Sensible Shoes in Sita

A few beautiful ladies from church worked hard to organize our Sensible Shoes program with the local leader in Sita. When I arrived, I found everything set up and ready including hundreds (yes, well over 100) of children waiting. What a blessing these ladies were to Surprised by Hope and me.

Be sure to scroll down and find notes here and there about our time with the children of Sita.

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Sensible Shoes Ramada-Mariani

As if Ramada isn’t far enough off the main road, which is it, Mariani is even farther after turning of the secondary road. So much so that I began to wonder if there were any people in this place at all and how on earth we would find 100 children to serve with Sensible Shoes ministry. Hidden behind tall bushes along the narrow trail were stalks of already-harvested maize waving in answer to my question. We soon found a tree under which sat a dozen people, eventually accumulating to more than 50, gathered at the last minute to hear an encouraging word from the white woman.

Mariani Baptist Church has been active for almost 25 years in an area where people live beyond what we would consider a reasonably walkable distance from any other church or school. This separation from urban life made the people of Mariani-Ramada the perfect recipients for our Sensible Shoes ministry.

How could we possibly say no to shoes and prayer for
an old woman who'd done nothing but serve others
for her entire life (and had no shoes).

In this place, both young and old received the gift of foot washing, prayer, and a new pair of sensible shoes. The true blessing came when the first young man whose feet I washed and over whom I’d prayed took a basin, filled it with water, and began washing the feet of younger children. And when I looked up, the oldest man in the group sat next to the pastor who were both washing the feet of the children and praying fervently over them. To understand the beauty of this act, it’s important to understand that in African culture women serve men and older men or men of high “status” (such as pastors) are particularly catered to. So to find these older men alongside the youth washing the feet of children with me simply filled my heart with gratitude.

Baraka, which means blessed, immediately began
serving other children and stayed throughout.

Pastor Raymond invited me to visit this church, which is not his,
and quietly began serving the children.

Mzee also began serving with any pomp. I could hear
him praying in whispers over these children.

Pr Isaac (right) served by matching shoes with children
while Onesimus (left) translated for me as well as aided
in shoe matching.

Gathered together after foot washing, shoe fitting, and individual prayers, we prayed corporately over the distant future of these children. We prayed they would be spiritual leaders in their families and churches, that they would be leaders in business practicing Christ-like character, we prayed that they would consumer government positions and make decisions aligning with Scripture, we prayed that they would one day become presidents of nations. We continue to sow these prayers into coastal Kenya believing that God is faithful and will answer our prayers in the days to come.

Your gifts make this Sensible Shoes ministry possible and your prayers make our vision for these children possible. Thank you from the depths of my soul.

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Sensible Shoes Mkondoni

Our Sensible Shoes program for today was nothing short of a divine appointment. Another program was delayed and I was determined to get some time with the little ones whose feet needed some sensible shoes. Who but Pastor Emmanuel is online at 6:00 in the morning. And, he already had an appointment to pray for Standard 8 leavers at Mkondoni Primary as they prepare for upcoming exams. Head Teacher Christine urged him to bring me and arranged for the lovely teachers to serve the children together. With this mass of children, I don't think we've ever been so well organized.

With only 100 pair of shoes, we agreed the first served would be those without shoes. Classes kindergarten through primary 3 were loved on today, because of you. Though we couldn't serve everyone, the teachers and children were grateful. While the exciting part of our ministry time for the children is receiving the shoes, our favorite part is praying over them.

We provide sensible shoes because it opens doors to talk about what it means to walk in love (Ephesians 5:1-2) in a very practical way. Every place you set your foot, remember to walk in love. But for Surprised by Hope, our vision is much bigger. Our vision goes beyond 20, 30, and 40 years. We pray freedom from poverty of body, mind, and spirit. We pray the future of these children into reality. We pray they would be trained up in the Lord, that they would become mentors to others who need the Lord. We pray they would have healthy families who do what is right, that they would become leaders in the churches guiding many toward Christ-likeness. We pray that they would have good jobs and influence many people, and we pray that one among the would become president and lead the whole country in the ways of the Lord.

Please take a moment and pray the same prayers for these children who are growing up under some very difficult circumstances. God bless you for making this ministry a wonderful, fruit-filled reality!

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Sensible Shoes Gede

A gaggle of children were waiting at Festive Praise Church in Gede when we arrived, well more than the 100 who would fit the shoes we brought in our giant sack. Five lovely ladies from Sanctuary of Praise Watamu joined Pastor Christine and several church mamas to love and serve the children with me.

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Sensible Shoes: Kilifi

The Inner Healing ministry team served the children of this little primary school near Kilifi Town with 100 pair of Sensible Shoes. The children were so lovely in their welcome and their songs. As it happened, they were almost exactly 100 in number and almost all the shoes we had were the right size for these precious ones.

As is our custom, we taught the children a simple less on about walking in the way of love from Ephesians 5:1-2. When asked what it meant to love someone, they were very insightful: be kind, respect, obey, help, give, and more. What humbling examples of love, these children were.

