The return from Africa

This month's Sole Hope's journey is complete. Although leaving their hearts in Africa, the team arrived back to the States last Thursday.. It has been an inspiring journey to read, please take time to do so here, and to see first hand through video some of the amazing developments they encountered along their way.

From a broken sewing machine victory repair, to laughter among new friends, the team accomplished great works for the citizens for Ndola, Zambia, and Bugabo Village, Uganda. There are now Sole Hope shoes on children that had none prior. The chance of illness and death, from the result of going barefoot, has finally been eliminated. 

I am grateful for being touched deeply by Sole Hope through my involvement with this amazing organization of people. Here are some videos and photos to enjoy from the Sole Hope Team while in Africa: 

Asher fitting Sole Hope Shoes in Africa

Christie of Bugabo Village, Uganda,
reading a letter from Music For Compassion

George of Bugabo Village, Uganda, reading a small portion of the same letter to the video camera.

The village receives their first sewing machine on video. What excitement!

George sporting a Music For Compassion
t-shirt with Christie
and the Sole Hope Team

Some may ask who George and Christie are - and all I can say is that they are Amazing and you need to jump over to their blog here. From their blog, you can find and request to follow Christie on Facebook (which she updates very regularly on a daily basis). You will not be sorry that you opened the door to get to know her and George.

In short, George was born and raised in Uganda, while Christie was born and raised in the States. While I do not know their entire life history and story, I know enough to know that Christie traded in the "normal" American life when she went on a short term mission trip last July. She found herself in Bugabo Village, literally found herself.

She returned to Bugabo early this past Winter, and has not only built a school from the ground up, but she is filling that school with hundreds of sponsored children, employing teachers, and a school nurse. She has added a Borehole to the village for clean water, limiting malaria and other life threatening diseases spread through poor water quality. She has seen Witchcraft replaced by Christianity. She has found laughter, comedy, and her voice to spread the beauty of Bugabo to those that have never been. She has accomplished all of this through her faith in God.

The Sole Hope Team landed first in Bugabo to claim new shoes for the children, employment for the women and the men. The village continues to change in healthy ways because of all those involved in Sole Hope, and those supporting Christie and George too.

It is breathtaking. The journey to Africa for Sole Hope was life changing for the African and the American people. I am grateful.

Arrival in Africa

I just received notice that my Sole Hope buddy and her Sole Hope traveling team have safely landed in the village of Bugabo, Uganda, to begin their ministry in Africa!! I am so grateful to be able to grasp the magnitude of this adventure - that the fabric we cut (along with many other's across the country who were involved in cutting fabric) has arrived to begin healing the feet and bodies of children living among two Ugandan and Zambian villages.

The trip will consist of opening up two shoe business' with the widows in the villages between the two countries, supplying newly made shoes to the orphans, and educating the villages on the effectiveness of shoes to strengthen their health and protect them from continued illness of this kind.

Part of the education process will be held in this book - written specifically for Sole Hope, and illustrated by Michael Hayes - to be given to the children and their guardians to educate them on the WHY shoes are important.

What an exciting journey for Sole Hope, for the African children and women that they will join and care for, for my friend Christie who chose to leave America to live in Bugabo Village (her amazing life is documented here), and for all those that are walking step by step with Sole Hope. 

As the Sole Hope team reports from Africa, I too will make updates on this blog. This is the moment I have been waiting for - big things are going to happen via Sole Hope this week!