Rejoicing over Shoes
You could feel excitement in the air, like electricity before a tropical storm. The sound of the large diesel truck could be heard in the distance as it wound around Mount Damota headed into Soddo town. The sound finally grew into a roar as the truck followed the dirt road approaching the Mossy Foot Project headquarters. At last the long awaited moment had arrived!
The driver blasted the horn as our guard ran to swing open the gate for the truck to enter. Cheers went up as our overjoyed employees ran to greet the arrival.
Four months ago, 25,000 donated children’s shoes arrived from China in Port Djibouti. But getting them from there to Soddo proved a challenge. Our director, Zebdewos, made numerous grueling trips to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. As Zebdewos visited various government offices, he used the opportunity to raise awareness of the work Mossy Foot Project is doing. Our appeal went all the way to the Prime Minister’s office.
Finally we were granted the right to import the shoes duty free. Within a few weeks, the precious cargo of children’s shoes, donated by Samaritan’s Feet, arrived at their final destination.
Soon everyone began unloading the shoes so that the crane could lift the shipping container onto the concrete foundation prepared for it. Even Happy, our driver Dawit’s young son, enthusiastically joined in the task, dwarfed the the large boxes he carried.
