I Got Shoes

In Haiti, the school children are required to wear uniform clothing. Many parents do not send their children to school because they cannot afford the cost of the uniforms. At COHH, we provide each child with two uniforms. At the opening of school this year, one child was absent. As part of our usual follow up on absences, we went to the home of the child to inquire about her absence from school. We were told that the child could not come to school because she did not have any shoes. We bought the child a pair of shoes. As we looked around, we saw that many of the children needed new shoes. The craggy dirt roads  had taken its toll on the shoes of the children and their feet were more on the road than in their shoes. So, we purchased 26 pairs of shoes for the remaining children.

This event reminds me of the old gospel song entitled "I Got Shoes." In that song, it is more than having physical shoes, but all about having spiritual shoes - knowing how to walk with the Lord. So it is at COHH, we purchased physical shoes, but we are about providing something far more important. We are equipping the children to become educated and productive citizens of Haiti. What we provide will never be eroded by the rough terrain of the roads. There are many things we must do to accomplish our mission. Buying the children shoes to wear is merely incidental to the greater goal.