* This is a personal blog series about my time in Ethiopia in Jan 2012. If you are looking for newborn/baby/family blog posts, please feel free to search the ‘Galleries’ tab above on the menu drop down. Thank you!
This morning we were blessed to be able to go to Aki’s guest home – Amazing Grace Guest house (message me and I will get you the information if you are planning a trip to Ethiopia and need a guest home). Aki has an amazing heart for Christ and for the street children in Addis Ababa. He offered to bring about 30 children to his guest house and we would wash their feet as Jesus washed his disciples feet and find them a pair of shoes for them. Shoes are a luxury in most places in Africa. Children often have no shoes, shoes that are too small, falling apart, etc. Shoes cost about as much as 2 months worth of food, so shoes are often unattainable as a luxury item. As well as many street children having been orphaned, abandoned, or having dying/ill parent(s).
When we arrived, there was a group of street children waiting outside of the walls of the guest house. There was even a ping pong table brought out by Aki for the children to play on. While we were waiting for the Injera to cook and for Aki to arrive, we passed out stickers for fun and talked and visited/played with the children.
This is the street right outside of the guest house. Joe, a man from Nebraska who has decided to spend time in Ethiopia serving the needy in the name of Jesus explained that when he was walking in the dark one night he stepped on someone sleeping outside. It was a scary realization to understand that the street children oftentimes sleep near walls/fences and near and under bushes.
The bags of shoes we brought in our duffle bags sorted and laid out so sizes could be attained quickly.
Once we were all ready, Aki asked in a number of street children. The number started on the lower side… but word got around and the number quickly increased. Again, it was explained that they should not see Americans coming for them, but followers of Jesus coming to serve them as Jesus served his disciples. Diane again explained that though we have all sinned and fallen from God, God sent his only son, Jesus, to take our sentence of guilt so that whomever believes in him will have their sins washed away and have everlasting life.
At one point a couple officers came to see what the crowd was doing outside of the guest house. When they saw that Christians were washing feet of the street children and giving them shoes, they were amazed … and they got shoes too. 😉
Beginning to wash the feet of these amazing people. Some react with uncertainty and reach to wash their own feet, but we kindly explain that we want to do this and they are willing. Others sit quietly taking it all in. Still others may have a huge smile on their face. It is humbling and powerful for us to wash their feet as well. Above, I see Jeranya smiling in his green shirt. His joyous face is recognizable anywhere to me. His powerful story is posted on one of my past posts. It’s definitely worth a read: Day 5 in Ethiopia (his story is at the end).
Sizing each foot once washed and finding them shoes. As it is tough to know what sizes to bring, we began to run out of larger mens sizes. Some of the teenage boys took smaller girl shoes so that they could sell them and use the money to buy themselves shoes that would fit them.
These children came in with varying emotions. Some with joy, some with sorrow. One 2 year old hit his head when he was waiting outside the gate and came in crying. It struck me that he was the first person I had heard cry since we were there. He had a little cut on his head and Jody came over and washed his little head. I had to hug him and console him before washing his little feet. Such a sweetheart.
As each person was given new shoes, they were given a bible tract (likely the gospel of John in their Amharic language) and a meal of Injera over on the grass.
Our lovely cook
(Below) As Melva washed this young man’s feet I saw him looking at her with this look that a loving son would give his mother. He sat quietly while she massaged and washed his feet. You could see his body relax. It struck me that she was washing his feet like a mother washes her son’s feet and as I mentioned, his face showed gratitude and love towards her in a quiet way. Tears filled my eyes and I thought about imagining that this was my son. That if I was sick, dying or dead and my son (or one of my three children) was left on the streets how desperately I would want someone to care for my child. It’s only by birth location that many of us in America never experience this type of poverty that many around the world experience as a normal part of life. God loves and cares deeply for us (his most amazing gift to us being sending Jesus for us) and how he loves us more than we can imagine.
These were the dirtiest and most injured feet that I’ve seen. Dirt that extended deeper than the whites of the nailbed into the pink. Scarred feet. And these are children and teenagers. Pictures just don’t do justice.
People who did have closed-toed shoes (flip flops don’t make as much of a difference) had notably healthier feet.
Joe filling the tubs with fresh water as often as possible. The water would be murky and dirty within one foot.
A pair of abandoned shoes.
A young man leaning against the wall after having his feet washed and given new shoes. He was reading the bible tract (gospel of John in Amharic) and I could see him thinking as he reflected on what just happened. Often we won’t know what impact this has on these people, but we pray for them often.
One young man had such damaged feet that we had to document it. The cracks in his feet were deep deep deep. This type of injury, though easily treatable in America, can be deadly if it is infected. He sat quietly as Melva and Christina carefully washed his feet and put antibiotic creme on it. Its an incredible rarity to see the poor with socks. Quianna took her own socks off and they put them on his feet. I believe this was also the man who really needed a pair of shoes and as I mentioned we had so many teenage men come that we were quickly out of the sizes we needed. He needed a size 10 in mens and we were out of men’s size 9 and 10. The largest we had was a WOMENs size 7. And imagine …. it fit. This is not possible without God. We could rationalize it all we want, but it was a miracle. I wear a size 7 and that does not fit a man who needs a size 10. God absolutely stretched that shoe that it would fit him.
Typical scaffolding made of sticks near a building being constructed.
Joanna - So amazing Jill – especially the story of the size seven shoes fitting a size 10 man. Definitely a God thing!