Gabby's Birthday Wish: Empowered to Serve Others
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NEED: Funding for a manual all-terrain wheelchair that would allow me to participate in mission trips, hikes, and other adventures despite my limited mobility
WHEN: For my 25th birthday, September 2020
WHY: Because of an amazing group of young people who have made a deep and eternal impression on my heart
What Happened?
A few years ago, I was a teacher at a small Christian high school in Oklahoma. In January 2018, I sprained my right ankle and began using crutches; but less than a week later, I was experiencing a mysterious pain in my back and left ankle. The MRI I did in June of that year revealed no spinal compression or other possible cause of my leg pain, but I have continued to experience pain on and off throughout the last 2.5 years. So far, no doctor has been able to officially diagnose the problem, beyond "nerve damage." Sometimes, the pain is minor, almost a mere sensation of discomfort; while at other times, I cannot bear weight on my ankle without sharp, stabbing pain. As a result, I have purchased a wheelchair for those times when my mobility is suddenly limited.
When the principal of Oklahoma Academy , where I used to teach, asked me if I would be willing to join the 2021 senior class on their mission trip, I felt honored. But I also felt scared. Would my mobility challenges ruin their experience? The students had told me about this sudden opportunity to participate in the disaster relief effort in Belle Plaine, Iowa, following the derecho that had passed through the area on August 10. Could I really help? Or would I just be dead weight on this trip?
They would leave Sunday, August 30. "Would you be able to give me an answer by tomorrow morning?" she asked me. It was Wednesday night, August 26. "Yes," I responded confidently. But my mind was swarming. I knew that my $130 wheelchair with its narrow and tread-less tires was not going to cut it in a semi-rural area with sidewalks only half the time, and possibly not in the best condition. I also knew an electric scooter, like the one I had rented in the past, would not fit in our van or trailer loaded up with teenagers and Red Cross meal kits. Even though I felt impressed that I should go on this trip, I could not see a way around this obstacle.
"Lord," I prayed that Wednesday night, "if You want me to go, please help me figure out a way that I can actually participate with them."
The next morning, I took a leap of faith and called a wheelchair company in Massachusetts.
The Miracle Chair
I had only learned about the GRIT Freedom Chair a few nights before as I sat curled up on my couch, crying, as I hunted for all-terrain wheelchairs after a failed excursion to the park earlier that afternoon. I knew I could never afford such a chair; but now that I was going to Iowa, I knew that this was the only way.
After the third consecutive call, the director of GRIT answered the phone. I explained my situation -- I needed to know if I could rent a chair and have it in Iowa by next week. The chairs usually take 1-2 weeks to ship.
But in less than 7 hours, through the sacrifice (and crazy faith!) of my parents and the amazing team at GRIT, a chair custom-designed for my small frame and the needs of this mission trip was shipped out to Iowa. It arrived today, Tuesday, September 1 while the others went out to minister to the community. What a surprise they'll be in for when they discover that "Miss Gabby" does own a wheelchair with a suspension system!
But this gift won't last forever unless it is paid in full. Although my parents generously provided the needed down payment, we still need to pay the remaining $3,000. I have less than 30 days to secure the funds, or else I will have to return my Freedom Chair.
This month, September 2020, I will celebrate my 25th birthday. It's usually rude to ask for gifts, but I am asking you, will you help me keep my Freedom Chair? Because of this chair, I will be able to go distances and do things that I have not been able to do in almost three years. Your gift means that I will never have to turn down another mission trip, hike, or adventure ever again.
After I raise the remaining $3,000 and pay off the chair, I would like to raise the other $1,200 to be able to pay back my parents, who really exercised faith to spend that much money for me with on such short notice. Then, whatever extra money I raise will be donated to the Oklahoma Academy Class of 2021.
Why Those Kids?
To be a class sponsor for these students' mission trip was a dream come true: I had worked at the school when they were freshmen: as registrar, I had processed their applications, conducted their student interviews, and welcomed them to the school. As a teacher, I taught their English and computer classes that year, grading compositions, scolding their procrastination, tutoring their questions. As assistant girls' dean, I counseled, reprimanded, laughed, played, and prayed with those girls. I mentored them, and ironed out their squabbles. They even asked me to help them prepare their special musics. In a special way, these were my kids.
But in May of that same school year, we gathered around a picnic table at the cafeteria while I explained to them that I would not be their teacher next year. They had seen my hobble around campus, first with crutches, then with braces on both feet, for all of second semester. Some of them had carried my cafeteria meals for me or written on the whiteboard in class. They knew; yet they simply could not understand. At our special goodbye party, they shared gifts and memories with me. We all shared tears.
One of them asked if I would be back their senior year. They wanted me to be their class sponsor. I told them I did not know the future and that I could not promise. They told me they would pray.
Fast forward to August 2020, nearly two and a half years later. The Gideon Rescue Company reached out to Oklahoma Academy about the needs in Iowa. The senior class, always ready foot soldiers, rose to the challenge. And they wanted me to go with them.
I had already disappointed them so many times before by missing hikes, laser tag games, camping trips, or their entire sophomore year. I had seen their faces of disappointment too many times when I told them I could not go door-to-door with them as they distributed religious literature; and I simply could not hurt them again. This amazing group of meddling kids are my inspiration and motivation for this radical and life-changing purchase. By supporting me, you are really supporting them as we spend this last school year together.
