Welcome to Make A Difference Mondays, a place to get intentional about starting our weeks focused on the positive and put our heads together to dream up ways we can make a difference in this world! This week I’m happy & humbled to introduce you to my friend Kendra and her beautiful story of how anyone can make a difference in the lives of the least of these. Would love to hear about any experience you may have with a ministry like the one Kendra got involved with!
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I first heard about Sole Hope when I read a blog post written by Logan Wolfram chronicling her experience while on a missions trip to Africa with the organization. The pictures of her holding children as they cried out in pain while jiggers were being removed from their little feet was enough to make me search a little farther to see what Sole Hope was all about.
What I found was an organization that started because Dru and Asher Collie saw a need and decided to fill it. Jiggers (a parasite that burrows into your feet and lays eggs) causes infection, pain, and — if left untreated — can leave people susceptible to other diseases such as tetanus and gangrene.
But there is a simple solution to the problem: Shoes.
While many of us don’t give a second thought to the shoes we put on each day, in Uganda, shoes are a luxury and many of the children Sole Hope helps have never owned a single pair of shoes.
So how can we help?
Sole Hope has created kits so you can throw your own shoe cutting party. Each kit comes with instructions, a sample of the fabric pieces needed for each pair of shoes, and a paper shoe pattern to use. It’s easy peasy.
And that’s why, just a little over a week ago, we cleaned out our garage (bonus!), invited some of our dear friends over, and had a party!
Everyone set up and working at their stations!
All while utilizing things we’d throw away or donate (old jeans and milk jugs!).
We cut out shoes, laughed, and shared a meal together. We had a great time!
And by the end, we had made 40 pairs of shoes for kids in Uganda.
When we were done, we also took donations to send with our shoes to help pay wages to the workers in Africa that assemble to the shoes. It was an awesome experience, and one we’ll plan to do again soon!
If you would like information on how you can throw your own shoe cutting party visit Sole Hope’s site here.
Kendra Roehl is a foster and adoptive mama of four, a social worker by background and a lover of Jesus! She blogs about everyday life at The Ruth Experience.
Make A Difference Mondays is a weekly linkup designed to encourage and inspire us to live each day on purpose—making a meaningful difference in someone’s life in even the smallest of ways. There will be five women regularly co-hosting this link-up that will appear on all five of our blogs and we also have three wonderful co-hosts who will fill in as guest hosts on the occasional day that a regular co-host is not able to post. Read on to learn more about our vision, mission, and how to link up!
Mission
Our mission is to provide a consistent gathering place for like-minded women to build online connections, share inspiration, and provide mutual encouragement and accountability as we seek to live intentionally and make a difference in the lives of those around us.
Vision
Every Monday we will invite bloggers to link-up any blog posts that encourage women to live life on purpose. This could include testimonies or goals from your own life, small acts of kindness or service, creative tips or ideas for showing consideration to others — the possibilities are endless. Our objective is to use our God-given time and resources to His glory!
The Make A Difference Mondays team has created two ways to keep us all connected – now we have our own facebook community group to stay in touch beyond the blog posts AND we also have a new #MADMlinkup group Pinterest board! We will be pinning our favorite posts from the linkup that inspire and encourage us to make a difference. We are so grateful for you and would love for all of you to join us for fellowship in the above linked community group and you can follow the Pinterest board right here to watch for your posts: Make A Difference Mondays Pinterest Board
Be sure to grab the sparkly linkup graphic or grab the same image in the square version from the sidebar for your posts and/or include a link back here within your posts. Any on-topic posts are welcomed, no matter how old and no matter how many! If you’re linking up a post here, would you be so kind as to reach out in the comments below? I love getting to know new people and it really helps to put a ‘name to the face’ and find you in the linkup 🙂 Maybe even mention the title of your post in your comment? Thanks friend!
Add your link here:
I love this! Really want to do this sometime!
Yes! Me too! : )
Sybil,
Thanks for the great idea! I love it and hope to participate in the future. Thanks for hosting and congrats on your new adventure! I can’t wait to read more about it!
Aww thanks for being so sweet Sarah! Appreciate you! : )
Sole Hope is a great organization! Glad you are bringing more attention to them.
Thanks so much Sharla! Yes I adore the mission & ministry of Sole Hope too : )
What a neat idea! 🙂
Thanks for being here Shecki!
I sent away for a party kit and should have it this week. What a neat way to help people.
Great news! Can’t wait!
What a fun and useful idea, a shoe party! Man, we are spoiled here….
Agreed! Thanks for your visit and your feedback!