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Nick Vujicic helps Salvation Army through speaking about his hardships.
Inspirational speaker, Nick Vujicic, brought a message of hope to over 1,300 people in Indian Wells, Calif., at Southwest Community Church. Tickets were purchased at $10 for children and $20 for adults, and were sold out just days before the event took place.
“I didn’t know what to expect, I saw the trailers and read the story of this remarkable individual,” said Susan McGuire, who attended the event. “As Nick stood on his table, showing his two toes and with an awesome sense of humor, he caused the toes to flash us the peace sign, I wept. How remarkable is his life, through good times and challenging times praising the Lord again and again.”
The Salvation Army of Cathedral City held this benefit to aid their efforts in building a 10,000 sq. ft. gymnasium with three additional classrooms for an after school drop-in center, as well as enhancing their after school tutoring program. The capital campaign project, which began nearly two years ago, is a $3 million endeavor, of which $1.4 million has been raised.
Vujicic, founder of Life Without Limbs, has spoken to millions around the world about hope in Jesus Christ. Growing up was not easy for Vujicic, as he struggled with depression. As a child, he found fitting in difficult as he dealt with bullies and even attempted suicide at the age of 10. After reading a book about a man with disabilities who triumphed over them, and learning to rely on the strength of God, he began living a life without limits. Instead of focusing on what he couldn’t do, he began focusing on what he could do.
“You never know what can come from your broken pieces until you give your broken pieces a chance,” Vujicic said.
Vujicic spoke highly of The Salvation Army and the work that is being done globally. He encouraged attendees to support the mission of the Army in their local community and was looking forward to partnering next year for an outreach event in Coachella Valley with various ministries to bring the gospel message to a great number of youth.
“One of the most touching things to come from this event was that two weeks later, we received a ‘thank you’ card sent to our office,” said Lieutenant Sean Kelsey, corps officer at the Cathedral City Corp. “The card was from a mother of two twin daughters around 11 years of age, who have cerebral palsy. The family was able to meet Nick backstage prior to him speaking. The mother went on to mention that meeting and being encouraged by Nick really impacted one of her daughters, in particular.
“She wrote, ‘That night she made up her mind to trust her legs to walk barefoot all the way from our kitchen to her room; about 50 feet, her record. Since then, its become a part of her regular routine. What a blessing this event has been to so many.”
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