Boys Love New Shoes!

Having raised three sons, I can attest to a commonly known fact - boys love new shoes!  There are few items my boys wear with more pride than their shoes.   Growing up in the West, boys shoes are more often a symbol of status than of necessity.  Our closets overflow with pairs to choose from.   Not so if one lives in Korah… Here, some people go without shoes and most others are taped, pinned, full of holes and worn thin.  Korah shoes are a symbol of poverty.  
 

 



When someone gets a new pair of shoes in Korah – it is a big deal!  Recently we had the opportunity to bring shoes to Korah and on one particular day our van had a crowd of boys surrounding it, just waiting and hoping we would have a pair for them.    

 Two of the boys, Warkesaw and Habtamu stood there, with

 

shoes that were barely held together. 

 

  Wow! How their faces lit up when we rummaged through our bags and found a pair for both of them!

 

 

However, it was a few hours later that struck me the most….

 This time, when we came across them, they were running together, top speed through the crumbled streets, trying out their new shoes!   

 I flashed back to my own boys and chuckled to myself –

YES, BOYS LOVE NEW SHOES!!

 

 Here are a few more great pictures of others

who loved receiving their new shoes!

 

This little guy "Dagum" cried and cried the day before, as he was the only one, who did not receive new shoes... they were all too small! Today, I returned with a pair just for him - he was thrilled and so FOCUSED as I put them on his feet.  For the rest of the day, he wore them proudly showing them off to everyone around him!

 

 

It is so difficult for those who suffer with sickness and disabilities to walk the broken streets of Korah with inadequate shoes. As in these photos (above & below) I have often seen others who are also blind and suffering with leprosy, walk in their bare feet over the sharp rocks and broken streets. 

 

 

 

Measuring for new shoes

 

 

 

 YES, BOYS LOVE NEW SHOES!