Broken shoes

Let's make things simple, bringing out a smile.

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Arriving in a place surrounded by a thick jungle and a large river, which we sailed for seven hours, I finally arrive at a beautiful place, friendly, simple, and affectionate people, far from my reality and I from theirs. Many young people came to help us with some boxes and a few suitcases, they did it with taste and encouragement, under a strong downpour they enjoyed it and spread the joy to me. As we enter the small hamlet the reality again hits me, there are no cars, and the most curious thing either a bicycle, and well the truth was not necessary, it was a very small place.

By sharing with all these beautiful people, listening to many children and young people was learning a lot from them. Again I talk about the reality I'm used to in the city. I have everything at hand and I don't give it much importance. They made me value everything from time to food, bed, but above all water, because it is time to take it to the house and take very good care of it, so as not to waste it, all this in jars, pots, any container serves.

After this introduction, a boy was told, 'Elkin' befriended me. I will tell you about him in these lines: He is a cheerful boy, with shoes full of patches and you could tell that he had already cooked them on more than one occasion, the most surprising thing is that he played football without shoes to be able to run better, besides that he defended very well and enjoyed every game , his dream is to be a great footballer.

One morning, the place ran out of water, and with those friends, we went uphill to fix the damage. I wore brown shoes that Elkin really liked. At the time I thought, 'I'm going to give them to you, you weren't very new, but they were fine. As we fulfilled our mission to fix the damaged tube, we went down a stone-filled place, it was hard to get through. From one moment to the next, my shoes break a little and the sole peels off, and for me they are ready for the garbage.

Together with our friend Elkin we returned to the provisional house, which the people of the mission had provided us. The first thing I did was take off my broken shoes and confirm that they were already too damaged, to keep wearing them. That's what I thought, but Elkin looked at them with other eyes, until he was encouraged to tell me: Don't go throw away those shoes sir, they still serve, they just need a good patch and I'm an expert on that. I re-diminished his shoes which had all but been mend.

At that moment Elkin gave me several lessons: Value things, solve problems and reuse what still works. I asked the Elkin, if he could fix them and he said, Of course he does, when he needs them, and restassured that I will not charge him anything, you are my friend, again it shocked my heart, for he did not expect anything in return and would render me his service with joy.

yours and I assure you that you taught me a lot in this gesture. He jumped for joy, as if it were something new or the best gift in the world, hugged me and thanked me. He said he'd score a lot of goals with those shoes. At dusk he arrived with his shoes already mend and told one of his friends, 'Look at my new shoes' smiling.

Let's make things simple, bringing out a smile.