They had written my story, but God had other plans

CALLED: FRANCIS MUGWANYA

When I was 17 years, I experienced a shift in perspective that changed my life. I met a missionary pastor at a nearby orphanage and he took me through scriptures like Jeremiah 1:5 that redefined my identity. I moved from asking God why I was the way I was to asking what he wanted to accomplish through my condition.

I am 58 years old and from Luwero, Uganda. I presently work in Kampala and run a ministry called Father’s Heart Mobility Ministry. I was born into a big family as the second of nine children. At age three, I contracted polio and eventually lost my ability to walk. This was a significant challenge for my poor rural family and we faced stigmatization.

I’m thankful to God for my parents, however, who didn’t believe that the disability should crumble their child or his potential. My dad worked meagre jobs to raise money for a wheelchair but he was defrauded. He then bought a bicycle for my brother to ride so we could both go to school. Many people told my father I was a waste but he and I persisted.

Many people told my father I was a waste.

My parents went to an Anglican church and we were mandated to attend Sunday school. At age 11-and-a-half, my parents signed me up for a confirmation course and our teacher intrigued me. He was poor and lived a basic life, and he said Jesus was the reason. I asked to receive Jesus but I didn’t feel joy. I was still angry and upset about my condition till I met the missionary at age seventeen.

I got my first wheelchair at age 12 when my dad encountered a social worker with an organization catering for children with disabilities. He pleaded my case before her and she gave me my first wheelchair.

After my encounter at age 17, I decided I would spend my life acquiring wheelchairs to serve people who were in my condition. I later took up a job with the New Hope Orphanage in Uganda. While there, I would save money from half a year’s salary to buy a wheelchair for someone who needed it. In 2006, the Gaba Community Church in Kampala where I now worship and serve as an elder invited me to work at their orphanage called Bethany Village. I worked there in 2011 and during this period, the pastor connected me to organizations like Joni and Friends and Free Wheel Chair Mission. Through these partnerships, I was able to give out more wheelchairs. In 2011, I resigned to run the Father’s Heart Mobility Ministry full-time. I had the name since 2002 and the inspiration is to let people like me know that God truly loves them.

I married Adrienne in 2010 and together with our three children, a team of three people, and about 20 volunteers, we now run the ministry. My wife wrote a book in 2019 titled A Wheelchair for Francis and it has been instrumental in getting the word out about our work.

Presently, we have given out close to 23,000 wheelchairs in 115 districts of Uganda and have sent a few to South Sudan, Congo, and Kenya. I have also had the privilege of serving on the National Council for People With Disabilities in Uganda. People thought my life’s story was already written, but God had other plans. https://fathersheartmobility.org.

Pray for:

1. Good health for Francis.
2. Francis, his family, and his team as they travel for outreaches every month.
3. God’s provision; monthly missions now cost about $5,000.
4. Grace to balance his time between his many professional and church roles, his family, and having sufficient rest.