Wheelchair distribution has begun. The wonderful ladies at Light of the World Pentecostal Church fortified us with borscht to give us energy for the busy day ahead.
We set up our base of operations in the church parking lot. We have six stations where our teams of therapist, mechanic, support person and interpreter individually fit each person who comes for a wheelchair. 
This is Olga with therapist Jill and Dr. Igor. Olga has had muscular dystrophy since she was 12. She is 36 and has never had a wheelchair before.
Our interpreters are always in great demand-that is Marina running in the background.
This is Jill holding Bogdan, a 16 year old boy with spina bifida and hydocephalus. His name means "given by God" and he is a sweet miracle boy. He has never had a wheelchair and his father has always carried him everywhere. We were able to fit him with a perfect chair and now Papa can push him and Bogdan can be more independent.
This is Maria, a 70 year old babushka (grandmother). Pat is showering her with love and gifts. Maria is very happy to be able to return to her church now that she has a wheelchair.
Stepan is an 86 year old man who lives in a home for the elderly. He had a clunker of a chair and he tipped it backwards and fell on his head 3 times (ouch!) because of the imbalance caused by having only one leg. We were able to give him a chair that would not tip backwards and he could safely propel it by himself.
When Stepan was 16 he was kidnapped by the Nazis and forced to shovel coal for trains during WWII. 70 years later he still weeps when he tells of the trauma and fear he experienced.
41 year old Pavlo has never had a chair and either crawled on the floor or was carried by his elderly mother. As you can see his was very happy with his new chair.
This is 6 year old Dasha, who has a genetic disorder and is unable to walk. She was given a wheelchair and a PET cart, which is a sort of arm bike.
The end of day 2. Carolyn gets the coveted Gumby award for flexibility and Sergey gets the self explanatory Pokey award.
God has been good and has been working through us during these first 2 days. 57 people received mobility equipment. 175 people heard the gospel and 80 people prayed to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior! PRAISE GOD.
Thank you all for your prayers. Don't stop! We need more for the days to come.
By Carolyn Costello on Tuesday 9-11-12
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