Story of the Week - Faith in Motion

What began as a young girl's awareness of disability and caring community became a lifelong calling to serve others.

Long before Diane Ridderhoff ever loaded a wheelchair onto a truck or traveled across the globe with Wheels for the World, God was shaping her heart.

Diane grew up in a Christian home where she learned early on about who God is and his rescuing love. She lived in a small town in Minnesota and attended an even smaller Christian school. So when local two teenage boys sustained spinal cord injuries within months of each other, the entire community was rocked. Though she was only in elementary school, Diane was a keen observer of the way her community rallied around the boys.

"It was probably my first awareness of disability," Diane said. "I saw how much our community came together to support them."

Soon after, Diane read the autobiography of Joni Eareckson Tada, a young woman who trusted God after a diving accident left her paralyzed. The book made a lasting impression on Diane.

At the time, she had no idea that God was planting seeds that would shape the course of her life.

NEW DIRECTION

Years later, Diane headed to college with plans to study business. "I started college thinking I was going to be an accountant and graduated as a recreation therapist working with people with disabilities," Diane said with a laugh. "It's proof that sometimes God's plans are way different than ours."

What began as an interest slowly became a calling. Over the next several decades, Diane worked with individuals across the spectrum of disabilities, serving those facing physical, neurological, emotional and developmental challenges.

Many years after she first read Joni’s autobiography, while working as a therapist in Phoenix, Diane attended an event where Joni was speaking. Joni prayed with several of Diane's patients. "God just kept putting Joni's name in front of me," Diane recalled.

OPEN DOORS

In 2005, after Diane and her husband, Dan, moved to Colorado Springs, they started attending Woodmen. On one weekend in 2007 Diane noticed a bulletin announcement about a Wheels for the World outreach trip to Brazil.

A ministry of Joni and Friends, Wheels for the World collects, restores and distributes wheelchairs to individuals around the world with disabilities. For many economically vulnerable people around the globe, a wheelchair can be life-changing, opening doors to employment and inclusion in community life.

As soon as she read the announcement, Diane knew she was supposed to step out of her comfort zone and go.

Diane joined a team of therapists and mechanics traveling to Brazil, fitting wheelchairs for people in need and sharing the love of Christ with each person they met. The gift of mobility was transformative, but it wasn't the only gift being offered.

"They're receiving a life-changing gift," Diane said. "But at the same time, they're receiving a Bible in their language and hearing the Gospel story."

ALL PEOPLE

That first trip sparked a lasting involvement with the ministry. Diane has gone on three trips to deliver wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Today, she serves as a volunteer wheelchair coordinator for Colorado, helping collect wheelchairs, walkers and mobility equipment to be refurbished and distributed around the world.

One of her favorite parts of the process happens before the wheelchairs ever leave the United States. After collection, many are sent to correctional facilities where inmates help restore them before they're shipped overseas. It’s a great opportunity for inmates to participate in meaningful work while serving others. "There's ministry happening at every step," Diane said.

The work has never been primarily about wheelchairs for Diane. It's about people. More specifically, it's about remembering who people are.

"I believe all people are created in God's image," Diane said. "Every person, regardless of their ability."

NORTH STAR

That conviction has guided Diane throughout her career, her ministry and every facet of her life.

Diane and Dan have attended Woodmen since 2005 and now worship at the Downtown Campus. Together, they've led a Community Group for the past nine years. Diane also serves at Connect Central and helps provide meals for others through Woodmen's meal ministry.

Whether she's welcoming folks on a Sunday morning, delivering meals or helping send a wheelchair across the world, the motivation remains the same.

"When we demonstrate unconditional love and treat people with dignity, respect, kindness and grace, we're reflecting the heart of God," Diane said.

NOTHING WASTED

Now in her early sixties, Diane enjoys looking back and seeing how God wove together childhood experiences, career and ministry into a calling she never could have planned. What began as a young girl's awareness of disability and caring community became a lifelong calling to serve others.

"God doesn't leave anything on the editing room floor," Diane said. "Everything in your life has a purpose."

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