New Shoes for Our Egyptian Young Men

The view from the bus ride left us asking: "Now where exactly do these boys live?" We searched for the location and found a great group of eager boys waiting our arrival. Shoes for Orphan Souls is a great program that Buckner International does to open doors for the Gospel all over the world. It is hard to imagine how a child feels to have a stranger from another part of the world travel to their land just to put a pair of shoes on their little feet. That was our experience in Cairo, Egypt. It really puts meaning into the phrase: "It is better to give than to receive." As we placed the feet on these little guys feet, we felt like we were 300 ft. tall. Below you can see a video of us doing this to our little friends in a Boys home during our visit.
As we played soccer with the boys and listened to their stories, we were told that the national policy of Egypt is that adoption, especially international adoption is not an option. This teaching goes way back to the days of Islamic law to Mohammed's day, where adoption is frowned upon by society. So, children without parents are usually passed from family to family, or else they hit the street. These boys have an opportunity to receive love and attention until the time they are released into society. So while these are with them, the directors have an opportunity to teach the message of Christ in the Bible until the day they decide to go on their own. The staff were wonderful people and really had a heart for the Lord. While we were not their very long, the memories we made will last a lifetime.

Proverbs 25:25 says: "Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. " What a great opportunity to bear the good news of Christ love across the globe!
Some of the Pastors had an opportunity to play soccer with these young men. Most played in their bare feet. Even Pastor Rolando Rodriguez who was wearing dress shoes at the time, took off his shoes to play with them. They nick-named him "Reynaldo" after the famous Brazilian player, but he didn't bother to correct them. I think "Renaldo" told his congregation that he now does international soccer exhibitions for Christ (Oh brother!). Nevertheless, the boys wanted a rematch once they had their new tennis shoes. But, unfortunately it was time to go. I couldn't help but feel that our lack of communication skills in Arabic, was superseded by the love and encouragement we brought in Christ to these young men.