blisters

i now have four blisters on my feet. four. they hurt alot, but i may just be thankful for them...

i took my bike out for a ride this morning hoping to ride 15-20 miles (im still too new to ride farther) but noticed a problem about 3.5 miles from the house. i strated noticing it was a little difficult to pedal. i went to a higher gear, but it didn't help as much as it usually does. then i heard it... click click click click... i had a flat tire. i had to walk my bike back 3.5 miles. as i was walking i got really worried i would wear out my shoes (you aren't supposed to walk in them at all really) and ruin the part of the shoe that clilps into the pedals.

so i took off my shoes and walked barefoot.

the sidewalks and roads are hot in guam.

3.5 miles.

before my feet started to hurt i prayed a little for the college students and the ministry starting here in guam. i really think we'll be recognized by the university very soon. we have a few more than the 10 people we need if everyone shows up at the same time. but as my feet started to hurt my mind shifted to other things.

as i walked i remembered a few pelple i've met who don't own shoes. in swaziland i met four little girls living in a one room orphanage with about 25 other kids. i think they were 9 years old. i walked up to their orphanage as they were arriving back from the river 4 miles away. each little girl had a 5 gallon jug of water on her head or under her arm for the kids that day. they walked 8 miles every single morning without shoes. i met phumzille at the dream center in durban. she didn't wear shoes because aids hurt her feet too badly. in brazil along the amazon i met an entire team of soccer (futball) players without shoes. they didn't have shoes, generators in their village, toothbrushes... but they did have infections, worms, river water to drink, and a good time beating the pants off us in soccer. about half the kids in a little school outside durban didn't wear shoes, but it didn't stop them from attacking me while we played red light green light. and i remember a homeless man in abilene i met my first year in college. he didn't have shoes in the most religious town in the bible belt.

i don't remember the last time i gave a pair of shoes away. im ashamed that i don't remember. i don't know if ive ever bought a NEW pair of shoes for a kid. i remember imploring others to do that kind of thing, and i remember my roomate daniel buying shoes for kids in college. i also remember being angry in peru when i found out people send their old worn out shoes to the orphanage rather than sending shoes they would want on their american children... but me buying the shoe, i don't know. and as i walked along the sidewalk my heart started hurting more than my feet. i know it isn't wrong for me to have shoes. and i think its good to wear them if you have them... but it was nice and painful to remember connections with people without shoes today. and its even nice to have four blisters to remind me to "seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before God."