BMDMI - Mission to Honduras

Dear Soles4Souls,

On behalf of the 67 team members who traveled to Intibucca, Honduras in July 2007, I would like to thank you for your generous support of our mission. Thanks to your donation, over 3500 people, many of whom came to us bare-footed, were fitted with shoes. To see the joy on the face of a mother as her children squealed with delight to have a new pair of shoes, or to see the men able to go back into the fields with decent protection for their feet let us see how something so simple and basic as a pair of shoes could make such a profound difference in someone's life. The traditional services we have provided are Medical (to include pharmaceutical and eyeglasses), Dental and Veterinary. This year, thanks to the help of Soles4Souls we were able to distribute shoes for the first time.

Our "Shoe Team" consisted of four adults, six teenagers and three Honduran interpreters. The people of this area were desperate for shoes, so they patiently waited in line for hours, as the team worked to measure their feet and distribute the correct shoes. Many of the Honduran people had feet that were deformed and had bunions from years of wearing shoes that were too small. The Honduran people are small and have small feet, so by the second day we ran out of many of the smaller sizes, but they gladly took larger shoes in order to have something to protect their feet.

The effect of the donated shoes in incalculable. Men and women could safely work to provide for their families. Children could run and play safely. The incidence of parasites and disease, which often enters through the feet, has undoubtedly been greatly reduced. These shoes may ultimately have as much effect in improving the lives of the people of Intibucca as our other ministries.

In closing, on behalf of the Baptist Medical and Dental Mission international, the DeFidder Field Team of BMDMI, and the people of Intibucca, Honduras, I want to thank you for your kind and generous donation of shoes. The benefits of these shoes cannot be overstated. We intend to make shoes a continuing part of our program. We hope that Soles4Souls will be able to support us in our 2008 mission.

Sincerely,

Rod Pollard
DeFidder Field Team Captain
Baptist Medical and Dental Mission International

Soles4Souls in Honduras

Soles4Souls focused this week's distribution on the poorest of the poor. Honduras is well-known to be a third world country, but it's not without it's successful businesses, shiny SUV's, and fine restaurants. The capital city, Tegucigalpa, can show the gap between the rich and the poor quite plainly. About 20 city residents recieved athletic shoes from Soles4Souls featuring the New Balance, Asics, and Reebok brands. Most feet in the city have shoes, so Soles4Souls turned to those without.

The Isle of Tiger lies south of Tegucigalpa, within an inlet that protects it from the Pacific Ocean's rough waters. The team brought about 3,000 pair to the island, mostly in a Holey Soles unisex shoe. All the Holey Soles along with See Kai Run and Teva brands, were loaded into 15 foot boats and headed to the Island. The shoes coursed just a mile or two to the island's dock where they were reloaded onto 4 pick-up trucks for transport inside. Team members piled on top of shoes stacked 8 feet tall and held on for dear life along the rough roads.

"It feels like we're on National Geographic", commented team member Chris Baldwin.

A site near a school was chosen for distribution, and the community rallied together quickly upon the team's arrival. The trucks parked in a circle and three lines were formed for shoe distribution. Each person was sized by shoe sizers donated by the Woodrow Engineering Company in Sister Bay, WI and Justin Blair & Co. of Chicago, IL. Thanks to the sizers, each person was appropriately fitted.

"I think everyone here has been served", said team member Jerry Cotney, after several hours of intense distribution and accomplishing the day's objective.

Indeed, Holey Soles, Teva, and See Kai Run shoes could be seen in bright colors up and down the dusty roads. Team members said their farewells and traversed back across the island with the remaining shoes left over. They went back into storage in a warehouse within Tegucigalpa for later distribution.

Paul Wilson