On the third day of our work in Kamailuk, I was responsible for passing out coloring sheets and markers to students who were exiting the medical clinic. As students walked in the door, I would hand them a piece of paper and some markers and direct them to a place to sit. Then a boy pushing another child in a wheel chair came through the door. I had seen the boy in the wheelchair many times and introduced myself to him. He had cerebral palsy. While I was handing a piece of paper to his friend, I showed him a coloring sheet to see if he wanted one. I highly doubted that he could color but I wanted him to feel included. He nodded yes so I got him a few markers. I had no idea how he was going to color. I pulled up a chair in front of his wheelchair and he slid halfway off of his chair and used one of his arms to prop up on. I laid the sheet of paper on his chair and placed a marker in his hand. He adjusted his arms, body, and fingers to color the detailed picture. Of course I picked the hardest design for him to color, but he remarkably colored very neatly! It was a slow process, but I was so impressed.

While he was coloring and I was handing him markers, I became angry. I asked God why He would allow this little boy to be physically impaired in such a hard place to live. Children without special needs  live a  hard life in Uganda, so I couldn’t imagine how hard his life was. To be honest I never think about children with special needs living in other areas of the world. Soon I was reminded of a scripture in the Bible that silenced my anger. The scripture reads, “As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9: 1-3). This child with cerebral palsy was displaying God’s works right in front of me. He could color and write! Not only could he do that, but he could do it well. I’m not sure if that is normal for people with cerebral palsy to do, but it looked like a miracle to me. I know God has much bigger plans for that little boy. I thank God that he reminded me that everything and everyone is in His hands. I know He loves that boy much more than I do, just like He loves everyone of His children no matter their disabilities.