For Thanksgiving this year, my new friend Jaime and I planned, organized and executed the first ever Community Foot Care Clinic in Uptown.  Through the generosity of dozens of volunteers and donors, we were able to gather all the supplies necessary within a week!  Seriously - one week! 

One of the coolest stories that came out of gathering the supplies came from a friend of mine who lives in Romeoville.  This friend saw that I had a need for supplies - immediately began to gather what she could and enlist her facebook friends and small group to help her.  One of her friends from high school whom she hasn't seen in years - responded enthusiastically and these two old friends reunited over socks and hand sanitizer!

Another generous friend enlisted her co-workers to gather a hundred pair of socks!  And another contributor went to Costco, got a membership, and bought another 80 pair of socks!

Unbelievable, spontaneous generosity!

I knew I did not have the $ to get supplies.  Having an accident two weeks ago putting me into debt, I had no other choice but to call up friends and supports and ask for help.  I learned through this that people really DO want to help - they DO want to give - They do want to be apart of things, even if they cannot physically attend themselves!  I hope I have become a more bold and visionary "asker" through this!

So! Jaime and I have developed a fabulous partnership in dreaming for the loving care of this community.  Jaime's passion for physically hurting people and my access to hundreds of them SMASHED into a really exciting vision for the next several months!

Our first Foot Care Clinic was a HUGE learning experience.  Each time Jaime and I met or talked on the phone, we would laugh at the veil of the unknown that stood between us and the event we were planning.  We really had no idea what to expect!  Knowing that God would communicate His vision for the combination of our gifts through stepping out in faith - neither of us was afraid of failure.  In fact, it was hard to imagine failure when we knew we were doing the right thing and following God.

Both of us were also experiencing painful attacks, spiritually and physically as we prepared for the event.  It was a huge comfort to have a friend and partner to fight together the many things the enemy tried to use to sabotage this event.  The stronger the attack, the greater the assurance that God was up to something.  The anticipation was tremendous leading up to Wednesday morning!

Jaime and I along with our volunteers took the day as it came at us - shifting and accommodating, submitting our ideals and doing what was necessary to keep going!

The biggest win - men and women sat for 10-20 minutes with an attentive care-giver soaking their feet, scrubbing off dirt and treating infection.  Each foot-care giver was nervous, but pushed through that nervousness and truly engaged the lives of the men and women they were caring for.  It was beautiful to watch the connections happening - the ways people would open up as they relaxed their feet in a warm tub of soapy water.

Jaime would tell you that one of the biggest things she experienced during the clinic, as the nurse on hand, was all sorts of questions!  Many people who did not get their feet cared for still came up to ask her questions about foot care.  This is very encouraging as we prepare to hold the 2nd Foot Care Clinic right around Christmas. We anticipate many more volunteers and a much more efficient system to provide less distracted care.

As we look towards that event, we are hoping to find more medical volunteers able to help Jaime with the kind of care the other volunteers cannot address.  We anticipate as the winter progresses, the foot issues will increase and the need for medical care will be more prevalent.  We will also need more Lotramine, clippers, and willing, loving hands to help out!  If you are interested in helping in any way this winter - please send me a message and I will gladly engage you in this project!

The idea of caring for the feet in this community thrills me.  In Uptown, feet are very possibly the most vulnerable part of a person's body during the winter.  And honestly it takes a little effort, a little planning and a lot of love to pull off an event that can DEEPLY impact a community desperate for basic care.

Thank you to all of those who jumped in to make this happen!  There were dozens of people I have never met that bought socks, wash clothes, hand sanitizer and other items!  Small groups gathered around this and friends supported friends with child-care and encouragement to make an impact in Uptown!

Thank you to those who prayed and sent encouraging messages to Jaime and I as we planned, prepared and fought personal battles to make this thing happen.  Thank you for knowing the most important work to be done in not visible - and for contributing in that way.

Thank you God for bringing me to this community 6 months ago, for the random connection with Jaime and the timing of Thanksgiving!  Thank you, Lord that you have men and women dedicated to this community and that You are on the move in Uptown.  I want to continue to follow Your lead.  So... Lead on!