Children crushed in with the hope of receiving a pair of
shoes to separate their feet from the perils of jiggers and other horrible
things hiding in the bare ground. My joy, though, is found less in the shoes and
more in the tender washing of those tiny feet and the prayers and prophecy over
them. Yes, I cringe when I scrape thick layers of earth from between those toes,
which have obviously not been washed in any recent weeks. I wince when I find
open sores hidden by loose flesh also caked in dirt. But Jesus loves these
children and accepts them dirty feet or not.
A simple thought passed through my mind, ever so quickly.
Can’t we at least have some clean water for each child? The answer, I already
knew was “no.” Their only access to water was several kilometers away,
downhill. To ask my host or anyone else, for that matter, to traipse up and
down that hill for hours so that I could wash the feet they failed to wash
themselves would be ridiculous. And so the basin gradually provided something more
like a mud bath.
As I prayed for these children, I found myself praying that
the girls would have the boldness to break out of the stereotypes so heavily
ingrained in them and for their freedom to live and love as the Lord does. I found
myself praying that the boys would recognize the way Jesus loves his church and
that they would grow to be men who loved their wives in the same way. On and on
the prayers for these children went until finally I asked the adults
surrounding me as I prayed and washed these feet whether they too prayed for
their children. We had the perfect opportunity to be an example to these
parents of how to love and pray for our children.
I was so humbled and thanked the Lord for this specific appointment.
I asked his blessing for Barb because she made this ministry opportunity
possible. Tender, sweet, and life-changing. I admit that I had hoped, though
rather foolishly, that I’d be able to make some kind of exchange – old shoes
for new shoes – so that I could create a simple gift for Sharon, the
inspiration for this small ministry endeavor. But I quickly new there would be
no shoes to exchange. And so, we shared 10 pair, but there are so many more in
need.
The story of Surprised by Hope and Sensible Shoes goes back
a bit and is filled with some very meaningful moments. Feel free to read all
about it on my blog
and then go to the Sensible Shoes website
to find out how you can buy a copy of the book that inspires so many.
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| The man who was kind enough to help me with photos had never used a camera before and so didn't understand the importance of getting the shoes in the photo. Each of these children received a pair of sensible shoes. |
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| These and so many other children in this area are in need of sensible shoes. The one boy in the front who has two pair of shoes was so proud that he owned these shoes he wanted to be in the picture too. He is one of three children I saw who had a pair of shoes in this whole community. Even several of the pastors who attended the workshop in the next blog post didn't have their own shoes. |