CAPE TOWN, South Africa — When he was just a 3-year-old toddler, Raldo was standing too close to a fire his uncle built. Not realizing his small nephew was nearby, the uncle turned around and doused the fire with paraffin.
“The fire came at me,” Raldo said.
Now 9 years old, Raldo is severely scarred on his face, arms and hands from the blaze. But that does not stop this youngster from living a life like any kid his age.
Raldo is just one of hundreds of children in the Capricorn township who received a new pair of shoes thanks to Samaritan’s Feet South Africa, a Christian non-profit organization that works through volunteers to share Bible stories and distribute shoes to children in need.
A team of Brazilian soccer players who are ministering to youth in townships through soccer camps also volunteered their time to help with a shoe distribution. Working alongside the Brazilians are volunteers with Living Hope, a Christian outreach organization in Cape Town, and members of Bay Church in Capricorn.
As children show up at the Living Hope community center in Capricorn, they first hear a story about how Samaritan’s Feet was started by Manny Ohonme, a Nigerian-born former basketball player for the University of North Dakota, who was given a pair of shoes as a 9-year-old boy still living in Nigeria by a missionary from Wisconsin.
Ohonme began playing basketball while wearing his new shoes and developed his athletic skills over the years so well that he was given a scholarship to play basketball in the United States.
Ohonme went on to become a successful businessman and never forgot how a “good Samaritan” gave him a gift that changed his life. Eventually he was able to start Samaritan’s Feet in Charlotte, North Carolina, to help others in Africa.
After hearing Ohonme’s story, the children are told about Jesus’ love for us and how we are to be “good Samaritans” in our lives and be examples of Christ’s love.
Before getting a new pair of shoes, children visit with one of the volunteers for a few minutes while their feet are washed. The volunteers also take time to pray with the kids and then send them on for a snack with a new pair shoes.
Mark and Caroline Collie serve as program directors for Samaritan’s Feet South Africa. For more information on Samaritan’s Feet South Africa, visit their website at www.samaritansfeetsa.com. For information on the Samaritan’s Feet organization based in North Carolina, visit www.samaritansfeet.org.
Jacob Alexander is a writer for IMB’s Global Communication Team. He enjoys sharing God’s stories from all over Africa and is becoming more of a soccer fan from being in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup.
