Shoes for orphans

It was in my 88th year of life, on a warm July afternoon as I was sitting in my comfortable easy chair. Household work was done for a while and I was just resting my eyes a bit when a voice broke into my reverie. “Frieda, would you have $240 to buy shoes for orphans in Russia?”

I thought, Who was that? I’m in here by myself. Though I was startled, I knew at once it was the voice of God. Without even checking my finances, my immediate response was, “Yes, I do.”

The voice continued with specific instructions to contact the manager of this certain store in Lethbridge and ask him for shoes, $240 worth of them, for this orphanage.

Wow! This seemed unreal. I opened my eyes (all tiredness gone) to see if someone in my house had spoken, but there was no one there. So I got up, found the telephone book and the number of the designated store, called and asked for the manager. I told him who I was and that I’d be in tomorrow morning to buy shoes.

Shortly after, Jim and Analie, friends of mine, came over and I told them, “Tomorrow morning we will go to Lethbridge. I have some important business there.” (They were my drivers.) Arriving at the shoe department, I met the saleslady, who already knew what I wanted. Calling the manager on the phone, she was instructed to give me 25% off. “No, no,” I protested, “I don’t ask for money off, I just want to talk to the manager!”

I sat down in one of the low “fitting chairs” while I waited and then remembered the instructions given me included that the sizes should be for children ages 8 to 18 and could be any colour but white. When I told the manager that the shoes were for orphans, he stood in silence for a bit, looking down at me, almost in reverence it seemed.

Then he spoke up: “There is no sale on today but I’ll do better than 25% off. I’ll let you have them for half price.” At that I jumped up, grabbed his hand, saying “May God bless you” in my usual loud voice! I was so moved by his generosity. Customers in the store heard and came to see the goings-on. In the end, 49 pairs of shoes were lined up at a cost of $240 including GST. I was so overwhelmed.

Having completed such a successful shopping spree, I called pastor Lorne [Willms], asking if he could meet me at our church. My friends and I and our pastor carried the bags of shoes into the church foyer while the lights of the cross in the sanctuary were switched on and several of us went forward to give thanks to the Lord for the shoes and to ask His blessing on those who would wear them.

That’s not quite the end of the story, however. About a week later that voice came again with, “Who do you think you are? Those shoes all had the full price stickers left on them and you let them think that’s the price you paid for them, that you gave that much for the Lord.”

I was smitten at that! I repented and called pastor Lorne to confess my shortcomings. What a relief to have that off my mind. After that I felt like the little boy in the Bible story who willingly offered his lunch for the Master’s use. God had made all these arrangements supernaturally, I had just given what little I had. “Thank you Father,” I said, “for choosing me for this deed of kindness. Amen.”

Frieda Isaac and Margaret Dick are members of Coaldale (Alta.) MB Church. Dick writes, “Frieda is hearing challenged but that was no hindrance to hearing God’s voice in her heart. The shoes were taken to the Mennonite Central Committee depot in Calgary and shipped to an orphanage in Russia.”