2.14.11 Day 155
**THIS IS FROM ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO**
Hello everyone!!
I pray you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and that it was full of love and excitement. Things in Rwanda are going great! I wanted to share a story with you from a few days ago.
It was a typical ministry day here and Jenny, Amy, myself and one of our translators was headed out to minister and share the Gospel house to house. The first place we stopped at was an area with several duplex-type houses. Outside there sat about 5 men and a couple of women. The men were sitting around and some were cleaning their shoes and others were making preparations for lunch. One of the women was bathing her infant daughter, who was adorable! We learned that the men were not believers. Jenny shared the Gospel with them. She shared the story of creation and how sin entered the world. She shared with them the love God has for us and how He sent his son to die for us. Even after hearing what she said, they still had a few questions. They told us that they were confused because many times preachers come in but they all say different things. Jenny clarified some things by reading God’s word. Just before we left, the 5 men received God’s wonderful gift of salvation!! Praise the Lord!
We left that place and headed down the road. We passed by the river and Tito (our translator) told us we were going to take a shortcut…we walked for a good hour without stopping anywhere! lol We did happen to meet Tito’s grandmother along the way.
She was a tall and strong woman…she was also walking her cows down the dirt path. Shortly afterwards….my shoe broke!
I love my sandals that I took. They are brown and leather and have worked well on this trip. We do a ton of walking and I wanted to take sandals that would not hurt my feet. The $2 Old Navy flip flops don’t really work long term for me. Back home I never wear them for extended amounts of time because they simply hurt my feet. Well, my trusted leather ones died on me! The only part of the shoe that isn’t leather is what broke. The piece that goes in between my toes is what gave out. Since we are out in the middle of no where at this point, I have to either go barefoot or scoot my foot along the ground in hopes of keeping the shoe on somehow. I tried the second option…it didn’t work out too well. I kept getting tripped up on the dirt. So I decided to try the first option of going barefoot. It seemed to work until I realized how hot the ground was! The sun had been beating down on the African dirt all morning (it was now about noon). So I put my sandal back on and scooted down the road. Tito felt bad and wanted to run back home and get me another pair. I didn’t let him…it was a bit far to go home. I told him I was fine and we’d make it home eventually. We turned down the road past the banana trees and mud homes. Tito looked at me and said he would be right back. Then he ran off towards a house just on the left. He came back with a pair of white, closed-toe dress shoes! The first thought that ran through my head…oh Lord, please don’t let them fit…I don’t want foot fungus! Well, God must have heard me because they did not fit. Then Tito took off again…the women whose shoes he had borrowed was walking down the pathway from her house. I then saw her take off the shoes she was wearing to give to Tito. These were a slip on sandal type shoe. I could not believe this women was giving me the shoes off her own feet to wear!
This woman did not know me. All she knew was that I was a visitor in her town. A mzungu. But she gave me her shoes anyhow. She demonstrated something few people would do. I can’t imagine too many people back in America would do what she did. Sure, she knew she’d get them back at some point. But it’s the gesture that mattered. This woman sacrificed her own comfort for me. Things like that happen often in the countries we’ve been to. Month after month we are invited into people’s home. People who have very little…offer us food and tea. It’s an honor for them to have us over. We’ve had people kill chickens just to feed us. We’ve had people spend what little money they have just to feed us. It all reminds me of a Bible study we did at our church last year. My good friend Barb taught us ladies about hospitality. These people know the meaning of true hospitality. Not entertaining guests…but true hospitality. There is much to be learned from every person I have encountered on this race and I’m so grateful for the chance to learn from people who sacrifice what they have to honor a group of strangers from America. I pray God’s blessings for them!
And don’t worry…I have a pair of those Old Navy flip flops with me that I get to wear now instead of my beloved leather ones. And praise the Lord for REI’s stellar return policy which makes it possible for me to take them back when I get home! haha
*****UPDATE***** Just a few days later…those old navy flip flops broke too!! But have no fear…the shoe repairman in Nayagatare sewed them back for me! lol…..oh…life on the world race!
Much love from Rwanda,
Michelle
