After a year and a half of literally living out of only 2 suitcases, a carry-on bag AND a backpack, I have rented a place in the states again for a season. The first week in my new apartment was a bit surreal, quiet, unfrantic, did I say quiet? Most places especially in third world countries the noise level is intense, dogs barking, horns “hooting” from buses, vans. whatever mode of transportation. I use to say when I lived in El Salvador after my brakes, the most important thing on my car or truck was the horn!!
Anyway, it is a refreshing oasis, even in the high 90’s here in Albuquerque. Most of my things are pulled out of storage and I have been organizing a bit, walking down memory lane as some things even IF they have been in storage only a year and a half, I might not have looked at, read, or seen for some years. I came upon a newsletter, from August 2007, “The Encourager”, a publication I have put out for 20 years on a regular basis. My scripture verse was from Psalms 68:19, “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!” Even in the midst of trials and I know you are pushed on all sides and at times wonder, well Lord, how much more! NO I don’t want to know more! STILL you feel the benefits daily, from your sun up to sundown and beyond.
Okay, what about the shoe, s.e.?? I am getting to it. In this newsletter there was an incident, I had completely forgotten and now want to just give the details quickly, so you can see what you think about it. As a missionary there are two important criteria, flexibility and giving. I’ve always been enabled in one way or another to have donations, first I had a toy ministry and it blessed soooo many kids in Central America, then I expanded to clothes, shoes, backpacks, school supplies and even now, I have several shelves in my new hall closet that are full of new things for people in Uganda, Colombia, Guatemala.
One year through an internet friendship, I was given boxes of beautiful new shoes that came all the way from Canada, I picked them up in Arizona from the woman I met just playing word games on the internet. Her family had a shoe business for many years, the parents had died, but they still had stock and I was the BLESSED recipient of some of the best shoes, I had ever taken down to Guatemala. When I lived in Guatemala, I drove through Mexico with my truck loaded, some people joked you could hardly wedge in another piece of paper into the back as I had a camper shell.
On returning with all the goods, my helper and I worked on organizing the shoes among the other things. A room was always dedicated just to donations and we tried to have it set up like a store of sorts, so things were easy to find. The Guatemalan who helped me was the mother of a girl I supported, so twice a week she would come and help with whatever chores I had for her. She is my age, little education, but a strong Christian woman who has had very little in her life. After ALL the shoes were organized we have ONE SHOE with no mate. Aargh,!! What happened? We kept it on the side.
Some months later there was a call for shoes for a family of kids whose mother recently died and they had to move in with the grandmother. I met with the grandmother and had clothes for all the 5 children. I told her to trace the feet and Angela, my helper and I would see each child was shod.
The funny thing, that grandmother turned out to be born the same year as Angela and I, here she was now with children from 6 to 19 and grieving so for her own daughter. We found two pairs for each child and they were overjoyed to get the shoes, nothing can replace their mom, but just to have someone care and provide is a comfort. As we organized that gifting, Angela FOUND the missing shoe inside a large man’s shoe. I said try it on. IT FIT HER PERFECTLY and she got a new pair of shoes!! She was so happy.
Could it be that God’s benefits are there for us but at times it DOES require to look deeper? How much knowledge is available to us in God’s word IF we are willing to dig in, look, explore a bit more thoroughly ?