Lending a Helping Hand
By Courtney Acton, OMS Missionary in Mozambique
Editor’s note: Helping Hands, a ministry to the disability community in
Mozambique, seeks to mobilize the Christian community to be the hands
and feet of Jesus and to share the hope of the Gospel with those with disabilities
and their families.
The early days of the Helping Hands
parent support group looked quite different
than what it looks like today. The
group started with two or three moms
gathering monthly in a church on the
floor with their children, learning about
basic health principles, hearing a short
devotional or Bible passage, and participating
in an activity for the kids.
We now host between 30 and 40 families
monthly in the same church. Families
with children with various disabilities join
together to worship, hear a Bible story,
and divide into small groups to discuss it
and ask questions. The children also join
in our time of worship and then have an
opportunity to hear a story from the Bible
and participate in various crafts and sensory
activities.
The parent support group has provided
an incredible opportunity for families
affected by disability in Mozambique
to hear, often for the first time, a Gospel
message that proclaims God’s love, sav-
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