A Milestone Day

One of my great joys over the last year has been working with more than 30 members of a local congregation, Church of the Redeemer, to get our wheelchair-bound neighbors out of the streets and back on to repaired sidewalks.

Church members have gone door-to-door meeting their neighbors and gathering petition signatures. We have made many new friends, become more deeply a part of our community, and grown in empathy for our neighbors with disabilities.

We have also heard many harrowing stories along the way. Several of our neighbors have been catapulted from their wheelchairs and broken bones. Others have been overturned by uneven sidewalks and have waited hours for paramedics to come right them. Still others have become stuck on curbs as they tried to enter intersections. All have told us about the long, roundabout routes they must take to find curb cuts or avoid large sidewalk breaks in order to get to the grocery store or bus stop.

Tomorrow marks an important milestone in our efforts. The City will vote on a motion to approve $300,000 for Phase 1 repairs of a three-phase project to repair sidewalks and complete curb cuts in our community. Please pray for the agency board to pass the motion and for continued favor with our local council office. Please pray too that God's glory and love would be magnified in the eyes of our neighbors through his bride--the church--who has labored in love and solidarity with those whose needs the world considers least.

Tomorrow, a couple of us will travel to the meeting by bus with a friend we met during the campaign. She uses a wheelchair and has championed this effort. Please pray for this friend to know our Creator's deep love for her as we share a journey beyond tomorrow's milestone vote.