Shoes are an important part of a missionary’s attire, though
not an important part of a Ghanaian’s wardrobe. Scriptures share with us that
Jesus walked the dusty roads of Palestine with “…shoes I am not worthy to
unloose…” and so it is with shoes worn by our missionaries in the bush. I feel
some days like John who uttered those words generations ago by the river
Jordan. Our shoes see some of the toughest terrain known to man. The reddish clay
dirt we experience, sticks like glue to your sole, especially when it rains.
The standing water, at times, is negotiated with wading the deep in your normal stride. Days of heat and dust take
their toll on everyone’s footwear and will leave your legs and feet with a
coating of dust and grime. Weekly polish and sometimes daily polish are part of
a missionary’s routine, yet there is another sign that will tell a story of the
day’s activities- prayer. Missionaries kneel and pray a number of times per day
along with their investigators, and very seldom on anything but mother earth.
The polish is ground off during the day by just kneeling to pray with members
and nonmembers alike. I hear no complaints, no grumbling of polishing shoes on
a daily basis, no murmuring of sticky clay during the rainy season, just bright
shiny shoes leaving the house in the morning and dirty scuffed weathered shoes
after a day of service in the vineyard. O that one day I may be worthy to wash
His feet with my tears of joy and thankfulness as I hear his voice utter “…well
done my faithful son”.
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