NEW SHOES!

Some kids spend more time researching and picking out a pair of shoes than their parents spend looking for a new car!  You can’t just wear any old thing:  it has to be a brand name.  For many young people growing up in modern society, it’s all about “being cool.”

But for a lot of children in Thailand, it’s simply about “having” versus “not having.”  Having a pair of your own shoes is a special blessing to many of the poor here; having a brand new pair of shoes is, well, almost miraculous.  Thanks to the generosity of Life Outreach International and its supporters, a miracle was witnessed recently in Northern Thailand.

Sometimes you don't realize the level of poverty until you see the holes in their socks

Two thousand pairs of shoes were donated to ZOE and all of our kids were excited to receive bright, colorful, brand new shoes.  And, because the Life Outreach International donors were so giving, not only did the ZOE children get shoes, but hundreds of other underprivileged youngsters throughout Northern Thailand were blessed with new shoes as well.  For the ZOE boys and girls, it was a double blessing! In addition to getting shoes, they were able to help ZOE staff distribute shoes to some of the neediest children.

Wit (one of the boys at ZOE) offers to help ZOE staff member P Sakon as they deliver shoes

One of the young girls who helped pass out the new footwear had been rescued from a “begging ring.” Children enslaved by these rings are forced to beg on the streets for money.  If they do not meet their cash quota, they are subject to unthinkable abuse.  Nine out of 10 street children are exploited in some manner…it’s just a matter of time.

Before coming to ZOE, this young girl had no hope.  But this day, rather than nervously begging for coins, she confidently took charge of her peers, making sure that every shoe size was arranged in order, ready to be matched to the children who were eager to receive their precious gift.  Kneeling to the ground, she lovingly placed a new pair of shoes on a little girl’s feet who had big holes in her socks but an even bigger smile on her face!

In that moment, in that act, a life transformed was on display.  A child who not long ago lived to beg and begged to live was now so filled with joy at being able to help other children in similar circumstances.  That is the true miracle!

A child with new shoes...the smile tells the story!