Let's Make Something!

March 7

Let's Make Something.
How many times have you spent hours upon hours planning for "something" only to find when the time for that "something" to actually happen, God reveals to you he has a different "something" planned altogether? Well, this "something" has happened today in Uganda. And what a sweet something it was. I am forever grateful that we, the Sole Hope team, decided before leaving the states that we would not over-plan our first teaching mission in Africa and that we would allow room for God to lead us through this mission day by day. And even hour by hour.

Today, we began to teach 19 villagers how to make shoes. George and Christy tell us that they have never seen their village so excited about learning something this new. And get this... Even some of the men of the Bugaboo including "Chairman" showed up to learn to make shoes. That says a ton. The potential impact of what God laid on Asher's heart nearly a year ago and what He has allowed us to bring to Bugaboo is seriously off the charts. Besides their weekly church service on Sundays, few things have brought this village together like the arrival of Sole Hope. I cannot believe that I am here to watch a village unwrap this beautiful gift of Hope. And the joy that we as a team, are feeling cannot be contained.

In some ways, the class that we taught today (the deconstructing of the shoe, the parts and materials used to make the Sole Hope shoe, introduction to the shoe patterns, basic pattern tracing on paper, pattern tracing on the actual material, cutting the pattern out of the material using pinking shears, cutting the heal plate out of a Coke bottle, and pinning all the pieces together) is my favorite class to teach. At the beginning of the class, the students get to see what a finished shoe looks like and then process through all the stages which, after many hours, leave each team of students (teams of 3) with a pair of shoe uppers that actually look like the Sole Hope shoe. Everyone remained engaged throughout the class, but when they finally pinned all of the patterns together at the end of the class, the students began clapping and cheering. To be completely honest, I don't think any of them believed that they were going to be able to make a pair of shoes. I wasn't so sure they would be able to get it either. 

We ended the class knowing that something special had happened today. A Hope had been awakened. And for us, a joy that had been hidden deep within each of us was unlocked... a feeling of purpose was aroused and a secret was shared... That secret? It is much more Blessed to give than to receive. I finally understand what Jesus meant.

I have not come to be served... I have come to serve.

In gratitude,
Patrick