Upbeat speaker lends a hand (figuratively) to ministry

By JOHN FORTMEYER
CNNW publisher
    PORTLAND — To inspire a big audience to touch a needy world in Christ’s name, Portland-based Open Arms International secured the help of an optimstic fellow who has none.
    Arms, that is.
    Nor legs.
    It all worked beautifully, as a breakfast crowd of nearly 1,300 people were wowed April 2 by Nick Vujicic’s upbeat reminder that a loving God makes every life purposeful, no matter the circumstances. The occasion was Open Arms’ annual Good Friday Breakfast at the Oregon Convention Center.
   “I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” said Vujicic, an Australia native now living in California who was born in 1982 with a rare disorder that left him limbless, but otherwise healthy. “He hasn’t forgotten me, and He hasn’t forgotten you.”
    He acknowledged that he didn’t always feel that way. At age 8 he begged God to give him arms and legs. At age 10, despair led him to contemplate suicide.
   “But I decided to stick around, and by the grace of God, I’m still here. And I’m glad.” To the audience, his joy and enthusiasm indicated he was speaking truthfully.
    Vujicic today is director of Life Without Limbs, a non-profit Christian organization. He regularly gives speeches on the subject of disability and hope.
    Hope in Christ is a quality strongly emphasized by Open Arms, an international humanitarian relief organization focused on Kenya, and Vujicic was happy to make that hope the theme of his talk. He said he came to realize that Jesus loves him and had a special purpose behind his condition.
   “God has a plan, a perfect miracle, for each of us — it’s called salvation,” he said.
    He said God makes everyone special and he emphasizes that to young people, telling them, “When the world says that you’re not good enough, I say, ‘Get a second opinion!’ ’’
    He even has extra fun because of his condition. One time while bored on a flight, he got friends to hide him in an overhead storage compartment. Peo-ple’s reactions opening the door were priceless, he said.
   “And if I do anything wrong, they can’t find me — no fingerprints!” he said smiling.
    Plus, beyond today’s blessings of knowing Christ are eternal joys to come in Heaven, he said.
   “I’m going to hold my Savior’s hand,” he said. “I’m going to walk the streets of gold with my first pair of legs.”
    Vujicic said he told Open Arms founder David Gallagher that what the ministry is doing in Africa “will work, because Jesus is the answer.” For more on Vujicic, go to www.lifewithoutlimbs.com. For more on Open Arms International, go to www.openarmsinternational.com.