This story comes from me, Don Schoendorfer:

We sat in the back of a van, barreling down a country road in the middle of India.  We were 4 hours late for a wheelchair distribution ceremony, and we knew 100's were waiting to meet us.

"Quick, stop the car!" shouted CV, our partner in India.  We swerved to the edge of the road.  "Come, I must show you something."

Back about 100 yards was what looked like a large hill made of straw, but with a door.  "It's a church," said CV, "a church built with wheelchairs." 

It was getting dark, so the photo below is not one of my best.

CV went on to explain the process.   He sends his volunteers out to the villages with 100 wheelchairs to give away.  They connect with the elder (similar to a mayor) and the volunteer asks for the elder's assistance in identifying those in need.  The process takes 3-4 months.  Often a family opens their house for meetings, and through these meetings the villagers hear what drives the wheelchair distribution, and that we believe the wheelchairs are gifts from God to the poorest of the poor. 

"The wheelchair is the connecting point," said CV.  "These are Hindu villages and they do not appreciate outsiders coming with words alone.  They cannot imagine ever getting wheelchairs. When they see we want to help their people, that our motives come from love, they gradually see that they can trust us.  Doors open, and we see other ways we can help them, with medicine, food and education.  Without the wheelchair, there is no way to get to them."

The Church you see in the photo sits on land owned by the village.  There was no church in the village before CV brought them wheelchairs.  On Sundays 35 people come to worship there.  The church has its own pastor. He lives in the village now.   He is disabled.  Earlier that afternoon we gave him a wheelchair.  

CV says that our wheelchairs have built over 40 churches in India.

Building churches with wheelchairs.  We continue to be in awe of the way God uses us.