September 10, 2025

Hi all! We've seen some exciting things happen since our last update.

First of all, Ekisa has officially moved to their new campus!! We had mentioned in a previous update that Ekisa had been renting a small home that has quickly been outgrown, but was finally able to buy their own land and build a new campus that is intentionally built for children with disabilities. After a few years of building, the campus is ready and the official move date was on August 1st! The children were so excited to finally move into these new homes- homes that were designed with them in mind to meet all their accessibility needs, homes that are warm and welcoming where they can be loved and cared for, homes that they can settle into and know that it is their space created just for them! There were many smiles that day, lots of happy squeals, and of course tons of dancing from both the children and the caretakers! As I (Lizzy) approached the home on move in day to see how everyone liked it, I was met with the words of their singing before I even reached inside- they were singing the words “I have a very big God” over and over, and it was amazing to see them giving the glory for this new space all back to the One who so kindly gave it to them! We are excited to see the many ways the Lord will work in this new space for His Kingdom. 

And second (this is Taylor now), the last week of August was one of the best weeks we've had at Ekisa. Ekisa was able to use this new space to host a week-long event called "Wheels for the World," led by a team from a ministry called Joni & Friends.

Joni & Friends is a ministry founded by Joni Eareckson Tada. For those who may not be familiar with Joni, she's a believer who was paralyzed in a diving accident at age 16, and has now spent nearly 60 years suffering from quadriplegia. I struggle to put her story into words - the depths of the suffering she's endured (which none of us would envy), the inner-beauty that God has formed in her (which all of us would envy), her relationship with the Lord, and the countless number of people she has blessed. If you have a few minutes, this video is worth watching:

YouTube: Joni Eareckson Tada Shares Her Story

"Wheels for the World" is an event where her ministry distributes wheelchairs to people who don't have access to quality ones (and the wheelchairs that Joni & Friends provides are of a very high quality). A few months ago, they basically sent a shipping container to Ekisa full of more than 200 wheelchairs for us to give away. After we identified children and adults for each one, they sent a team of about 10 specialists to spend the week custom-fitting the chairs to each individual.

So beginning Monday of that week, with the team here and still jet-lagged, we sent busses out into the community to begin picking the families up to bring them to Ekisa to receive their new chairs. And we had a lot of happy campers!

The children who live at Ekisa were also happy to receive their upgrades :)

Throughout the course of the whole week, there was so much life on campus. Not just because families were receiving new wheelchairs - that was just a piece of it.

There was an atmosphere that rested above it all - love. The love of Jesus.

From the moment the families got off the bus until the moment they left, I think many experienced something they had never experienced before.

Like one man who, after receiving his wheelchair, had someone get down on their knees and wash his feet. This man (who hasn't had a wheelchair before) had spent a lot of time in the dirt, both at home and in moving from place to place. His legs and feet were very dirty. The morning after receiving his wheelchair, he called us - not to thank us for the wheelchair - but to say that no one had ever touched his feet before and that he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Many feet were washed that week. Not as a gimmick, but because it was truly a need. And as they listened to John 13 told to them - the story of Jesus washing His disciples' feet - many got a glimpse for the first time into the heart and the glory of who Jesus is.

The picture above is a photo of the team we put together to share the Gospel with each family who came. Looking back on the week, not only was it exciting to see how many people gave their lives to Christ, it was also exciting to see the growth that happened in each member of this team. They grew so much in their own understanding of the Gospel, their ability to communicate it, and their desire to see others come to know Christ more and more.

For some of those who came that week, we might not cross paths with them again. But many of them will continue being served by Ekisa in one way or another. Please pray for us as we continue to walk alongside them.

We love you!

The Barnes crew