– Noriko Soga
For the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you.
He will not leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
“Someday, I want to see my child walking without my support.” Many parents of children with cerebral palsy have this wish. The parents living in this mountainous area are no exception.
After observing rehabilitation training for rehab assistants and parents of special needs children (kids with cerebral palsy and intellectual challenges), I was wondering how to develop this training programme and support the future needs of these children. I knew the parents’ wish was that someday their children would be able to walk. But I am not a physio or occupational therapist. I cried out to God to send PT and OT specialists to support this programme. Thankfully, many therapists responded to His calling, came to this mountainous area, and helped us set up exercise programmes and curriculum for training rehab assistants and parents.
While listening to the rehab assistants who help these disabled persons and their families, I found that they wanted to serve stay-at-home adults who were cared for by their family members. MSI’s previous training focused on children’s rehabilitation. How could MSI help them? I asked God to send the appropriate person for this specific need, and He sent an experienced therapist.
Along with the rehab assistants, we visited patients in their homes. Their rehabilitation needs were different. The capabilities and skills of their caregivers were different as well. The rehab assistants discovered that the exercises that the therapist taught them to do at home followed the same principles that we provided at the children’s training. At this time, the rehab assistants truly understood that what they were learning at the training for children was very important and could be used for adult rehab as well! Through this experience, the rehab assistants were even more eager to acquire the knowledge and skills at our trainings so that they could use them to help disabled persons at home.
The environment has changed. MSI no longer runs trainings in this mountainous area, but I believe that the Father will provide resources to the rehab assistants there in the same way as He had for us. Please remember them. He loves these people and knows their needs. His love and His faithfulness never cease!