by Nick Vujicic
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
I’d gone to South Africa as a young man full of himself, sure that I could make a difference in this vast land. But it was South Africa that made a difference in me.
When you step outside of yourself and your own concerns to reach out for others, it will change you. You will be humbled. You will be inspired. More than anything and more than ever, you will be overwhelmed with the feeling that you are part of something much bigger than yourself. Not only that, you will also realize that you can make a contribution. Everything you do to make someone else’s life better makes your life more meaningful.
After our first few days in South Africa, I came to understand why John Pingo was so dedicated and driven to help me deliver my message of hope and faith around his country. He had seen more than I’d ever seen. I’d led a very self-centered and selfish existence, I realized; the demanding boy with no arms or legs could not conceive that anyone suffered as much as he.
Since that trip I’ve never felt the same in a grocery store. The abundance of food even in my neighborhood grocery is beyond the imagination of the orphans and slum dwellers I met in South Africa. Even today I reflect on that trip when I’m feeling pampered in an air-conditioned office, or when I’m given a cool drink; such simple comforts are rarities in that part of the world.
Aaron, who is now a high school math and science teacher in Australia, still talks about what a reality check that trip was. We were saddened at some sights, but amazed by so much else. We agree that it was the best trip of our lives. We both came home wondering, What can we do to ease the suffering of others? What is the best way to contribute? How could I ever live the same way, knowing that people are suffering so much?
You don’t have to travel far to find someone in need of help. In fact, our trip to South Africa made us more aware of the needy people in our own community and our own country. You can easily find places to give of your time, your talents, or your money at your local churches, nursing homes, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, homeless shelters, food banks, and soup kitchens. Whatever you can share will make a difference; whether it is money, your time, your resources, or your network of friends and co-workers.
That first trip to South Africa made me so excited about kicking off my mission that I gave away a good portion of my savings, $20,000; while we were there we raised another $20,000 and gave that away too! We spent entire days buying presents for orphans, feeding them, and stocking up on books and blankets and beds. We gave the orphanages television sets and DVD players, donating funds through a half-dozen charitable networks.
Twenty thousand dollars is still a considerable amount of money in my book, but looking back, I wish I’d had more to give. Just being able to affect a few lives in a few places gave me a greater sense of fulfillment than I’d ever known. My mum wasn’t too happy when I returned from South Africa with “nothing” in my savings account, but she saw that my life was enriched beyond measure on that journey.
MIRACLES IN THE MAKING
One of the most emotionally raw and unforgettable scenes from our South Africa trip came when I spoke at a certain church. Hundreds of sick, disabled, and dying people had lined up to seek a healing miracle there. Normally I make a few joking references to my lack of limbs, just to put people at ease. In this church, no one laughed! They were not there for humor. They were there for healing. They wanted miracles.
Every single night they came to this church in neck braces, on crutches, and in wheelchairs with hope for a healing. Two people with AIDS had been dragged on mattresses to the church. Others had walked four and five hours to get there. The back of the church was lined with crutches and wheelchairs that were said to have been left by those who’d been healed. My brother and I talked to a man whose leg and foot were swollen to nearly twice their normal size. He was in agony, but he’d walked to this church to be healed.
Everyone wishes for the power to heal those in pain. I’ve certainly done my share of praying for a miracle to give me arms and legs. But my request has never been granted, and most of the people we met at that South African church did not get their miracles either. But that does not mean miracles cannot occur. My life may well qualify as a miracle someday, given that I’ve been able to reach so many diverse audiences, speaking words of faith and inspiration. The fact that this Australian Christian of Serbian descent with no limbs has received invitations to speak from government leaders in Costa Rica, Colombia, Egypt, and China is no small miracle. I’ve met with Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Church and with the grand imam Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, not to mention with leaders of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. My life is testimony to the fact that there are no limits other than those we impose upon ourselves!
Living without limits means knowing that you always have something to give, something that might ease the burden of others. Even small kindnesses and a few dollars can have a powerful impact. After the terrible earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the American Red Cross quickly set up a program for people to help right away. They made it possible to donate ten dollars by taking a cell phone and texting “HAITI” to the number 90999.
Now, ten dollars doesn’t seem like much, and texting it didn’t take much effort. It was a small act of charity. But if you were one of those who participated, you made a huge difference. The last time I checked, according to the Red Cross, more than three million people made ten-dollar donations to Haiti on their cell phones. As a result, the Red Cross had received more than $32 million to finance its efforts to help the people of Haiti!
DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO BENEFIT OTHERS
Today my Life Without Limbs nonprofit organization helps support more than ten different charities, including the Apostolic Christian Church Foundation, which sends missionaries around the world; it operates orphanages and churches, including Bombay Teen Challenge in India, which I wrote about earlier in the book. We also partner with Joni and Friends to give away refurbished wheelchairs to people in need.
You can take whatever you love to do, and do it for the benefit of others. Do you play tennis? Ride a bike? Love to dance? Turn your favorite activity into philanthropy: a tennis tournament to benefit your local YMCA, a bike ride for the Boys and Girls Club, or a dance marathon to buy clothing for needy kids.