Thank you for your generous heart.
WHEN: For my 25th birthday, September 2020
WHY: Because of an amazing group of young people who have made a deep and eternal impression on my heart
What Happened?
A few years ago, I was a teacher at a small Christian high school in Oklahoma. In January 2018, I sprained my right ankle and began using crutches; but less than a week later, I was experiencing a mysterious pain in my back and left ankle. The MRI I did in June of that year revealed no spinal compression or other possible cause of my leg pain, but I have continued to experience pain on and off throughout the last 2.5 years. So far, no doctor has been able to officially diagnose the problem, beyond "nerve damage." Sometimes, the pain is minor, almost a mere sensation of discomfort; while at other times, I cannot bear weight on my ankle without sharp, stabbing pain. As a result, I have purchased a wheelchair for those times when my mobility is suddenly limited.
When the principal of Oklahoma Academy , where I used to teach, asked me if I would be willing to join the 2021 senior class on their mission trip, I felt honored. But I also felt scared. Would my mobility challenges ruin their experience? The students had told me about this sudden opportunity to participate in the disaster relief effort in Belle Plaine, Iowa, following the derecho that had passed through the area on August 10. Could I really help? Or would I just be dead weight on this trip?
They would leave Sunday, August 30. "Would you be able to give me an answer by tomorrow morning?" she asked me. It was Wednesday night, August 26. "Yes," I responded confidently. But my mind was swarming. I knew that my $130 wheelchair with its narrow and tread-less tires was not going to cut it in a semi-rural area with sidewalks only half the time, and possibly not in the best condition. I also knew an electric scooter, like the one I had rented in the past, would not fit in our van or trailer loaded up with teenagers and Red Cross meal kits. Even though I felt impressed that I should go on this trip, I could not see a way around this obstacle.
"Lord," I prayed that Wednesday night, "if You want me to go, please help me figure out a way that I can actually participate with them."
The next morning, I took a leap of faith and called a wheelchair company in Massachusetts.
The Miracle Chair
I had only learned about the GRIT Freedom Chair a few nights before as I sat curled up on my couch, crying, as I hunted for all-terrain wheelchairs after a failed excursion to the park earlier that afternoon. I knew I could never afford such a chair; but now that I was going to Iowa, I knew that this was the only way.
After the third consecutive call, the director of GRIT answered the phone. I explained my situation -- I needed to know if I could rent a chair and have it in Iowa by next week. The chairs usually take 1-2 weeks to ship.
But in less than 7 hours, through the sacrifice (and crazy faith!) of my parents and the amazing team at GRIT, a chair custom-designed for my small frame and the needs of this mission trip was shipped out to Iowa. It arrived today, Tuesday, September 1 while the others went out to minister to the community. What a surprise they'll be in for when they discover that "Miss Gabby" does own a wheelchair with a suspension system!
But this gift won't last forever unless it is paid in full. Although my parents generously provided the needed down payment, we still need to pay the remaining $3,000. I have less than 30 days to secure the funds, or else I will have to return my Freedom Chair.
This month, September 2020, I will celebrate my 25th birthday. It's usually rude to ask for gifts, but I am asking you, will you help me keep my Freedom Chair? Because of this chair, I will be able to go distances and do things that I have not been able to do in almost three years. Your gift means that I will never have to turn down another mission trip, hike, or adventure ever again.
After I raise the remaining $3,000 and pay off the chair, I would like to raise the other $1,200 to be able to pay back my parents, who really exercised faith to spend that much money for me with on such short notice. Then, whatever extra money I raise will be donated to the Oklahoma Academy Class of 2021.
Why Those Kids?
To be a class sponsor for these students' mission trip was a dream come true: I had worked at the school when they were freshmen: as registrar, I had processed their applications, conducted their student interviews, and welcomed them to the school. As a teacher, I taught their English and computer classes that year, grading compositions, scolding their procrastination, tutoring their questions. As assistant girls' dean, I counseled, reprimanded, laughed, played, and prayed with those girls. I mentored them, and ironed out their squabbles. They even asked me to help them prepare their special musics. In a special way, these were my kids.
But in May of that same school year, we gathered around a picnic table at the cafeteria while I explained to them that I would not be their teacher next year. They had seen my hobble around campus, first with crutches, then with braces on both feet, for all of second semester. Some of them had carried my cafeteria meals for me or written on the whiteboard in class. They knew; yet they simply could not understand. At our special goodbye party, they shared gifts and memories with me. We all shared tears.
One of them asked if I would be back their senior year. They wanted me to be their class sponsor. I told them I did not know the future and that I could not promise. They told me they would pray.
Fast forward to August 2020, nearly two and a half years later. The Gideon Rescue Company reached out to Oklahoma Academy about the needs in Iowa. The senior class, always ready foot soldiers, rose to the challenge. And they wanted me to go with them.
I had already disappointed them so many times before by missing hikes, laser tag games, camping trips, or their entire sophomore year. I had seen their faces of disappointment too many times when I told them I could not go door-to-door with them as they distributed religious literature; and I simply could not hurt them again. This amazing group of meddling kids are my inspiration and motivation for this radical and life-changing purchase. By supporting me, you are really supporting them as we spend this last school year together.
Thank you for your generous heart.
Organizer
Gabrielle Baker
Organizer
Harrah, OK