Man with no arms, no legs brings a message of hope to Manila

Let’s say you were born with a missing hand. What would you miss out on? Everyday things such as eating with a spoon and fork, writing, holding an umbrella on a rainy day, or combing your hair.

 

Now what would it be like to be born without hands, without arms, without feet, and without legs? What would you miss out on?

 

Hardly anything, if you ask a guy like Nick Vujicic (pronounced Vooyeecheech).

 

Born without limbs due to a rare congenital condition called tetra-amelia syndrome, the Australian Nick may not look like everyone else, but he can surely have fun like everyone else. The guy can swim, dive from a diving board, play golf, kick a soccer ball, and go places.

 

“I love traveling around the world,” Nick, now a motivational speaker, told a full house at CCF Center in Pasig City on Saturday. He’s been to 46 countries and met eight presidents, sharing a message of hope. This year he stopped in the Philippines on an Asia tour.
 

Having arrived in Manila last Friday, Nick has already discovered some good things about the country. “I love your mangoes.”

 

And he said, “I’ve never met an angry Filipino. You’re all so lovely, patient, and kind.”

 

He wants to go back sometime and check out Boracay which everyone has been telling him about. After all, hey, the guy can swim and surf too—using a surfboard, of course! If that seems unthinkable, check out this video:


 

 

Indeed there seems to be nothing that can stop Nick, now 30, from living a normal life. He even got married last year and is now a dad to a three-month-old baby boy.

 

“From life without limbs to life without limits,” Nick told the Manila crowd at the event dubbed “Unstoppable Faith," part of his Unstoppable Tour Live in Manila produced by Becca Music.

 

From bullied to victorious

 

But what was it like, really, for Nick?

 

According to an article in the Daily Mail, when he was born, his dad ran out and vomited, and his mother didn’t hold him until he was four months old.

 

Growing up, he had a hard time in school, he told the crowd last Saturday. “I was a kid who was bullied, who had less than what everyone else has.”

He was a pastor’s son, and he said although he could sing “Jesus Loves The Little Children,” he couldn’t understand it all: “If God loves me like all the little children in the world, why do I have less?”

 

“There was no medical reason why I was born without arms and legs. My question to God is, ‘Why me?’” he said.

 

It got to a point that when he was eight, he entertained thoughts of ending his life. “I had thoughts like, ‘Nick, you’re not going to get a job, you’re not going to have a family, you’re alone, you’ll always be alone. It’s better if you’re not here. Just give up.’”

 

And at age 10, he tried to heed those thoughts by drowning himself in their bathtub at home.

 

“The third time I tried it, I was stopped by one thought: seeing my mom, my dad, and my brother crying over my grave. They showed that love, that love caused me to love, and caused me to stay,” he said.

 

Nick then believed and hung on to God’s Word in Jeremiah 29:11: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

 

“But what happens when you can’t see the future? People may think, if I can get a job, I’ll be happy, or if I can get married, I’ll be happy… Where is our hope? Where is our focus?” he said.

 

Nick said people have to have FAITH—full assurance in the heart. “We have a world who is in pain, who is looking for hope… Don’t hang up the phone on God. He’s listening. He may not answer the way you want Him to but He loves you. God knows best. He always has a good plan,” he said.

 

And to the perennial question of why is there so much pain in the world, Nick gives this advice: “If you offer it up to God, He can turn even the worst part in your life into something beautiful.”

 

Case in point: Nick himself.

 

Ups and downs

 

While detractors may dismiss Nick as just another motivational speaker, Nick doesn’t hide his own struggles, unlike others.

 

Nick admitted that two years ago, he fell into depression.

 

“When I went through depression, I could not do any motivational speaking engagement. When you’re depressed, you cannot talk motivationally,” he said.

 

“As Christians, no one is immune to depression,” Nick added.

 

But what saw him through was again God’s Word. “’Fear not’ is in the Bible 365 times… There is power when you know Jesus Christ. Whatever vision you have, lay it down before Jesus,” he said.

 

Nick admitted he has his ups and downs, but said, “if God can use a man with no hands and feet as his arms and legs, He will use you. He will be with you ‘til the end.”

 

His challenge to Filipinos goes: “What do you do with your anxiety, when fear overcomes you?”  

 

To this, he just gave two words as advice: “Have faith.” It’s what he found out works.  — ELR, GMA News

Nick Vujicic will speak at Christ’s Commission Fellowship at C-5 corner Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City on May 19 at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and at Smart-Araneta Coliseum on May 20 at 7:30 p.m. He will also be at a free meet-and-greet event at SM Mall of Asia’s Music Hall on May 20 at 11 a.m. Nick’s official Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/NickVujicicFans.