These Boots are Made for Walkin'.

My mother once told me a story about how she participated in a talent show when she was in high school, singing These Boots are Made for Walking, sang by Nancy Sinatra. It must have been quite the daring number for a conservative household in suburbia southwestern Ohio. 

Today I did something that I've wanted to do for nearly three years. I travelled to Pastores to purchase a pair of hand-made boots. Our intern, Sophie had ordered a pair of custom boots and my wife, Kellie was making the drive so that she could pick them up. I was just along for the ride.

But how could I resist as I sat among all those boots while Sophie completed her purchase and Kellie was fitted for her own pair? Things like this are a difficult for us... we always want to be good stewards of our money. But, the truth is that these boots can be purchased for less than a pair of athletic shoes at the average American strip mall.

I was sock-less and desperate, as was Kellie, and so we accepted our intern's offer to borrow her socks... to her amusement. 

And I'm so thankful that I did... the 6th pair of boots that I tried on were a perfect fit. I had $50 in my pocket from a consultant job I'd taken at a local business, and would you know... the price of the boots were exactly that. 

These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do. Of course, they aren't going to walk all over anybody... but they'll certainly carry the mission through this nation. We've got some amazing conversations going on.

Conversations about: training up Guatemalan pastors to plant churches in the city, conversations about stepping further outside of our safe zone to carry the gospel, conversations about how the Ministerios Iglesia de Dios Guatemala (Ministry of the Church of God in Guatemala) is exploding throughout Central America, and how God is blessing Journey Church Guatemala with new families.

Our family is taking a breath right now. June brings to us the summer schedule that will bless us with friends, teams, and our student program Emmaus. It also means that we'll go from June 11 to July 31 without a day off.

Oh yes... these boots are made for walkin'.

Let's go.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

-Isaiah 52:8; see also Romans 10:15