For More information regarding the Benin Africa Wheelchair Distribution, ROC Wheels is a 502 (c) (3) Non-profit Organization

Last Updated 12/5/03

We invite you to check back for daily updates from Africa, Dec 1-6, 2003

Our world is filled with people having deep personal needs – for to hear about God’s LOVE, is their greatest! During Christ’s ministry on earth, He consistently reached people spiritually, through meeting physical needs. God’s kingdom is open to everyone; notably the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. However, the invitation must be delivered by those choosing a place of service above honor and seeking blessing over recognition. "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed." Mark 12:13

ROC Wheels has partnered with local churches in Benin to provide resources for reaching the disabled community within the African Ayizo people group. New and refurbished wheelchairs were donated from Hope Haven International and Gift of Mobility – PET Project, then shipped in a large container to Cotonou Benin Africa.

The Union Des Eglises Protestantes Baptistes Du Benin received the equipment and have been preparing for the wheelchair distribution, due to take place December 1-6. Several volunteers are departing from Ohio on November 29, to assist with the distribution. Local Benin pastors are coordinating the evangelistic outreach and follow-up ministry.

Monday Dec 1, 2003: First Day in Benin

After a day and a half of travel, we all arrived safely in Benin Africa. Following a short night of jet-lag recovery, we were then introduced to the local people at the craft market. Here we have Kendra & Faith bartering with the locals for small gifts to take home. It is surprising how well they speak engligh when they are trying to sell you something.

The official language of Benin is French, so communication is much easier than attempting the local languages of Fon and Gun. It was nice to be given an 'adjustment to the culture' day before beginning a busy weeks schedule. The distribution will take place in four main location as far north as 2 hours drive from Cotonou the capital. Although our luggage was very full of items for the missionaries, we probably won't have enough room for this nice set of drums. Pictured is Hudson, trying to get in tempo with a National. He was sad I didn't buy the drums.

Andy is shown discussing woodworking with a group of young craftsmen about their work. They utilize materials from Ebony and Teak to Soapstone and Malacite. Most of the wood items are hand carved and buffed with sandpaper and shoe polish. There are Benin 550 CFA's to One US Dollar, so we paid on average of 4000-8000 CFA's for our treasures to take home.

We spent the afternoon doing orientation and planning for the distribution. One woman was also brought by to recieve the first wheelchair. She had contracted polio at a young age and was left without use of her legs. She was widowed and mother of 5 children. She'll use the PET to make trips to market and her job as a street vendor. The gospel was shared with her through a translator.

Tuesday Dec 2, 2003: Distribution in Porto Novo

After a short night sleep, we headed off to the city of Porto Novo near the border of Nigeria. The paved roads quickly ended into dirt paths that resembled a motor-cross track. After some time dodging animals and car-sized potholes, we were greeted by a beautiful group of school children who were very interested in what we were doing.

All of the wheelchairs were transported with small 4WD trucks. It was amazing how high the workers would stack these precious supplies. These men are working in upper 90 F weather with humidity so high we were almost perishing. Their customary dress is colorful full length slacks and long shirts for the men; and long dresses for the women. The small children wear very little if anything.

This young boy touched everyone’s heart today. He was a deaf-mute… with a physical disability. He received a small PET (Personal Energy Transport) and was ecstatic to drive it around bumping into everything. As you would expect adventurous boys to do, he headed off the smooth path to go 4-wheeling and became stuck only 3 or 4 times in a matter of minutes. From the smile on his face, this boy recieved the best gift ever: PET mobility and FUN.

With the Porto Novo terrain so hilly and sandy, a normal wheelchair would not be beneficial to people desiring independent mobility. We selected these recipients to receive the PET’s because they had moderate to severe lower limb disabilities, but good upper body strength. The recipients became part of the ceremony which included representatives from the Mayor’s office and Minister of Health. Even though the heat of the day caused fatigue with the recipients, they were joyful once departed for home… with their new Gift of Mobility.

Wednesday Dec 3, 2003: Allada & Glossa Distribution

The distribution in Allada, Benin began at 9:00 in the morning. It was already warm before we saw the first recipient of a Hope Haven Pediatric Chair. This young girl had a spinal cord defect which required us to make extensive adjustments to the already versatile chair, but the final fit was very comfortable for the child. Kendra is explaining necessary care of the child through our interpreter Mark. Final checks are also being made of the chair’s fasteners before she goes home.

This 14 year old boy had the worst case of hydrocephalus anyone on our team had seen. Children usually don’t live long with a condition like this, but this child was vibrant with life. Kendra worked for some time to provide the best possible care and adjustment in his new chair. For the first time in his life, this boy has independent mobility. Thanks, Hope Haven, for providing such a wonderful gift to this child.

We also would like to thank Hartville Hardware for donating a complete set of tools for the distribution. The kit contained enough items to make 98% of the adjustments that were required. For most of the Africans, they had never seen a cordless drill before. It was a huge time saver to have everything available to make adjustments.

It is common for individuals to want a wheelchair when they really don’t need one. Faith is carefully assessing this amputee and determined that a PET or wheelchair was not necessary. The man and his brother argued for some time, but were eventually convinced that walking with a prosthesis is much better than being wheelchair bound. An individual later arrive that needed a PET for worse than this man. Jeff Singerman, on the right, is the local missionary who helped to direct the program.

The second distribution of the day was held in a remote village called Glossa. It was accessible only with 4WD vehicles. Upon arrival, we were greeted by throngs of people who made work very difficult because they always pushed in. The local Baptist church held an evangelical meeting prior to the distribution. A total of six PET’s were given away.

