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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / inspiration / Inspiration Workshop! / {Inspiration Workshop! — shoes}

{Inspiration Workshop! — shoes}

May 10, 2012 · 14 Comments
Filed Under: Inspiration Workshop!, Tanzania + Compassion

WOW, you guys. I’m in Tanzania, Africa right now — traveling with Compassion International — and this is the perfect prompt to be sharing about shoes while I’m traveling abroad!

Wanna link up with us? See the end of this post for instructions on how to link up with us // how to receive our monthly newsletter.

* * *

When we planned this post prompt I think I had a general idea of what kind of shoes {or lack there of} I’d be seeing in Tanzania, but now that I’m here I’m seeing a totally different perspective.

Most of the time we see sandals on the people here ~ many of the school kids wear black dress shoes. And some times they wear no shoes at all! We’ve visited Mwanza + Arusha {cities} — we’ve seen the people here go barefoot when they’re walking the dirt roads in their neighborhoods. We’ve seen shoes floating down dirty river water, off to the side in a field near the road, even tucked between sticks in the wall of a mud-wall house. And get this, Zack saw a man building a roof {!} and pointed out he wasn’t wearing shoes at all.

Shoes aren’t always a priority to the people that live here. Instead, growing the freshest fruits + vegetables, scooping up the freshest water from a puddle nearby, and having a solid roof on your home take precedence. And now that I’m here it makes total sense.

Below are a handful of my favorite photos taken by Keely Marie Scott. Gosh, I heart this girl. And her name. Isn’t her name cute?? She’s been our photographer for the week and she’s goooooood! :)

— shoes in Africa —

wanna know the secret to basket carrying perfection?
make a fabric roll and then set your basket on top of that.

a mattress made from scarves + fabric

handmade charcoal

a sweet boy from one of the Child Development Centers we visited this week,
and look at his shoes! oh, shoes make me happy!

having a nail polish party, this is HAPPINESS!

playing footsie with my neighbor

this woman is from a traditional Maasai tribe,
she doesn’t wear shoes but I think she likes it that way.

OH THE CHILDREN! this group of children was a bit older
than the other groups we visited and it was such a treat to spend the day with them.
I can only imagine how far they’ve advanced since joining Compassion’s sponsorship program.
And look at their shoes — again, HAPPINESS!

flip flops! my absolute favorite kind of shoe

look! this little boy’s outfit matches his shoes ♥

every day the kids dressed in their very best for us, and look how cute they look!
boys in collared shirts + girls in colorful dresses ~
Compassion truly does wonderful things for these children.

LET’S CHAT SHOES! What do they mean to you? Or is there another item you have that means as much to you as shoes do to the kids here in Tanzania? Did you know that if you sponsored a child for $38/month {the cost of two Starbucks drinks a week} you are helping to provide your sponsor child with a pair of shoes. If a child enters the program without their own pair, one will be provided — cool black shoes for school or fancy shoes for the girls, or sandals or tennis shoes. Any pair would be so inspiring for them, AND YOU!

And not only are sponsored kids ensured shoes, but simple things most of us probably take for granted: a safe place to play; nutritional + hot meals; education, including vocational trades like seamstress/tailoring, computer and bead-making; weekly/monthly/bi-monthly home visits by each Child Development Center’s social worker to check-in on the child’s home life.

* * *

This week’s Inspiration Workshop! prompt is SHOES!
♥ Share your blog post with us by linking up below. I’ll be clicking through the links so I hope you join the party and share your inspiration!!!! You have until the evening of May 13th to link-up your post.

Want even more inspiration? Read all previous Inspiration Workshop! posts by clicking here.

Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop!


Sign up for our monthly Inspiration Workshop! newsletter to read about additional resources + ideas, plus other fun stuff you may not want to miss. The next email will send on Friday, June 1st.


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14 Comments
Filed Under: Inspiration Workshop!, Tanzania + Compassion

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{lessons learned from my friends in Tanzania…} »

Comments

  1. {darlene} says

    May 10, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    such a fun side of things from you wonderful Tanzania bloggers!

    Reply
  2. Carly says

    May 10, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    I am going to Ghana, West Africa in less than two months {my fifth trip there} and your pictures are making me so excited to go again! The people and children are beautiful, some of the most beautiful and friendly people in the world. I’m so happy you’re having a blessed trip!

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      May 10, 2012 at 1:58 pm

      oh my goodness YES — so friendly! we’ve been here for almost 6 days and i haven’t heard anyone argue! can you imagine?? not even the kids argue :)

      i hope you have a wonderful time in ghana! ♥

      Reply
  3. Annie says

    May 10, 2012 at 2:12 pm

    Ok. That little fella in the khaki shorts and white shirt. I need him. He is so cute! That face. All these children! So beautiful! Love these post and so look forward to your recaps each day! Blessings lovey!

    xoxoxo

    Reply
    • Gussy Sews says

      May 10, 2012 at 2:37 pm

      thank you sweet friend! tomorrow is our last day here — we’re going on a safari!!! xoxo

      Reply
  4. Annie says

    May 10, 2012 at 2:48 pm

    my word! how fun will that be!!!!! take lots of pix! can’t wait to hear {read} all about it! xoxo

    Reply
  5. Patricia says

    May 10, 2012 at 6:00 pm

    A shoe post wins my heart. Keely will tell you why! Love it!

    Reply
  6. emily freeman says

    May 10, 2012 at 8:45 pm

    I LOVE all these shoe pics! What a beautiful perspective you have, Maggie. Love reading it.

    Reply
  7. emily freeman says

    May 10, 2012 at 8:46 pm

    ah! Patricia! I think of those HUGE bags of shoes you brought to the Philippines…what a gift.

    Reply
  8. Beth Zimmerman says

    May 10, 2012 at 10:56 pm

    I’m not going to link up because every time I admit my Crocs addiction (I have over a dozen pairs … different styles and colors) someone points out my lack of fashion sense! :)

    Thank you for sharing your journey!

    Reply
  9. susie contreras says

    May 11, 2012 at 1:08 am

    I’m enjoying reading about your journey so much! I’m a longtime reader who is trying to blog (again, I hope it sticks this time) so this is my first time linking up… and shoes was the perfect subject. I’m not much of a shoe gal, except when it comes to little girl’s shoes for my daughter. I’m all over that! But I have to say that reading your posts from Tanzania is even more inspiring than all the beautiful shoes in all the world. Keep doing the great positive work you are doing.

    Bless!

    Reply
  10. Margaret says

    May 11, 2012 at 9:52 pm

    What a lovely post–wonderful photos!!

    Reply
  11. Michelle@Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust says

    May 12, 2012 at 10:26 pm

    Hello Maggie, I’m stopping because I met you at SNAP. I remember you well because you’re SO adorable. I can’t believe you are in Africa. Amazing! I enjoyed seeing these amazing photos of the people there. Hope to see you again at another gathering!

    Warmly, Michelle

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Decorating Truths from A 15-Year-Old Tanzanian Boy says:
    May 10, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    […] of Compassion, now Topiwo can go to school, have a uniform and a pair of shoes and even get tutoring for his studies.  I ask her what she hopes for Topiwo’s future and she […]

    Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

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We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

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Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
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What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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