A young Seventh-day Adventist in Brazil isn’t letting disabilities and speech impediments stop her from sharing Christ’s love with others. And, she’s not the only physically challenged Adventist to do so. 

Thais Alencar suffers from cerebral palsy due to premature birth. She became a quadriplegic, dependent upon a wheelchair. Even with motor difficulties, she became a translator, interpreter, and journalist, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Scientific and Cultural Dissemination from Brazil’s State University of Campinas.

The call to dedicate her life to preaching the gospel came at the age of 10, while her father studied theology at the Adventist University Center of São Paulo (Unasp). At 28, she preaches often and has a clear vision of how having a disability can open doors for more people to understand God's love.

“It gives me an opportunity to talk about other issues, the hope of Jesus' return and the gospel in a [distinct manner]. I would not say that the fact of having a disability draws people's attention, but it is undoubtedly a way that God gave me to witness when talking about His power, ” Thais explained.

Inclusion in practice

Adventist Possibility Ministries, an outreach of the world church that has a South American Division branch, is working to encourage those with disabilities to live an evangelistic lifestyle. An initial step is to create a register that can map and locate the disabled, offering services and content to facilitate evangelistic work.

"The focus is to include these people, support them and support them so that they can bring others with the same disabilities to these groups,” said Pastor Alacy Barbosa, who coordinates this outreach for eight South American countries.

Adaptation to new needs

At the same time, those who have no disabilities can be used to enhance the work of evangelists such as Thais. She said the simple act of praying and supporting the ministry of people like her can be a positive factor. In the context of physical structures, such as churches, it’s important to have ramps, special floors, and sensory resources to facilitate access.

“The local church must act in the training of human resources. Leaders, Sabbath School teachers, elders, church preachers, and members, must understand the importance of giving dignified treatment to the group of people with disabilities,” said Julio Cesar Ribeiro, pastor and associate leader for Adventist Possibility Ministries in the central region of São Paulo.

Ribeiro was born with a congenital malformation in his upper arms. He said it is important to change “that preconceived idea that people with disabilities are needier, that they are poor. It is important to understand that the gospel is power and grace, and it is available to everyone.”

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site