Please take a moment to read the following story, written by my husband, and prayerfully deconsider how you may contribute to this cause.
Do you ever wish you could find a meaningful way to make a difference in someone's life? For me, the feeling is pretty constant. On many occasions I have this aching feeling as I see people on the street or hear about someone who is hurting, but for some reason I lose interest or just get caught up in my own agenda. Many times I catch myself telling Eileen that I "wish I could do something" or "if I had a million dollars I would just give this person what they needed". Today I came across this situation and I wanted to share the story of a man named Teshita.
Last night I set aside about $10 with the intent of getting my shoes shined at the airport on my way to NJ for work. The truth is that I have never had my shoes shined before and thought I would treat myself to this luxury. I think it had something to do with the fact that I had been upgraded to 1st class for the first time in my life and thought I'd perpetrate the image of a succcessful business man as much as possible.
After I purchased my high end cup of coffee I went to sit "on deck" in the empty shoe shining chair while Teshita was finishing up work on a rather scuffy pair of brown shoes that belonged to a chatty middle aged man. This man couldn't stop asking Teshita about the village he came from in Africa. I overheard Teshita explain how he comes from a farming community and that because of the drought finding work was especially difficult. Teshita seemed to just respectfully agree with the man's opinions of the progress made in that part of the country and kept right on working.
As soon as their transaction was complete Teshita gave me a warm smile and got right to work on my shoes. I made a conscious effort to not talk for some reason, maybe I figured that he could use the break from the empty chatter. To my surprise Teshita's raw emotion transcended his broken English and grabbed my attention right away. He told me how the last few weeks have been really hard to get through and after speaking with the last customer he was reminded of how much he misses his wife and infant son who were back in his tiny village in Africa. He told me how he was selected in an immigration lottery 2 years ago and that he jumped at the chance to come to the USA to earn a living so he could support his family. He went on to tell me that his only option right now is to shine shoes partly because of the job market but also because he has some physical challenges as well. It was at that point that I noticed his crooked legs...it's funny what you don't notice when someone has a smile on their face isn't it? I asked him how long it had been since he saw his family...Teshita immediately gave me the exact figures - 22 months 2 weeks etc... He said his son was a newborn when he left. I probed a little and he said it's too expensive to fly back - a ticket costs about $2000. Teshita told me he makes $1 per shoe shine plus tips so it's not easy to raise the money. He told me that he would drop everything and go home today if he had the money but that it's just not possible.
It was at this point that my heart broke and he must have noticed the look on my face at the mention of missing his son's first 2 years. I mean the only thing holding him back is a couple of thousand dollars?
- What a difference could we make in not only this man's life but in the life of his family?
- What would it mean to his son when he is held in his father's strong and loving embrace for the first time in years?
- How special would that first kiss be when he sees his wife after all this time? I wish you could have seen the joy and surprise in his eyes when I gave him a generous tip. I want to share this feeling with anyone who wants to be part of helping him out. Trust me - it will be an investment with great rewards. How about we practice love instead of talking about it?
Eileen and I have already started a fund for him - we are throwing in the first and last $100 and I am determined to send this man home. If you feel compelled to make a difference let me know. I'm collecting anything that can help him out. Maybe you can spare $20? Or maybe you can get a ticket from Az to Africa for cheap?
Please let me know what you are willing to do and we'll figure it out!
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