Week 32: No Shoes Week

Good morning, y'all! I'm writing this post from my apartment, in gloomy Quincy. The weather the last couple days has been rainy and dreary. Yuck. BUT still loving Quincy despite the gross weather! Last week went very well. I think I've adjusted well, but let me tell you, God is most definitely challenging me in many many ways. It's all great though, and I know that it's in order to change me for the better. I'll probably go more in depth with that in another post maybe this week that's separate from this week's goal.

"No Shoes Week" is the title for week 32. I'll start my explanation with a story from the "One Day Without Shoes" Website:

Maria, age 10, Guatemala

Why shoes: Mountainous and muddy terrain makes farming difficult, both physically and economically, and Maria has never owned a pair of new shoes. This leaves her exposed to infection, intestinal worms, and cold weather illness.

Long-term Benefit: With additional protection from illness and infection, Maria can spend more days helping her family and building her potential in school.

Basically, shoes (things that we really take for granted) are not available to everyone in the world. There are so many places like Ethiopia where people are walking through the streets without shoes in city streets filled with things like glass, metal, and even sewage. Wearing shoes and practicing good hygiene can prevent diseases and infections.

TOMS is an organization that sells shoes, and with every pair purchased, they send a child in need a pair of shoes. Awesome, right? TOMS is the organization that is hosting the "One Day Without Shoes" campaign, which is officially today April 5, in order to raise awareness about the need.

I think a lot of times we get so wrapped up into our own lives and our own wants and needs, that we forget that there are people that are truly in need of things that we take for granted. This is really a simple way to spread the word- go barefoot today or some day this week and when people ask, tell them why! AND visit the TOMS website and buy a pair of shoes. Simple. I know that I have a couple friends participating in "One Day Without Shoes," and I hope that some more of you participate, too!

So basically this week, I am going to go bare foot as much as I can. I think there will be some situations where I'm going to need to wear shoes, but to work and walking outside and such, I will be barefoot. I think you should join me, too. This is a very practical way to get outside yourself and advocate for people around the world who are in need. Let's do it together!