This man is learning to use his PET without much trouble. We practiced transferring, setting the parking brake, steering, braking and maintenance. Many of the people watching were amazed how a person could maneuver so well in sand. Deepest gratitude is given to Gift of Mobility – PET Project for their wonderful contribution to these Africans with a disability.

Andy has assumed a safe position to photograph and film all that was going on. He also spent some time giving away balloon animals, this is until the children started to climb all sides of the vehicle. We may have learned it’s not best to give things away to an excited mob of African children.

At the end of the day, we were served a special feast of rice and spicy fish. Jeff told us that this was a huge gift for these very poor people. Since we had eaten before the distribution, many of us were not hungry enough to finish an entire plate. I called to this young girl (with a baby tied to her back) to come and sit by me and eat my food. To my amazement, she fed her sister every bit of food without taking one bite for herself. How beautiful the lesson… taught by a child.

Thursday Dec 4, 2003: Rural Distribution

The village of Sedje is located about 45 minutes off of the only North/South road in Benin. As Jeff Singerman drove us down the bike path road, we knew it would be a great day to give the gift of mobility to several people. Because of the rough terrain of the village, we took only PET’s to distribute today.

Every single time we stepped out of the car, nearly every person was attracted to what we were doing. The children were much better behaved than in the village we visited yesterday. Since the Africans assembled the chairs with the directions being translated, we carefully inspected every nut & bolt to ensure proper adjustment.

This young woman crawled on all fours to receive her chair. Her disability was due to a childhood polio vaccination that was given into the nerves of her buttocks. The sad thing is that most of the people we’ve seated over the past few days received their injuries from incorrectly given vaccinations. African custom is to sit very solemn when photographed. We did manage to get a few smiles from some, but most only sat astute.

There is great joy in giving the gift of mobility to someone who has crawled their whole life. As you watch them ride away, you know their life will have significant improvements. We also fitted one beautiful 22 year old woman. She explained the reason for her being single is that men don’t think she could care for the home and children. Today she left with new-found dignity and hope.

The saddest part of any distribution is when you have nothing to give someone who needs a chair so badly. This woman crawled on all fours to inquire about a wheelchair. Rather than seeing her to leave with nothing at all, Faith spent some time sharing God’s love with her.

Pictured are Kendra Bishop, Jeff Singerman, Faith Gingerich, and Hudson Moore adjusting a young girl to a PET in another small town back in the bush. The town church welcomed us with indigenous music, dance and preaching before we gave away the chair. Several modifications were made… thanks to some wonderful tools we brought along.

This became a common scene to see many helping the chair recipient learn to drive. As beautiful as the landscape is, it carries subtle dangers like snakes, disease and pagan worship. Out prayer is that many will learn of God’s love through this act of compassion.

Friday Dec 5, 2003: Long drive to Chamo Ayvey

Here we have the team standing in front of a handmade sign at the distribution site. The Africans are very big on formality and ceremony. Each day there was some sort of ceremony or service for the distribution. Sometimes it was short and small, then other times it was lengthy with television cameras and media. One night the project and some of the team members made the local news.

Kendra is focused on the situation with this chronic two year old boy. Seeing a boy struggle so much really broke out hearts. The conversation had to be translated into French by one interpreter, then into another language by a second interpreter. She was not exactly sure what was wrong, but by his immobility and rasping breathing it is a miracle that he is alive at two. He is an only child and has a mother that loves and cares for him dearly.

In this picture you see the same young fellow after being fitted in a Hope Haven pediatric wheelchair. It takes a great deal of time and effort to fit young children, as this rag-doll child required his seat reclined somewhat. The child is taken to see a Physical Therapist on a weekly basis, so additional adjustments will need to be made as he grows. Please pray for this family as many tough times are sure to be ahead.

We have another happy recipient of a PET that will drastically change his life! When he came into the clinic he was crawling on all four and would have to be carried or drag himself to get around. Now for the first time he has a means to travel independently and with greater ease.

To appreciate Africa you have to experience the wonderful food. You can see for yourself what we had the opportunity to experience tonight for dinner. The meat is rabbit and the rest is . . . well African food that was tasty and satisfying. We all enjoyed the meal and the chance to be here enjoying the culture. No one has gone hungry on this trip, if anything we have been over eating.

This is a traditional African hut in front of a corn field under an imposing sky that did little more than just threaten rain. You can see the parents in front of the house and the children playing in the front yard. Scenes like this and many more are common place in our daily travels across this gorgeous county.

Please PRAY for the Reach Out & Care Team:
Kendra Bishop, Faith Gingerich, Hudson Moore, Andy Weems

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you would like to join the Ayizo Prayer Warriors Team,
please contact Fred Orcutt @ fredorcutt@mindspring.com

Beyond Surrender, by Barbara J. Singerman, SBC Missionary to Benin What could be more different from Western culture and convenience than the harsh life of West Africa? After surrendering to missions in Benin, Barbara Singerman and her family found that the only similarity between themselves and the Beninese was that they all walk upright on two feet and smile. In the Singerman's new African home, communication was one step above the Dark Ages, most people have never seen ice, and hunters still used crossbows to bring home their evening meal.... Dr. Michael R. Spradlin, president, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, says: "No braver heroes can be found than those on the front lines of the Lord's service. The story of Jeff and Barbara Singerman stands out as a testimony of God's love in action."