Hand selected by the head room mother, Phoebe, the children of
Carry the Light came four by four. Eagerly anticipating something good from the
muzungu, they arrived all smiles and curiosity. Seated on the love seat, the
children learned that they would be receiving the gift of love today. But this
gift had a bit of a twist. The younger children would receive the gift of new shoes
and the older children would receive the gift of performing an act of service
in the name of love.
The older girls knew exactly how to love their younger
“siblings” and how to serve them well by washing their feet carefully and
completely. The tiny bar of soap slipped between their fingers as they
meticulously scrubbed from the toes all the way to the knees. The younger
girls, being used to needing help from time to time, thought nothing of this
service and received it with relatively little understanding. But the older
girls knew that they were serving…they knew they were performing an act of love
for their “sisters.”
The older boys, on the other hand, were a bit hesitant.
Wasn’t washing the feet of children the work of women? And yet as they
progressed, somewhat clumsily, they gave themselves over to serving their
younger “brothers” as well as they knew how. Receiving nothing for their
services, the older boys and girls seemed content to have somehow loved their
“siblings” in a special way…they knew.
As the older children washed the feet of the younger (10 in all), we
asked the older children to “walk in the way of love” (Ephesians 5:1) by
washing the feet of the younger. Then we asked the younger children to remember
with every step they take in their Sensible Shoes to “walk in the way of love”
toward others…to be a model of the love of Jesus. We prayed for all the
children individually. We prayed that they would be protected, healthy, and
wise. We prayed that their future mates would be prepared for them even now and
that they would love Jesus first before anything else in their lives. Most of
all we prayed that they would walk in the way of love.
This gift was made possible by a woman who heard a radio
program with guest author Sharon Brown and felt led to actively show her
appreciation by joining together with Surprised by Hope to “walk in the way of
love.” To find out more about how the Sensible Shoes ministry began and how you
can join us, click here.
More importantly, find out more about the author of the book that inspired this
simple ministry by clicking here
(don’t forget to click on the Walk in the Way of Love link).
