There is an organization called Toms that has a great
mission. Their slogan is One for One: every time you buy a pair of shoes, they
donate a pair to a child somewhere in the world who lives every day without
shoes. This organization also hosts an event every year called One Day Without
Shoes; a day where thousands of people go an entire day with no shoes.
Basically, the event spreads awareness about the problems children face when
they don’t have any shoes. You can check out more about it at www.toms.com
Well, this year’s event was held on April 5th, and
about 6 or 7 of us decided to go the entire day wearing no shoes, but take part
in our daily activities. Fun, right? Ha. That is not the word I would use to
describe my experience. First of all, in case you didn’t know, we are currently
living in Jinotepe, Nicaragua. The sidewalks and streets are filled with glass
shards, trash, poop, etc. Not to mention being an American white female in a
third world country usually draws a good bit of attention; whistles, hoots and
hollers, the usual. But I took off in the morning to go to the market, get on
the internet, and stroll through the park minus my shoes. No one whistled, no
one asked about my lack of shoes. The only thing I received were looks of
disapproval; a poor white girl with nothing to give, so why talk to her. Don’t
get me wrong, I loved not having all the attention; but what a drastic
difference from only one day before…
After that humbling experience, I walked into a neighborhood
diner where a new friend of ours named Terry greeted me. “What happened to your
shoes?” started our conversation. I explained the reason for my bare feet,
telling him about the children who live like this on a daily basis and raising
awareness of this growing epidemic. His only comment, accompanied by a slight
chuckle was, “You would do something like this for them? Well, ok then.” The
conversation moved ahead, but my thoughts remained on his comment, desperately
praying God would use this encounter to show Terry the deep love that God has
for him, as well as these helpless children around the world.
As I slid back into the hotel just in time for lunch, I was
greeted by several excited teammates saying, “We’re playing softball at 2! Are
you going to be hardcore and play barefoot for that Tom guy?” Without
hesitation I came back with, “Of course! I’m not giving up so easy!” Some of
them were worried about disease or dangerous things that I could step on during
the game, and I started thinking… What if the field were too bad for my bare
feet, or what if it was impossible to run because of rocks and such? Maybe I
could bring my shoes for back up, just in case. That way I wouldn’t miss out on
the game. (For those of you who know me, you know that I can’t miss out on
anything really.)
But what about the kids with no shoes? They don’t have the
option to put their shoes on if something too dangerous comes along. And they
can’t sit on the sidelines their entire life just because they don’t have
shoes. So I left the shoes, and headed out for the big game. We ended up
walking about 2 miles to get to the field which was covered in rocks, glass,
and poop. And I, along with my squad mate Megan, played the entire game minus
shoes. I am not going to lie; it was painful and extremely uncomfortable at
times.
But sometimes the problems of the world are uncomfortable.
It’s easier to just brush them aside, knowing that someone else will take care
of it. I’m not saying that you need to go out and buy shoes for every child in
need, or that all the problems in the world are yours to deal with. However, my
prayer is for God to open my eyes to the problems of the world and to break my
heart for the things that break His. And if this calls for me to live in a
little discomfort so that others can experience His love, then I have no option
but to obey. And I pray you choose to let him work in your life in the same
way.
Romans 10:14 – 15 says, “How, then, can they call on the one
they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they
have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And
how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are
the feet of those who bring the good news!”
Sometimes the work is ugly, hard, or dirty. But like the
Bible says, how will they know unless you obey? I started out the day thinking
it would be just a fun story to tell at the end of the day. But God broke my
heart for the children of the world in a way I never expected. And I know that
day after day, when I am tired and filthy and exhausted, my Daddy will look down
from heaven and tell me how beautiful I am. And by sacrificing my comfort,
others are experiencing His love. What greater joy is there?
