With thousands of shoes being connected from America to
Africa, it is very difficult to know the story behind every pair of shoes that
is given. During these past five months, I have taken five pairs of shoes from
specific donors in America and strategically placed them on some amazing
inspiring people that I have met here. Below is my attempt to directly connect
two donors to the people who received their shoes because it truly is one heart
behind every pair.
Here are the stories behind the shoes…
Tyler is one of my sister’s friends who loves serving other
people around the world. He loves kids from all around the world, and loves
different languages and cultures. He wore these shoes first while running for
his college then later while teaching in both Costa Rica and Uganda.
Tyler meet Mark.
Mark is a leader in the Massai tribe. (I know it’s pretty
ridiculously cool!) As I sat and listened to his stories about elephants,
lions, and the many cultural shock experiences, I realized the most amazing
thing about Mark is his passion for his people. He has overcome a lot from the
beginning with his dad having lots of wives creating a huge family. The cultural
and ritual ties within the tribe are pretty binding as well. He became a
translator between Swahili and Massai language, and through that he met a man
who changed his life. Mark wanted to track down the man who had been shining
Christ’s light, so through dreams and travels to Kenya to meet the man, he in
return met His Savior. Coming back to a tribe where everything is ruled by
traditions was hard, but he stayed true to his heart. He met his wife in Kenya,
and then spent a few weeks at a sports training where he learned to speak
English. His heart is to see a change in his people and through his dedication
and passion I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the guy who ends up in the history
stories of the Massai’s. 
Harold is my older brother, and one of the most influential
leaders I have met. From West Point baseball leading his team to now heading up
a team of military guys climbing Mt Everest to his dream of being a leader in
politics one day. He is what you would call crazy, and crazy is what changes
the world. A while back my brother proposed to me his desire to go visit the
Massai people and help create some political changes to benefit their tribe. In
the end things didn’t line up, but Harold’s passion to make a difference hasn’t
changed. His servant leadership is what will make impacting thousands of people
one day possible.
Harold meet Teresa.
Teresa is my hero. She came to Zambia for sports training
and spoke absolutely no English. I was surprised to greet her at the end of the
training with a small conversation in English. We were able to hear her story
through Mark. Teresa is also from the Massai tribe, and could be the definition
of women empowerment. She comes from Mark’s huge family growing up, and is a
teacher at the school of his family members (YES they have enough kids within
their family to create a school…) Women’s circumcision is a huge traditional
hold on the girls in the Massai tribe, and until recently it was completely
legal for the girls to be forced into it. Now a law has passed and the girls
have the choice. Teresa is leading a camp and mentoring the girls in the tribe
to make sure they know they have a choice and to walk with them through the
decision. She is empowering these girls with the freedom to choose. Her
leadership with the girls in the tribe is simply outstanding, which is why I
knew Harold’s shoes should go to her.
These are two of the incredible people the shoes have
impacted here. There are hundreds of more stories… some we will never hear.
Within the next few months, I will be posting the other three stories behind
shoes.
