The phone kept on ringing. As a practice I don’t answer when I don’t recognize the number…if I did, I’d be married a hundred times over…or at least invited to be. This day, though, after a very persistent effort on the part of the caller, I took a chance and picked up the phone. Grace’s sweet voice greeted me (meet Grace) and asked for a bit of help. Grace needed a new pair of shoes and some pocket money for school. Shoes…
I realize that the need for shoes is really nothing new, but I choose to see the request as a reminder of the beautiful life that walks in those shoes and all the lives I’ve come to appreciate along the way. These few blog posts tell a bit of the story.
A trip to Owino Market is not for the faint of heart but this was the best place to find shoes…if I can find them. Just a few days earlier I essentially got lost in the bowels of that place with people grabbing at me from all sides. Even so, I felt privileged to have the opportunity to select and deliver the shoes to meet Grace’s need.
Grace assigned the 1:00 hour as the time I should arrive with the shoes and I was pretty close. Rain disturbed my travel plans a bit. Once I arrived at Uganda Martyrs High School the search for Grace began. Do you ever do that? Search for Grace? Next time we’ll plan a meeting place at this big school. She easily found me, though, and she hugged me like a long lost friend. On her way into exams, she had just a few minutes while she patiently waited for me to snap a photo before running off again. She promised a longer visit once school let out in August.
See you soon, Grace!