Apr 19, 2010 | The Good Word
Here’s what I’m trying to say. Don’t worry about your life — what you’re gonna eat and drink, what you’re gonna wear. Isn’t there more to life than food? More to having a body than wearing clothes? Think about it. Birds don’t plant seeds or drive thru McDonalds, but God feeds them.
Aren’t you more important than birds?
And think about how flowers grow. They don’t shop on Rodeo Drive or spend time at a sewing machine, but they’re so much more beautiful than any of the dresses on the red carpet. If God provides clothing for flowers which won’t last but a few days, won’t He take care of you?
So stop repeating over and over again, “Where should we eat tonight?” or “I don’t have anything to wear.” This is what people who don’t believe in God are worried about. But God knows what you need. So make Him and His kingdom your number one priority, and you’ll have everything you need.
And don’t worry about tomorrow. There’s enough happening today to keep you occupied.”
(Matthew 6:25-34, my paraphrase)
Lord, help us get this in our hearts.
xCC
Apr 17, 2010 | South Africa, Stories
We visited another township this morning, and I am wiped! I had the privilege of washing some beautiful feet, some tiny ones and some big ones, and praying for God’s plans to come to pass in the lives of some precious children. Another sixty-some kids received a message of hope and a new pair of shoes. (Some Crocs and some trainers.)
My heart is swimming in circles from all this, and there’s so much more I’d like to say than I think I can communicate effectively at the moment. I look forward to sharing more with you soon, but in the meantime I thought I’d share a couple more pictures from Thursday’s distribution. A picture is worth a thousand words anyway, right?
To me, Africa has never been more beautiful.
xCC
Apr 16, 2010 | South Africa, The Good Word
I don’t know how I managed to catch this little fella with anything other than a smile on that sweet little face.
He was happily playing in the dirt the first time I noticed him.
His joy was contagious.
Sometimes seeing people who have so little and are so happy
challenges me to the core.
When he was giggling and smiling and tracing circles in the dirt, he had bare feet.
I’m glad he was blessed with a pair of shoes yesterday.
And glad he knows how to be happy either way.
“But Jesus said,
Let the children come to me, and don’t try to stop them.
It’s to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”
xCC
Apr 15, 2010 | South Africa, Stories
Guys and gals! I mean it! I have three gabillion stories to tell you. We had our first shoe distribution today in a township not too far from the Muizenberg section of Cape Town called Overcome Heights. It’s a very poor area where some 6,000 people just showed up and built a settlement in three days because just before elections the government made some sort of promises that would have affected people living in that area. I don’t think they made good on those promises, but anyway, that’s not the story, I’m just wiped from a long day, so I’m rambling.
But one real story is, a bunch of kids were blessed today, with a message of hope, with people who care about them praying for them and washing their feet, and with a new pair of Crocs.
Crocs?
Yes, Crocs. Not the fake imitation ones either. Sorry, was that redundant? Crocs committed 1 million pairs of shoes to Samaritan’s Feet over a four year period, and 1,000 of those Crocs are here in Gordon’s Bay for us to bless people with. Ahem, with which we can bless people. I didn’t want to end that sentence with a preposition, but y’all I’m tired. My southern is coming ow-wt! Dern!
You have probably guessed that because I’m so tired, I’m not going to try to tell you all three gabillion stories right now.
But here’s one.
I saw this little boy today waiting in line just outside the area where the kids enter and hear a message of hope.
I was really sad at first because I saw that he had bare feet, and I didn’t think he had gotten in line in time. There were so so many little feet. Little little bare feet! There are always more feet than there are shoes. But I wanted this little one to get a pair of shoes!
Much to my delight, I realized he had a little strand of bright blue raffia around his wrist. The blue raffia was the magic solution when we’d forgotten yarn and we needed a way to count how many kids would be getting shoes. We’d tie a bit on their wrists and then remove it after they’d received their shoes so they couldn’t come back through.
So I rejoiced when I saw that he was going to get a pair of shoes today. Yay!
And then, I happened to catch him again later…Here he comes to have his tootsies tickled and receive a new pair of shoes!
In the end, we were running low on small sizes, and he got a pair that was a little big for him. See below? We passed them along to his mother and he’ll probably be sporting them tomorrow anyway.
It is tough to know what a drop in the bucket those shoes were. It’s estimated that 300 million people around the world go shoeless every day.
If you have time, please take a second to give that number a second thought.
You back? Okay good.
Mother Theresa once said, “If you can’t feed a hundred, feed one.” Today, among the many, there was this one.
And this one.
And this one.
And on behalf of “these ones,” I want to say thank you, Crocs South Africa, and thank you to those of you who have supported our ministry or Samaritan’s Feet. From the bottom of my heart, and from the bottom of many feet, many, many thanks.
xCC
Apr 14, 2010 | The Parenthood, Top Ten Lists
Dear Bear Bear,
We had a really special week last week. I decided to record it here on my blog so that perhaps ten years from now you can come back and read it and laugh with me. I like doing Top Ten Lists, which probably makes no sense to you right now, but at least the other readers can enjoy it in the meantime.*
These were the Top Ten Special Moments we had with special little you, just last week.
10. You decided to stop going in your dishwasher box play house to use your pretend cell phone. Instead you walked around the house holding it to your ear and saying Hey-low? Hay-yo? Hay-low? It was a new week’s worth of evidence to your Mom and Dad that you’re pretty much a genius.
"Have you run the numbers yet? Well then I'm gonna have to get back to you on that."
9. I was feeling sick on Thursday and stayed in bed most of the day. When your Dad got you up from your nap, you walked right into my bedroom, waved your tiny hand at me, and said “Hey!” It was the highlight of my day.
8. You yawned in my face one night and it was the first time I’d ever smelled you have bad breath. It was very endearing and sweet, fortunately. I feel like a Mom for remembering and appreciating that.
7. You decided to give a glass full of very red drink a good shake, and it managed to creatively decorate one little sleeve of your white long sleeve top. It also managed to creatively decorate my prayer journal.
6. And the floor and my grocery receipts.
5. Oh yeah, and my laptop.
4. You learned to sign “sorry” last week, and although developing this knowledge was unrelated to the previously mentioned incidents, it has been really precious to see you say you’re sorry when you do something you shouldn’t. If there’s anything folks need to learn how to say, it’s I’m sorry, so I think you’re off to a good start. What’s really delightful is that you often sign it with both hands at the same time, so I think you’re indicating that you’re really sorry. Good Bear!
3. I have no idea why, but you had copious amounts of gas last week. Your Dad and I found it hilarious, and once you realised that, I think you decided to keep tooting as much as you could just for the laughs. At least the gas didn’t make you unpleasant. It sure was funny.
It Wasn't Me
2. You gave me a fat lip last week. WWF style. I mean you really tackled me with a head butt and I had to get up and walk away to overcome the urge to cry at my throbbing lip. Man, you’re growing up fast!
1. You woke up from two naps super grumpy, which is unusual for you, but you decided the best way to overcome those grump-grumps was to let me hold you and rub your back. You never sit still with me for that long unless we’re reading or watching Veggie Tales! I was teary-eyed enjoying those special moments with your little head resting on my chest. I’m glad you’re not a grumpy bear, but I sure don’t mind getting to cuddle you for a while!
All in all, Bear Bear, it was a pretty special week. And even though you almost killed my MacBook, I’ve never loved you more. Thanks for bringing our lives so much sparkle!
Lots of Love,
Mom
*The other readers might also be happy to know my MacBook is up and running again! Hooray!
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