Remember those Toms? Give some Shoes.
July 1, 2010
While you’re waiting for my stories from Africa, I’d like to share with you a need that is real and current among the people in Africa. Shoes.
In Africa, it seemed that EVERYONE walked around barefoot, especially children.
Now, when I was a kid I remember running around the neighborhood either barefoot or with flip-flops. I was called little Mogli, from The Jungle Book, because I was so adept to running around outside barefoot. However, I had a choice to do that, and the landscape was trimmed and mowed. The children I encountered did not have that luxury.
One morning at a village I was holding hands with a young child and we were walking through the brush. We walked through burrs and dead grass and gravel. I, in my tennis shoes, was trying to steer clear of unruly areas of grass. I don’t know why I didn’t pick up that child. But, I was amazed that this was daily life for her – walking barefoot.
A woman led me to her home. She wanted to invite me in and give me a gift. Actually, I was told she wanted to be my best friend. It was beautiful. She led me barefoot. With care, her shoes were hanging on the wall. I think those were her Sunday best or perhaps for when she went out in public to the market. I dunno. But, she was barefoot.
You know those Toms shoes? They do a good thing. Buy a pair. Buy them as gifts. It is good to know that Toms has a desire to address this issue of shoes that developing countries are without, and they give you an opportunity to participate – to be connected. Diseases, injuries and educational needs are addressed with shoes. When you buy one pair, Toms donates a pair of shoes to a child in need.
I just counted. I have 22 pairs of shoes. That’s almost a whole months worth. Perhaps I need to donate a few of them, since I don’t wear some of them anymore. Do you have any shoes to donate too? Dan, a teammate of mine while in Africa, is interested in wrapping precious feet in shoes. Stay tuned, because I can’t wait to share with you how you can be involved. Start piling up your shoes…
Lastly, I want to end this post by sharing a video that had me crying with joy. It’s a must see. A team of individuals traveled to Liberia, Africa while my team was in Malawi. They rode motorbikes, called themselves the Ping Ping team, and delivered pairs of shoes to people in villages around Liberia. It was called the Love Liberia Project, and IT WAS AWESOME!! The shoes were donated by individuals at my church and had been crated and shipped months earlier. Get a glimpse of their experience as documented by artist, Scott Erickson. Smile, and Be inspired.
