The Wheelchair Ministry is the largest division of God’s Hidden Treasures. In Bila Tserkva alone hundreds of families are being ministered to on a regular basis. Hundreds more are being ministered to in the outlying cities. Much of the other work of GHT has grown out of the needs seen through this part of the ministry.

Outreach to the Disabled

The government of Ukraine is required by law to provide mobility aids to its people. However, funds are generally lacking for this and, when available, no attempt is made to fit the wheelchair to the person.

God’s Hidden Treasures is committed first of all to developing personal, long-term relationships. When someone contacts the office requesting assistance, a phone interview is conducted. Usually within 10 days, an in-home visit is made to discover the needs of the person—physical, emotional, medical and spiritual. During these visits Christian caring is demonstrated by spending the time to get to know the person, then in prayer, laying on of hands, and gifts of Bibles.

Each person is entered into a database and called monthly by the GHT office, as well as on special occasions such as birthdays, Veteran’s Day, etc. Food, clothing and medicines are provided on an emergency basis. There are special events provided during the year, including the annual citywide picnic in the park for the handicapped and in-home Christmas visits with Father Frost and his granddaughter.

This ministry has spread to many cities in Ukraine. After receiving requests from three or four cities, representatives of those ministries are invited to attend a three-day training seminar conducted by God’s Hidden Treasures. At this seminar they are taught how to do this ministry, take medical histories, conduct personal interviews, measure people for the requested mobility aid and do all the legal paperwork. Over 1,500 mobility aids have been provided to more than 50 cities and villages through this ministry. We are constantly amazed by how many cities call us for help and wonder how so many people hear about us!

The Wheelchair Center

Nita’s dream of opening a Wheelchair Repair Center was fulfilled in November 2001. The Center is run by Valentine Lysenko the technical manager, and Velodia Dumonsky , the overall manager. Both of these men are in wheelchairs provided by GHT. When Nita first found them they were sitting at home all day, feeling like their lives were over. Now they are responsible for running the wheelchair center -- from repairing broken wheelchairs to refurbishing and custom fitting used ones to making seat cushions and bags to maintaining parts.

Their three assistants, Ruslan, Yura and Zhannia (all from the Boy’s House Orphanage for the mentally retarded) aid in all these areas. One of the boys accompanies Nita and Iria, Manager of the Wheelchair Ministry, on their home deliveries where he explains the wheelchair’s operation and makes the final adjustments needed to assure a good fit.

Wheelchair Distribution

In Bila Tserkva, distribution is accomplished one-on-one in homes, but in the outlying cities distribution is done at a centralized location. Once Iria receives between 20 and 40 applications from the outlying cities, a distribution to that city is scheduled, the wheelchairs are transported, and three staff members from GHT travel to them to perform the distribution. This usually takes three to five days, depending on the distance of the city from Bila Tserkva.

Annual Citywide Picnic for the Handicapped

Nita had a dream in 1998 to treat the disabled people of Bila Tserkva to a picnic in beautiful Park Alexandria. It was a big undertaking, especially in a country where disabled people were practically invisible. Most of them stayed indoors and the majority of Ukrainian citizens were unaware of the vastness of the problem. The first picnic about 75 people came – 25 disabled people, their caregivers, and the Ukrainian team and visiting short-term mission team. Nita had expected the picnic to last about two hours, long enough to feed everyone and sing a few songs together. Since there are no facilities for the disabled, it seemed like an impossible dream.

Well the picnic started about one o’clock and at six o’clock that evening Nita had to tell everyone that it was time to go home. No one wanted to leave. For many of them it was the first time they had been out of their home in years. Before that, no one honored them – they were to be hidden from the eyes of everyone.

Since 1998 the picnics have become a highlight of our disabled families and have grown from 75 people to more than 350. People in Bila Tserkva have become used to seeing scores of wheelchairs heading toward the park on this special day. As many as six vans begin at eleven in the morning traveling around the city and picking up the people and their caregivers who are unable to get there by themselves. Volunteers from many local churches help carry people up and down stairs in buildings where there are no elevators.

We collect crafts that many of the people have made and put them on display. A warm and tasty meal is served to each person who attends by Nita’s team of volunteers and her staff.

Music is played and eventually a microphone is passed around so the people themselves can share. Telephone numbers are exchanged and many lasting friendships have been formed during this special day.

Christmas Toy Distribution

Children are the same all over the world – looking forward to special times and anticipating surprise gifts on those occasions. For kids left in orphanages, too often they are sadly disappointed. Since 1997, we have taken gifts to the children in the orphanages we work with as part of our ministry. What a joy it is to see a child’s face light up when he opens a gift just for him! In Ukraine they have “Father Frost and his granddaughter” rather than Santa Claus. One of our staff members dresses up as the granddaughter, a young man from one of the churches dresses up as Father Frost and off we go with a bag of toys.

Christmas Visits to Disabled Families

Over a period of two weeks, Father Frost, his granddaughter, and Luba (our secretary) are on the road, going to the homes of all the new families who have become part of GHT’s ministry group. These are the families who have received a mobility aid during the year (normally over 150 people per year in the Bila Tserkva District). A small gift is also taken to the family during this time. This activity takes a tremendous amount of the staff’s time, but when you see the look on the faces of the people as we go to their homes, it is all worthwhile! The rest of our families (around 500 each year) receive a Christmas greeting card with our love and best wishes.