Hilary Lister loves sailing. At thirty-seven, she decided to try to sail solo around the island of Great Britain. She planned the forty-day sailing trip as a benefit for her charity, Hilary’s Dream Trust, which helps disabled and disadvantaged adults learn to sail. She believes sailing can boost the spirits and confidence of people with disabilities.
Hilary’s belief in the healing power of sailing is based on personal experience. She has not had the use of her arms or legs since the age of fifteen because of a progressive neurological disorder. A quadriplegic with a degree from Oxford, she sails her custom-outfitted boat using a “sip and puff” system with three straws to operate the controls. One straw controls the tiller, while the others help her steer. She is the first quadriplegic sailor to solo-sail across the English Channel and around Britain.
ONE PERSON AT A TIME
Two years after our amazing experience in South Africa, I got an invitation to speak in Indonesia. The invitation came by e-mail from a gentleman in Perth whose nickname was Han-Han. He was of Chinese descent and pastor of a group of Indonesian churches in Australia.
Upon receiving his e-mail, I called Han-Han, and we spent hours on the phone discussing his proposal. He said my ministry was well known in Indonesia because of my DVDs and videos on the Internet. He offered to set up a speaking tour that would include appearances before tens of thousands of people each weekend. My parents and I prayed over his proposal, and they agreed that I should go, giving their blessings.
I never grow tired of seeing new parts of the world and meeting diverse people, experiencing their cultures and foods. Han-Han had put together a very demanding speaking schedule for me, and I began to have concerns about the rigorous timetable, es
pecially when I discovered that the caregiver they’d provided for me didn’t speak English. The language barrier became a huge problem when I developed a digestive virus. My caregiver’s inability to understand me and my lack of fingers to gesture and give hand signs led to some very frustrating situations.
My hosts staged a very thoughtful party to celebrate my twenty-third birthday, but my stomach and I were not exactly in the mood for the festivities. I was in so much pain at one point that I prayed for God’s help. As I did so, I envisioned Jesus on the cross, and my pain subsided. I then thanked God and enjoyed the rest of my party. The next day I received medical attention, and my condition improved dramatically before I returned to Australia.
A few years later Han-Han invited me to return to Indonesia for another speaking tour. This time I provided my own caregiver and stuck to bottled water with no ice. A businessman in Indonesia, whom we knew as Pa Chokro, arranged for me to speak to nearly forty thousand people at stadium appearances in five cities. The events were also broadcast on television.
One Sunday morning, after I had done three speaking engagements at a church, we took a break since I had three events that evening. I was hungry and tired but decided to address the hunger first. We found a Chinese restaurant near my last speaking venue. A group of local leaders and sponsors of our tour accompanied us. We walked in, with my caregiver Vaughan carrying me.
The restaurant was not fancy, little more than a concrete floor with wooden tables and chairs. Just as we were seated, a young woman came up to the door and leaned against its frame. She was weeping and speaking in Indonesian directly to me. I felt a wave of compassion for her. I had no idea what she was saying, but I could see that she was gesturing at me and in need of a hug.
The businessmen and community leaders with me seemed to be touched by her words. They explained that this woman, Esther, had grown up in a tin-roofed shanty made of cardboard. She lived with her mother and two siblings at the edge of a garbage dump, where they foraged for food each day and collected bits of plastic to sell to the recycling factory. She had a strong faith in God, but when her father left the family, Esther despaired and considered suicide. She believed that her life wasn’t worth living.
Upset over the departure of her father, she considered taking her life. She prayed, telling God that she could no longer go to church. That same day her pastor showed the congregation one of my DVDs. It was a black-marketed copy, one of 150,000 made illegally and sold in Indonesia.
When I’d first learned from Han-Han that so many of my DVDs had been pirated and sold, I responded, “Don’t worry about it, praise God.” I cared more about people hearing my message than about making profits. Even on the black market, God was at work, as Esther would confirm.
Through an interpreter, Esther told me that my DVD had inspired her to reject despair. She came to find a purpose and to have hope. She felt that “if Nick can trust in God, then I can too.” She prayed for a job and fasted for six months. She’d found the job in that same Chinese restaurant, which brought us together!
After hearing this story, I gave Esther a hug and asked her what her plans were. She had decided that even though she had little money and worked fourteen hours a day, she would prepare herself to be a children’s minister. She hoped to attend a Bible college, even though she wasn’t sure how that could happen given her situation. She was living in the restaurant, sleeping on the floor because she couldn’t afford a place to live.
I nearly fell off my chair at that revelation. I hadn’t felt really comfortable about eating in the place. I couldn’t imagine this poor woman sleeping there. I encouraged her to find a different place to live and to pursue her dream to be a children’s minister.
One of the members of our group was a pastor. After Esther returned to her work, he told me that the local Bible college was very expensive, and it had a twelve-month waiting list just to take the entrance exam, which very few applicants passed.
