Disabled​—Yet Eager to Serve

WHEN you first meet Leonardo, you might not view him as a construction worker. He does not have the use of either of his hands, having lost them earlier in a work-related accident. Despite his disability, however, Leonardo was working hard at a construction site in Acajutla, El Salvador, as you can see in the picture.

In order to participate in that construction project, Leonardo designed his own tools. He slips his right forearm into a metal loop attached to one end of a shovel and skillfully scoops dirt into a wheelbarrow. In place of grips, he attached rings to the handles so that he can push the wheelbarrow himself. What moved him to participate in this project?

Leonardo wanted to share in the construction of a Kingdom Hall, or place of worship for the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He had plenty of reasons to excuse himself from the construction work. He was employed full-time, he was disabled, and he was already serving in his congregation as a ministerial servant. Yet, he wanted to do what he could to serve God at the construction site as well.

Do you have the same spirit in serving God? Rather than using his disability as an excuse, Leonardo used his mental faculties to design his own tools so that he could do the work that would otherwise have been impossible for him. He was serving God ‘with his whole mind.’ (Matthew 22:37) Disabled or not, the workers who participate in the construction of Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout the world have a volunteer spirit. Their meetings are open to the public, and you are welcome to attend.