Beautiful Feet Come in All Sizes

It’s not generally my habit to look at people’s feet. However, I couldn’t help but notice that one of the ladies at the LWML Zone Rally (for the uninitiated, LWML stands for Lutheran Women’s Missionary League) that I attended this past Saturday wasn’t wearing any shoes. That wouldn’t have been so noticeable, either, except that she had a hole in her sock, and her big toe was sticking out! Since she was otherwise well-dressed and seemed to follow acceptable social decorum, this behavior begged for an explanation. As it turned out, it was a very simple one.

She had come to the rally, along with about 30 other women, to support a mission project for orphans in Colombia, South America. The speaker at the rally was yours truly, along with my wife, Becky. We had visited the orphanage last summer, along with a dozen other folks from our church, and were now sharing that experience with these local ladies. (To view a video montage of the trip, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiZbvBLzeaI.) We concluded the presentation by sharing how they could support the precious children we had come to know and love back in the orphanage in Bogata.

One way is by providing shoes for these children desperately in need! In fact, when we made our trip last year, we brought 600 pairs of shoes along with us that we distributed at the orphanage, as well as at several poor villages outside of Bogata. Because we are planning to do the same thing again this summer, we have partnered with this ladies’ group to gather shoes that we could take with us on our trip. And they came through in a big way! (Just look at the pictures below.)

Besides filling up the back seat of our car, the LWML ladies also filled the trunk! (Left) Becky shows off one of the new shoes, while I stand by and admire. (Right) If you are interested in finding out how you can donate shoes, support the Chiquita orphanage, or go on a mission trip to Colombia, go to this website: http://rehopefoundation.org/blog/22-july-2011, or contact Pete Johnson, at p.johnson@rehopefoundation.org.

Well, the lady I mentioned earlier with the holey—or was it holy?—sock responded in the same way that our church did. When she realized that she could help fill a need right then and there, simply by taking off her shoes and leaving them for us to take to Colombia, that’s exactly what she did. And when I saw her feet, there really was no other way to describe them than to say they were—beautiful!When we were asked how our group was able to collect so many shoes, I shared with them that we did it through something called “Barefoot Sunday.” (For more information on how to conduct your own Barefoot Sunday, go to this website: http://www.soles4souls.org/get_involved/barefoot_sunday.html.) In our case, our Junior Youth Group did a dramatic presentation on the need for shoes, during our regular worship services, and concluded with an invitation for anyone so inclined, to remove their shoes at the end of service and leave them for the folks in Colombia. The result was a mountain of shoes in our church lobby…and many people walking to the parking lot barefoot (or in stocking feet)!Beautiful feet come in all sizes, shapes and colors, like….

• The Beautiful Feet of the LWML ladies who donated a whole carload full of shoes;
• The Beautiful Feet of the Mission Teams who bring the shoes to the children and adults of Colombia;
• The Beautiful Feet of people like you who support mission projects both locally and abroad.

Of course, the most beautiful feet of all belong to those of our Savior, Jesus, whose feet were nailed to a cross to pay for our sins and those of the whole world! It’s because of those beautiful feet that we want to use our own to share the Good News of forgiveness and salvation with those who have not yet heard, whether they are in Colombia, South America; Colombia, Missouri, or someplace in between.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:15b