A steaming plate full of food was placed in front of me, but I’d lost my appetite. I kept thinking of this poor woman sleeping on the floor. As the rest of the group prayed in thanks for the meal, I prayed for Esther. My prayers were answered almost immediately. The pastor seated next to me said that his church could provide Esther with living accommodations if I contributed the security deposit. I asked if Esther could afford to pay her rent, and the pastor assured me that she could handle it. So I agreed. I was very excited to tell Esther, but before she returned to our table, one of the businessmen said that he would make the down payment himself.
I told him I wanted to do my part, but I appreciated his offer.
Just then another of our party spoke up. “I am the president of the Bible College,” he said. “I will allow Esther to take the entrance exam this week, and if she passes, I will see that she gets a scholarship.”
God’s plan unfolded before my eyes. Esther scored 100 percent on the entrance exam. She graduated from the Bible college in November 2008. She is now the youth director for a children’s ministry in one of Indonesia’s largest churches, and she has plans to create an orphanage in her community.
Throughout this book I’ve been telling you about the power of purpose. Esther’s story is a testament to that power. This woman had nothing but a sense of purpose and faith in God. Her purpose and her faith created a powerful magnetic field that attracted me and an entire team of people willing to buy into her dream.
THE POWER OF PURPOSE AND FAITH
I am humbled by Esther, her powerful sense of purpose, her undying hope for a better life, her faith in God, her self-love, her positive attitude, her fearlessness and resilience, her willingness to take risks, and her ability to reach out to others.
Esther’s story amazes and inspires me. I hope you feel the same way. My purpose in writing this book has been to light the flames of faith and hope inside you so that you too can live a life without limits. Your circumstances may be difficult. You may have challenges with your health, your finances, or your relationships. But with a sense of purpose, faith in your future, and determination to never give up, you can overcome any obstacle.
Esther did it. You can too. When I was growing up, my lack of limbs often seemed like an insurmountable burden, but my “disability” has proven to be a blessing in many, many ways because I learned to follow God’s path.
You may face many trials too, but you should know that wherever you feel weakness, God is strong. He took me from disabled to enabled and instilled in me a passion for sharing my stories and my faith to help others cope with their own challenges.
I realized that my purpose was to turn my struggles into lessons that glorify God and inspire others. He blessed me as a blessing to others. Distribute your own blessings with enthusiasm, and know that whatever you do will be multiplied many times. In all things God works for the best for those who love Him. He loves you, and I love you too.
Christians often are told that we are “the hands and feet of Christ” on earth. If I took that literally, I might feel a bit left out. Instead, I take it spiritually. I serve Him by touching as many lives as I can through my testimony and my example. My goal is to reflect the love of Christ for us all. He has given us life so that we might share our gifts with each other. This fills me with joy, and it should fill you with joy too. I hope that the stories and messages in this book have helped and inspired you to find your purpose, to be hopeful, to have faith, to love yourself, to have a positive attitude, and to be fearless, unstoppable, accepting of change, trustworthy, open to opportunities, willing to take risks, and be charitable to others.
Please stay in touch with me and share your stories and thoughts on the book by visiting me online at NickVujicic.com, also known as LifeWithoutLimbs.org and AttitudeIsAltitude.com.
Remember this: God has a truly great purpose for your life! Live it without limits!
With love and faith,
Nick
Acknowledgments
GOD: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.<
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The ones who I strive to make proud, my pillars of strength, Dad and Mum. I love you so much! Thank you for everything! To my brother, my true first best friend and rock, Aaron, and my sister-in-law, Michelle. To my inspiration to never compromise in integrity and to be the best I can be, my dear sister, Michelle.
To my Vujicic grandparents, Vladimir and Nada, now resting in eternal peace, who encouraged me to believe and be disciplined. To my grandma, who I’ll get to know better in heaven, Anica Radojevic. To my ninety-three-year-old grandpa, Dragoljub Radojevic, and his wife, Ana, who taught me to never add to or subtract from the Gospel.
My love and thanks to all of my uncles and aunties, first, second, and third cousins, and other family members. In loving memory of Bosko Zunic, Roy Zunic, Martin Poljak, Joshua Vujicic, Steve Nenadov, and Barney Nenadov.
The board of directors for Life Without Limbs (USA): Batta Vujicic, David Price, Dan’l Markham, Don McMaster, and their wives and families. The board of directors for Life Without Limbs (Hong Kong chapter): Ignatius Ho and George Miksa, and their families. The volunteering international co-ordinators for Life Without Limbs. The Apostolic Christian Church of the Nazarean, and a very special thanks to Joni and Friends Ministry who have always been there for our ministry, and me personally. The team of Attitude is Altitude, and my mentors and coaches who always believed in me.
A big thank-you to my literary agents with great patience and faith in me, Jan Miller and Nena Madonia of Dupree Miller & Associates, and their team. Also to my writer, Wes Smith, who has done an absolutely incredible job at helping me put this together and working around our hectic touring. To the Crown Publishing Group and the entire team, thank you. Special thanks to Michael Palgon, Trace Murphy, and Karin Schulze.