The Newsletter for Through the Roof
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The Newsletter for Through the Roof
Pastor Davis visits the UK from Kenya
Emily Owen ' s online retreat
Online group : Together @ Home
Small number , large impact
No : 88 WINTER 2023
God Grows our Gifts
Our Wheels for the World mission transformed 200 lives in Elburgon , Kenya . First-time team-member , Mishy Holt , shares her experience .
Pesi Enole knows all about growing . She plants crops on her small plot of land . Having both legs amputated in her 30s made Pesi ’ s life so much harder . However , God changed her life when I fitted this remarkable lady with her very own wheelchair . “ Having a wheelchair will make it a lot easier to plant and harvest my crops ”, Pesi smiles . In turn , the harvest she reaps will provide for her family , and feed some of her community in rural Elburgon – so the blessing is multiplied !
Although not far from Nairobi , Elburgon seems a world away . It is a very poor town where families support themselves by working the land . Sadly , this year , the maize crop has failed due to the drought , and already there is anxiety about food for next year .
Our Wheels for the World project , working closely with our partners , the Hope of Glory Church , brings hope as well as physical and spiritual freedom for the local people . God multiplies the impact of every seed sown – and every wheelchair given .
Before I set out on the trip to Elburgon , I waited with nervousness but excitement at Heathrow airport . Following a turbulent few years in my own life , I was meeting a group of strangers to go to Kenya to do … I knew not exactly what ! Fortunately , from the moment we landed at Nairobi , this became the most life-affirming , humbling , exhausting but also energising ten days .
We arrived as a small UK team – just three therapists and one technician , plus our team
Pesi receiving her wheelchair and Bible .
leader from the UK . Soon we became a much bigger team , with the wonderful willingness of the local volunteers , led by Pastor Davis , TTR ’ s partner in Kenya . Pastor Davis and his wife Ruth have such positivity and passion for breaking down disability discrimination . Volunteers from their church , their family and the surrounding communities became our interpreters , our technician helpers , our wheelchair organisers , our cooks and our friends .
Sunday fell in the middle of our stay and what a treat that was , for us to be involved felt very special . So different from our church at home : we danced and we sang ! We were very lucky to have a special dance performed by men from the Masai Mara who travelled far to bring disabled members of their community for our help .
Other days we worked from 8am to 7pm as a continual stream of disabled people brought by their families or friends to receive a wheelchair or mobility aid and Bible . As time went on , we had to be more and more resourceful as our equipment dwindled . In this , the technician team were of vital importance , with their interesting continued on page 2
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