all out, because I'm not smart enough to figure out how to move them.