We washed every foot and all their toes as we prayed for them to also walk in love. Once these excited little ones were finished, we prayed over their future lives. We prayed a growing intimacy with the Lord, that they would have healthy encouraging spouses, that they would have positions of leadership in the church where people sought them out for guidance, that they would have successful businesses, that they would have positions of leadership in the government, that one among them would become president someday, and that they would never lose their way.

Please continue to pray over these children and all the children who participated in Sensible Shoes ministry these many years. God bless you.

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Sensible Shoes: Kanani

Pastor Karisa organized a wonderful meeting with the Kanani Elder who in turn organized 100 children, which turned out to be about 250. I love how Pastor Karisa always sees an opportunity for evangelism beyond his own church area as many of these children do not attend church. Two little girlies who do attend church led singing along with Pastor who taught a few new songs with funny sounds. I offered a message about walking in love (Ephesians 5:1-2) and reminded the children how much they are loved and how they ought to love others. Because of flooding at the pump stations, the area has been without water for some time which means we were unable to wash these beautiful feet but our prayers will be unending.

When asked, Pastor commented that many of the people in this coastal area feel that praying for the future of their children is hopeless. They struggle to see anything good coming from this area. So our prayers for the 40-year future of these children to have the strength of the Holy Spirit in their lives, to have healthy marriages, to have successful businesses, to have positions in government, and that an ethical, honorable, and compassionate president would come from here were not in vein.

Thank you so the many people who made this ministry possible. I am so blessed to be your hands and feet here on the coast. You are making a difference, a BIG difference.

Here with the local leader at his home where more than 200 children gathered.

This little punkin boy came right to me and wrapped
himself around me. Such a beautiful smile, but
he knew it was customary not to smile in photos.

You might see shoes on these feet, but you cannot see the condition they're in.

Children EVERYwhere!

100 Pair of Sensible Shoes

Here are the singing girl leaders.

This mama carefully approached me and said, "thank you!"

The program was wonderfully organized and God was with us.

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Sensible Shoes: Kagombani

Kagombani PEFA Church

We were blessed to offer Sensible Shoes ministry on January 6, 2018 (though I forgot to post to the blog) at Kagombani PEFA Church just outside Malindi. Pastor David arranged so many lovely children and some well organized mothers to help and we were all blessed.

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Sensible Shoes: Walk in Love

Our Sensible Shoes ministry has been and always will be about washing the feet of East African children and fitting them with a pair of Sensible Shoes as we teach them to walk in the way of love (Ephesians 5:1–2). Over the past few years, we’ve been investing more heavily in the children of coastal Kenya not only to meet their immediate physical and spiritual needs, but also to lay a claim on these children as future spiritual, family, political, and business leaders in this majority Muslim region.

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Sensible Shoes and Door-to-Door Evangelism

Words cannot express the blessing the Love & Respect team encountered when using Sensible Shoes and Ephesians 5:1-2 as a means to enter into door-to-door evangelism. I think I speak for us all when I say the focused gift and Scripture gave us all a greater degree of comfort and confidence when inviting people to give their lives to Jesus. As a team, we reported almost 40 people who gave their lives to Christ and in the Ganda area, we learned that all those who were prayed for came to the marriage conference every day and continue to attend church on Sunday. Praise the Lord!

I invite, no implore, the team to write their own blog posts from their experiences because the stories were amazing. But what I can do is share my experience with you.

Mary and I went to Pr Peter’s church and school in a village just outside Watamu. Being a school, there was no shortage of shoeless children. The group was divided into two with Mary leading worship and sharing the message of walking in the way of love (Ephesian 5:1-2) in one area and me in another. Following the worship and message, teachers selected children in need and we were blessed with water and soap by which to wash their feet as we prayed and prophesied over them.

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Sensible Shoes in Kiwanza

Thirty-two pair of Sensible Shoes were given at Redeemed Gospel Church in Kiwanza, Kenya. The shoes are so secondary to the encouragement to "Be imitaters of God as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love" (Ephesians 5:1). We use this verse as a foundation from which to pray into the future of these children, the community, and the body of Christ.

Every Sensible Shoes ministry experience is so different. The number of children, access to water, empowering pastors, space, and the Holy Spirit shape what this time together looks like. But I guarantee that EVERY ministry experience is so moving it leaves us all wanting more.

These beautiful feet wait patiently for their gift and prayers.

Pr Ephantus preached a great word to encourage the children to remain
in Christ as they grow.

Pr Johnson's wife is a gifted woman of prayer.

Pr Johnson made some powerful prayers over the children in his church.

After each child received his or her shoes, we gathered in a circle for the
Ephesians 5:1-2 "Walk in the way of love" message. So thankful to also have the
opportunity to pray over these children.

Some of the bigger children did not receive shoes for themselves,
it's almost impossible to guess the correct sizes for 32 pairs of feet.
They humbly requested (and received) a pair for their younger siblings at home.

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