Cheshire Home for the Handicapped

Last Saturday I was part of a Mercy Ships team that visited the local Cheshire Home for Handicapped. The resident’s disabilities varied from being profoundly and multiply disabled (unable to move, communicate or do anything for themselves) to what we would think of as mild learning disabilities. Our team from the ship included a physiotherapist, a teacher of the profound and multiply handicapped, and a speech and language therapist (me!), and together we were able to do some stretching and exercising of children and adults who are normally strapped into their wheelchairs. Others on our team poured love into the resident’s lives, by gently touching them, rubbing lotion into their skin, playing with balls and balloons, or gently scratching their backs. Ko, a lady who is blind and just sits curled up on the floor with her thumb in her mouth, literally uncurled, raised her head and swayed in response to the songs we sang. Mama thought it was hysterical to throw a beach ball at each one of us when we weren’t looking – she had good aim! Solomon was taken out of his wheelchair (where his body and arms are strapped down to prevent involuntary movements and sucking and chewing his hands raw), and stretched out on the mat, and his body relaxed so much that his involuntary movements stopped and he fell asleep with his head on my lap. George, an old hand at the stretching, couldn’t wait for his turn and managed to shuffle his way across the floor to make sure he wouldn’t be forgotten. As I left I didn’t know how to process the experience, and I still don’t, other than to pray for each one of them and commit to going back. I know that God cares for them and Jesus provides us with His loving example. I'm going back next Saturday. Sally