August 16, 2014

Celebrate | Sole Hope




Somehow I ended up at Mindy Roger's blog, "Ink and Paper Heart"I'm so thankful I did. I love the way she writes and what she writes about. It was there at her blog that I read about Sole Hope, an organization that exists to offer "hope, healthier lives and freedom from foot related diseases through education, jobs and medical relief."

On her blog, Mindy wrote:

"Sand fleas (commonly known as jiggers) burrow into the cuts on their little bare feet and lay their eggs.
These egg sacks grow and feed off their hosts. If not removed, the jiggers paralyze and ultimately kill the infected children...
It is preventable. 
If you are like me, you feel too small or too busy or too unequipped to help. 
If you are like me, you are going to love what I am about to tell you:
THERE IS SOMETHING SIMPLE THAT YOU CAN DO
TO HELP SOLE HOPE STOP THIS PROBLEM.
If you can trace, cut and safety pin you can help Sole Hope prevent this needless suffering.
Sole Hope relies on people like us to provide the materials for their shoes.
Using donated denim jeans, people like you and me trace shoe patterns, cut them out and pin them in pairs.
Theses pairs are then mailed to Sole Hope's office in South Carolina and then to Jinja, Uganda where local shoemakers create closed-toe shoes.
These closed-toe shoes are then distributed at jigger removal clinics where jiggers are removed, preventative information
is provided and homes are sprayed with insecticide that kills the jiggers and their eggs.
When I realized that small, busy, unequipped me could do something,
I was inspired to bring Sole Hope to the people in my life."

I knew God wanted me to do something. I emailed some friends with Mindy's posts about Sole Hope and asked if this was something we could do together. The response was exciting and we already have volunteers (21 and counting), a date (October 3), a location (a school) and a second hand store that will help with jean donations!

We're just getting started with our Sole Hope Shoe Party! Or I should say, God is just getting started!

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Finding joy in the little and big moments of life!


17 comments:

  1. What a wonderful and worthy project. Good luck! Thanks for leading me to Mindy's blog. I could spend a lot of time there and at all the other links. Have a great weekend.

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    1. We had the party last night! It was incredible!
      Mindy's blog is wonderful.

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  2. Thank you for the encouragement to continue to reach out to others. And the reminder that not every memory has to be in a photo.

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  3. When I moved, I donated many pairs of jeans to a thrift store-wish I would have known about this, then. I didn't know sand fleas could damage so much. Thanks for sharing & good for you for forming a group, Loralee.

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    1. It was so exciting to see everyone together last night!

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  4. What a great chance to do something positive in the world. Thank you for sharing about Sole Hope. This seems like the kind of thing that might be a good service project for a classroom also. Have a great week!

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    1. Thank you, Andrea, for being here and for your comment. I agree! After I told my grade 1 team about it, they wanted to get our classes involved too! We are having a party in February!

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  5. I love your attitude and your enthusiasm!!! Have you ever heard Matthew West's song "Do Something"? There's a line that reminds me of you..."People living in poverty...(I) said, 'God, why don’t You do something?' He said, 'I did, I created you.'" You should check it out! I'm looking forward to reading Mindy's blog. Thank you for sharing and for always inspiring me!

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    1. I need to go check out that song! Thank you!
      It's always a JOY to hear from you!

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  6. What a wonderful cause! Congrats for feeling the call to serve and make a difference. There is something that feeds your soul when you do something for others!

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    1. You are so right. Our evenings working on the shoes were amazing.

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  7. Bravo to all of you for finding a cause and going for it!

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    1. Thank you, Tara! Last night was very exciting!

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  8. Oh, wow! I love that you were led and moved to jump right in and make a difference!!

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  9. I enJOYed hearing from all of you! Thank you! Smiling.

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Thank you for being here.