A Gift for Ludivich...and All of Us

I don’t know his story, and he doesn’t know mine. But God brought our lives together and wrote a new chapter for both of us, one only He could author.   

I first met Ludivich last year in a village so small it doesn’t appear on maps of Romania. He sat in a wheelchair, his right side weakened by a stroke. He is one of dozens of homeless elderly rescued by Viorel Pasca, a Romanian pastor and a man of active faith. I prayed for Ludivich and offered him a banana, crackers, and a smile. 

Months later I returned with my friend Janna, an Occupational Therapist. Ludivich was using a walker, but awkwardly because he has little strength in his right arm. Janna recognized his need for a platform walker that would cradle his weakened arm. She explained through our translator that there is equipment available in the U.S. that could help. We said we’d do our best to get the special walker for him.

Little did we know how God would provide. 

Elder Orphan Care, the ministry through which I partner with Pastor Viorel, receives free storage at Evangel Worship Center’s humongous warehouse of donated goods. One morning I took a load of boxes there. Walking to our storage area, I noticed an assortment of medical equipment. Incredibly, a platform walker was hanging in plain view. I took a photo and texted Janna: “Is this the walker Ludivich needs?” She quickly replied: “YES!” 

When I asked Gaylyn, the warehouse manager, if the walker was available, she said, “It’s yours.” Obviously! If the walker had been anywhere else in that vast warehouse I would have missed it. I’m confident it was hung there by God’s design. 

The walker shipped with our container in October. I had the overwhelming pleasure of giving it to Ludivich December 4th. The expression on his face in this photograph says more than any words I could write. 

It seems God went to great lengths to get that walker to Ludivich: my initial visit, Janna’s expertise, the unknown person who donated it, Gaylyn’s generosity, and a long journey across the ocean. The image of Ludivich and his “wonder walker” is a memory I treasure. And it reminds me of another gift, a much Greater Gift, another journey, and another set of circumstances so “God” that no human could have orchestrated them. 

So this Christmas season I am saying with renewed awe, “Thank You, God, for Your amazing plan, and thank You, Jesus, for making the journey.” 

Now thanks be to God for His Gift, precious beyond telling, His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15 AMP)

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