I have feet problems.  This may not be the type of post you want to hear from Uganda, but it affects everything I do.   All of these problems are ones I have inherited.    My feet by now are not attractive.  They swell easily and I am being told I need about 3 progressional surgeries on each foot to fix them.   I’m not ready to succumb to constant rehabilitation of my feet.   I have work to do, places to go, things to see.   I can’t be bothered by these feet right now. Thankfully I have little orphan prayer warriors in Northern Uganda that pray for my feet daily.  We are all expecting my miracle

When I arrived here my ankles and feet were so swollen from the sitting in the plane I could barely walk.  After a week of better care and of course after my bags were located and medicine was found, my feet became tolerable again.  I was embarrassed by how swollen and horrible my feet looked and still look.  This photo is a one of a kind, I don’t think I’ve ever photographed my foot.

Looking around at the feet of the people here, they aren’t so beautiful either, they are worn, scarred and toughened from years of work without shoes.  Even the little children have feet that look well different than a pampered American foot.   I see those feet as beautiful, and they tell a story.

I started thinking of all the feet quotes that I could since I am a bit of a wordsmith, then looked up a few more!  (Oh the things you think of when in Africa)

A few of my favorites:

• “Better slip with foot than tongue” ~Benjamin Franklin~
• “Faith must trample under foot all reason, sense, and understanding.”  ~Martin Luther~
• “Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It’s a miracle, and the dance…is a celebration of that miracle.”  ~Martha Washington~

Every time I go to orphanages where I will be showing my feet I get a pretty pedicure with flowers and polka dots for the children.   They so love my pretty toes.  They get down on the ground for inspection, and touch my feet and toes.   I’ve discovered though that toes are merely a part of the foot used to find furniture in the dark and raised door frames in foreign lands.

[pullquote]“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news”   (Isaiah 52:7)[/pullquote]

I was reminded of this scripture by our volunteer Stephanie Williams.   Thank you Steph.

I think I’ve tried to adorn my feet for my work here, and they have become beautiful because of that work, not because of my adornment of them.

The beauty and the delight are really found not in the anatomy or the shape of the foot, but in the activity – what the foot does, where the foot takes you. The world is full of waste and barren places, where there is no peace and no justice.  As a human race we have to get to our feet  and do beautiful things.

We do have a choice – Sit and do nothing, or put our best foot forward and do something.

One of the most famous of the 19^th Century Christian Missionaries to China was Hudson Taylor.  One day when Taylor was in the UK,  a man called George Scott came to see him and offered to go as a Missionary to China.  George Scott was a school teacher.   He also had only one leg.

Taylor said, “With only one leg, why do you think of going as a missionary?”

“I do not see those with two legs going,” replied Scott.   He was accepted.

When I read this tonight, I was reminded why I go and work for the children, even in my situation with my feet.   I know that God will sustain my foot health as I’m serving the children and families of our work.  One leg or two, beautiful healthy feet or not, when we hear the call to justice or peace, do we leave it to others, or do we put our best foot forward?

There are people out there that believe God has forsaken them, that an injustice has been brought upon their lives.   Maybe these people only need a cow for milk, or they need medicine for their malaria, maybe someone to help them rebuild 20 years of being war-ravaged.  They need assistance in fostering relationships, learning how to care for themselves with their resources at hand or economic justice…or maybe they just need to know that their lives have not been for nothing.  Everyone needs to know they have a purpose.   Maybe they need just a smile, a show of respect, a hug…love.

[pullquote]An African Proverb: “The longest journey starts with a single step”[/pullquote]

It might be you in your support through me or me they see coming down the dusty pot-holed road.   Limping, but willing, and ready for the long trek, often by foot.

And they will cry out, and praise the Lord as they see us, ”How beautiful … are the feet of those who bring good news,” and welcome us with open arms, never ever noticing our tired swollen feet, however, the shoes…they will notice those since there are none on their feet.

A gentleman’s shoes in Uganda must always be clean.