My mind is blown and my heart is happy. I am back in Africa, for the fourth year in a row. How can this be? Every visit my life gains another wild chapter and this post is just the beginnings of this new Malawian chapter.
About a month ago, my teammate Jill and I were at a Tom’s Store in Greece. They had t-shirts for sale with “Walk Barefoot” written on them. Of course, we bought them. It seemed appropriate- we rarely have our shoes on. Our conversation afterwards became one for the books. We started to rip a part what “walking barefoot” means and how it relates to our lives. Our thoughts and ideas started to change how I viewed my life and purpose.
Walking barefoot is more than wearing no shoes. I promise, it’s much more.
The phrase itself has meaning behind it. It paints us a picture. It paints life.
Walking barefoot gives us an image of a raw connection. It’s the idea of breaking free from the binding of our hearts. It draws us into the expression of living with less and offering more.
[Minimal possessions give way for maximum freedom in our lives]
Walking barefoot requires us to be available for others. This means being free to be the hands and feet of Jesus. If you walk without a personal agenda, you are open to create a bond that lasts. You are able to pray for someone who has been overlooked. You are able to form a deep relationship with a stranger. You are able to give the shirt off your back. It’s about being relatable. It’s about loving with no borders and with no time limit.
If the World [“your shoes”] is weighing you down, can you walk freely?
Walking barefoot gives others the impression that you aren’t in a hurry. It’s about making yourself comfortable in the presence of others.
[Why not sit and stay for a while?]
Walking barefoot is about detaching from our norms and walking into unfamiliarity. It’s scary to think about and can be uncomfortable to do. But I am trying to take that risk. I am taking it because I don’t want my life to be conventional; I want it to leave a footprint.
As I write this from Malawi, I feel myself wanting to embrace this walking barefoot lifestyle more. I want to walk down the road less traveled that brings me to new faces to love. I want to sit down with others and hold hands. I’m not surprised by these feelings though; I’m back in Africa. I love it here.
The first time I came to Africa, I can remember feeling its heartbeat. I still feel it every time I step off the plane.
“Take off your sandals, the place where you are standing is holy ground”-Acts 7:33
Hannah- the road isn’t always smooth, but you must endure it for others. Be vulnerable so others can walk alongside you. Continue to give even when you feel empty. You may get bruised or splintered, but I promise- you’ll always arrive with a purpose- [to love].
That’s walking barefoot.
When I arrived in the airport, I was ironically wearing the t-shirt that reads ‘Walk Barefoot’. A Malawian came up to me and laughed. He said, “You can’t walk barefoot here, the ground is too rough”. I just smiled and laughed.
[ If he only knew ]
*I can’t wait to write you all again with stories about the friends I have made in Malawi. Mandalu and Maeyso are two beautiful people who live out this walking barefoot lifestyle. Stay tuned my friends.
