Post by Chad Houck, GivMusic Blog Contributor: Chad is the co-founder and director of World Wins International.  You can follow Chad and his family on their travels at http://share5.org.

In 2007 my wife and I had the pleasure of taking a two week trip to Ghana, West Africa to do some speaking.  On our arrival, we asked about the possibility of hiking Krobo Mountain, the area where the tribal natives used to live.  The first mile or so was fairly flat, but I had heard that the terrain at the top was a bit more challenging.  I debated if my Asics running shoes were appropriate, or if my Asolo waterproof cross-hikers might be the better choice with their more aggressive tread.  On the day of our hike, I noticed two of our guides had only leather strap sandals with flat, smooth soles.  One person was wearing the same shoes they had worn to church, yet I was the one who felt overdressed.

Last week I was down in Mexico on a missions trip with an American team of High School students.  We were doing construction work, so in the morning, I got up, crawled out of my sleeping bag, and laced up my Vibram-soled steel-reinforced work boots to hit the job site.  After a good hard day of kicking shovels and dropping hammers on my feet, I returned to the campsite and slid my toes out of my boots and into a pair of slightly more comfortable Converse All-Stars.  Later that night, I ditched my Cons for my Crocs sandals to trudge to the shower.

Before you label me a “retifist” (a person with an irrational shoe fetish), allow me to share what has my soul all fixated on my soles.

While the African instance stuck in my head for a while, the Mexico scenario didn’t so much as make me even bat an eye until earlier this week.  That is when I saw a day on my calendar that I had committed to “take a walk” in another’s shoes.  Technically, it would be more accurate to say that I had agreed to walk in their lack of shoes.  April 8^th is the date for the TOMS Shoes national “One Day Without Shoes” campaign, and a day that both my wife and I, despite a corporate shareholder’s meeting and a handful of appointments, will go through with nothing on our feet.  It is the day where we will make an effort to better grasp how the less fortunate in this world live, work, and play – barefoot.

In many developing nations, both children and adults must daily walk many miles for water, food, or medical attention.  Adults may suffer scrapes from work in the fields.  Some children are not allowed to attend schools for lack of footwear.  Others simply can’t attend because of sickness and disease resulting from infected cuts on their bare feet.

In Ethiopia today, approximately one million people suffer from a disease known as Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring, yet completely curable disease caused by walking barefoot on volcanic soils.  The sharp clay cuts the soles of the feet, impregnating them with small pieces of silica and causing lymphatic disease and severe, incapacitating swelling.  Prevention is as simple as a pair of shoes coupled to some basic hygiene.

So what can YOU do about it?  Start with awareness and ACTION.  Join me by going barefoot on April 8^th, whether for an hour or the day.  Go to the One Day Without Shoes website and educate yourself, then either join an event in your area or host one of your own.  You may even want to buy a pair of TOMS shoes to slide your tired, bare feet into at the end of the day.

Last Christmas, TOMS provided over 37,000 pairs of shoes to children in Ethiopia to help prevent Podoconiosis.  They were able to do so because of 37,000 people that either bought or gave TOMS as gifts during the Christmas season.  For every pair of  TOMS they sell, they give a pair away, One for One.  Perhaps they should be your next pair of shoes?

Don’t have the dough to go out and buy you and a your new friend on the other side of the world a new pair of kicks?  No worries! You could always offer him or her a pair of your gently used ones by donating them to Soles 4 Souls (www.Soles4Souls.org), a charity that is giving away a pair of new or gently used shoes every 9 seconds.

Find a shoe drop-off location near you at http://www.soles4souls.org/about/locations.html

A GivStory by Paige Armstrong                  

I was 11 years old when I found out that I had bone cancer. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever faced in my life, God has brought incredible blessings from that situation and has truly unleashed my purpose through that pain. One of those blessings, was an opportunity through an organization called Make-A-Wish Foundation, to come to Nashville and record a professional CD. After that, there seemed to be a domino effect of opportunities to sing and speak all over the country, eventually leading to moving to Nashville, signing a record deal and being asked to be the speaker for the iShineLIVE tour.

iShine LIVE is a high energy, Biblically based event for tweens. There are all kinds of artists performances and a powerful message on what it means to be  “V.I.P” in God’s eyes. iShine is all about helping kids understand their identity in Christ amidst a culture that teaches them otherwise.  I have had the privilege of being the speaker for iShine since it started, and am excited to be sharing the stage again with other artist such as The Rubyz, Mission Six, and more! Through my battle with cancer, I learned how precious life truly is and how much we can’t waste it. God has shown me that I wasn’t spared to just keep silent and sit on the sidelines of life. We all have a purpose. My mission now is doing whatever it takes to help people find that and live it out.

I had heard of World Vision through different advertisements online and through word of mouth, I wasn’t officially introduced to what they do until they became a partner with our iShine LIVE tour. When I was asked to be the one on tour to share about World Vision, I met with a man from their team who explained with tears in his eyes about what the organization does. He showed me videos of the work they are doing all over the world and the need that is crying out all in so many places. It was an emotional meeting, and I was instantly captivated by their work and wanted to be a part of it. I started sponsoring a 12 year old girl a year ago named, Majorie, who lives in Port-au-Prince Haiti. As you can imagine, it struck me incredibly hard when I heard about the earthquake that hit there. I decided to write a song for Haiti and record it with professionals who donated their time in order to be sold for the proceeds to go to World Vision Haiti relief team.  If you’re able, you can go pick up my song, “Not Forgotten”, on iTunes, and all of the funds will go straight to the missions work going on out there.

We all have something that we can do… There is no need to feel helpless. Whether it’s buying a song that is supporting the restoration of Haiti, going to a benefit or taking on an orphan as a sponsor child… there are so many things we are needed to do. I’m asking you to please consider getting involved with World Vision and sponsoring a child. You pay a small amount each month which covers your child’s food, health care, education, shelter and so much more!

Click below to listen to Paige’s GivStory Podcast on iTunes.

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