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Living with a disability is hard at any age, but for two Macedonian children named Betty and Orce, the sense of isolation and helplessness seemed overwhelming. Handicapped since birth, their inability to walk kept them housebound.

Opportunities for a better life seemed slim until Samaritan’s Purse came to Macedonia, to give wheelchairs to poor families. We partnered with local churches and a ministry called Hope Haven to distribute chairs to 175 disabled people throughout the country.

The recipients were given wheelchairs customized for their individual needs. Orce, 12, was all smiles as his father showed him how to use the controls on his new chair.

A Samaritan's Purse staff member was pleased to see the joy on Orce’s face, but she was puzzled. Betty’s name also was on the list to receive a wheelchair. Where was she?

“It would have been very difficult to bring both children here,” the father explained. “We had to decide, and my daughter said she wanted her little brother to get the wheelchair.”

A team traveled to the family’s home in a nearby village to personally deliver a wheelchair to Betty. Shy at first, she started crying when she saw the chair. Soon she and Orce were giggling and pointing to each other’s chairs.

The father was deeply moved. He works hard, but he doesn’t make much money. He feels he cannot provide enough for his family. His wife stays at home to care for Betty and Orce. Their two oldest children help support the family financially.

“I was able to tell him that God loves him and his children,” said a team member. “I tried to reassure him that he is a good father, and I encouraged him to learn more about our Father in heaven.”

Samaritan’s Purse has worked with Hope Haven International Ministries since 2004 to provide mobility, dignity, and the love of Jesus to over 5,600 disabled people in a dozen countries.