Going the Distance

Five days. 45 hours on a bus. 703 miles traveled. 739 children with new shoes.

These are the stats (yes, we did the math). But they hardly represent the great impact this trip made in the lives of so many people. After spending nearly two full days riding on a bus through the Guatemalan countryside, bouncing around on remote dirt roads and sliding through mud, I can now look back and say that every minute on that bus was worth it. Because for every mile we drove, a child received a new pair of shoes. And that’s what this week was all about.

On Friday we visited Camotan, a school located in a remote farming region of Chiquimula. This school has never received any visitors from the United States, and many of the youngest children were surprised – and a little scared – to see so many American faces smiling down at them. But oh, did this school have needs. Many of the children were wearing shoes several sizes too small for their feet. Others weren’t wearing any shoes at all. One little boy’s toes were poking out, a clear sign that he had outgrown his pair many months before.

There were several mothers who came up to the school to see what the commotion was all about. They all brought their infant children, hoping for extra shoes. In the end, everyone received a new pair. Not one single child was without. What an amazing act of God! We had no idea how many children would show up, but in the end, every child went home with a new pair of shoes.

Here are a few pictures from the day – I think they say more about this experience than my words ever could.

Those old shoes above used to be on this little guy's feet!