The Shoes We Use

Sorry it has taken us so long to post another update here; for pretty much the entire month of March, we had someone (for several weeks either Mom or Dad) sick in the house, so we've been kind of in survival mode for a while. However, we're back on the mend now, so we wanted to post another glimpse into joys and trials of life on the mission field here in Cameroon...

Shoes Are A Hassle!! But they are important, as the armor of God describes. Generally the MKs around here (along with adult kids at heart) kick off their shoes at the first chance possible. Charis and Channah made the staff of the elementary school in MD laugh during our last furlough, because they were not two steps out the door before they bent over to get rid of those nasty inhibiting shoes!

One pair of our "gently used" shoes

Over here in Cameroon, we use shoes to death as you can see. We glue 'em, stitch 'em, and use 'em some more. And, of course, we also pass them down to the next smallest child if there is any life left in them when the current owner outgrows them. When coming back from the States, we try to bring along as many as possible for kids to grow into or anyone to use when their current pair disintegrates because it can be rather challenging to shop for them in the markets; the price is often high and the quality is always a mystery until you get them home and wear them for a while; sometimes they last for years, sometimes they fall apart in a week! One reason for this is the common practice over here of remaking shoes so they look like they're new. These remade shoes look like a brand new pair and won't cost as much as a new pair of Adidas, but they often don't last more than a few weeks (or sometimes even only for one hard soccer match!).

A pair of the kids' cleats

However, a few months ago I was pleased to become acquainted with a particular shoe seller in one of the markets downtown. He provided sport shoes for both the twins and later assisted in getting a pair for Daniel. One of the things I really like about this man is that it appears that his shoes are not remakes but more along the lines of gently used, like a good find you'd get at a second hand store. Therefore, they may last longer. I hope so!

Some of the dress shoes Kaiah has tried for dances

One more funny thing about shoes here. Periodically throughout the year, the high school holds semi-formal dances for the kids, but the girls often like to get as dressed up as they can.This includes finding the perfect pair of shoes to go with their dress. If one girl doesn't have the perfect match, she searches in her friends' closets, often trying on many different pairs, examining them with the dress of choice, asking opinions of said friends, finally deciding on the perfect match.....only to kick them off when it comes time for the first dance!