Logo

“When people look at me, they might think, ‘Well she doesn’t see straight because her eyes are crooked and she doesn’t walk straight because her legs are crooked. She’s not normal.’ I like to tell people that I am an ordinary person that has limitations with an extraordinary God who has none. My life is a gift that is wrapped in layers of challenge and tied with a ribbon of hardship.”

She was born a twin, the oldest of 6 children. Her twin sister is ‘normal’. She is ‘not’. Born with a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Quadriplegia, Melissa Melvin didn’t learn to stand up and walk until the age of 3. Some might say that she has been standing up and standing out ever since.

This summer, she is once going to Romania for the 4th time, to minister to orphans and the poor, in spite of the fact that:
….she has had muscle cramps and spasms in her legs that are so unbearable that a pain pump had to be surgically implanted in her spine.
….she has experienced spinal headaches because of the catheter in her spine.
….because of the spinal headaches, she has been on bed rest for the better part of 5 months.
….she has experienced depression as a result of the long periods in bed, wondering if her life really has any meaning.
….she has recently learned that once she gets back, she may need surgery to correct a problem that could ultimately place her in a wheelchair.

Some might think that the thought of going anywhere with these problems seems like a reckless proposition. Why take a chance and traipse off to some faraway place where something bad could happen? This is what she says:

“As kids, we are always asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I have dreams like anyone else. I have wanted to go to the mission field for as long as I can remember. When we are dreaming of our future, however, we never leave room in our plans for adversity and setbacks, yet that is what God uses to help us become who we need to be. God has a plan and, even though I can’t see it, I have to trust that he has a plan for me.”

So she stands up because she believes without hesitation that God has called her to minister to the down and out in Romania. She stands out because she does not let her disability get in the way of following His plan.

She stood up and stood out when mission organizations refused her application. When they found out that she was disabled, they ‘challenged’ her to consider doing something else. For over two years, she relentlessly pursued one mission organization after another until one saw her abilities as an asset and encouraged her to be a part of the team. This summer, she will once again partner with International Messengers.

She stood up and stood out when she had to prove her value to the other members of the team. Many had never worked with someone with physical challenges before and they brought with them their own set of misconceptions. Not only did she have to navigate the physical difficulties that presented themselves in a country filled with cobblestone streets and multi-story buildings without elevators, but she had to show her team that she could carry her own weight.

She stood up and stood out when she had to overcome the prejudices of a country. To this day, in Romania, if a child is born with a disability, the parents are encouraged to ‘put them away’ into one of the many institutions that dot the countryside. In today’s Romanian society, disabled people are still not seen or heard.

It was her standing up that caused her to stand out and be used by the Lord in wonderful ways. In a recent letter, she writes:

The next time you think the Lord is asking you to stand up and stand out for the cause of Christ, remember Melissa Melvin before you decide that it can’t be done.

But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands. (Isaiah 32:8)