What Carries “True Worth” In Our Lives?

            As the date of our departure to Kenya gets closer and closer, I have found myself reminiscing about my first trip to Africa (Uganda), when I was a senior in high school.  One of the most impacting experiences for me was when we visited a family on the outskirts of the town we were working in.  As their home came into view, it was obvious to see the extreme poverty that they were living in.  I remember meeting the different family members and then being asked to sit down and visit with them. At this point, the mother went over and took out a set of cheap plastic cups and mixed up some Tang-like powdered drinks for us. As she brought out the drinks, the whole family was beaming with pride. Rarely did they get the opportunity to take out their best cups and serve guests the best juice they had to offer.  As I sipped the beverage, they watched me closely for any sign of my approval.

            I will never forget the looks of excitement on their faces at the opportunity they had to serve us and provide us with the very best they had to offer. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life and the value they placed in me during my fifteen minute visit in their home has not been matched anywhere since. Rarely do we get to experience someone giving us their very best, or showing that they truly value us.

            Remembering this story has challenged me to take a look at my own life and figure out what I am assigning “true worth” to and how this affects me.  Is my focus on physical things, like cars and money?  Am I valuing the personal relationships I have enough?  What about my relationship with God? 

            A few years ago, I was walking by a house that was for sale with a person I consider a mentor of mine.  He pulled out the flyer and asked me what I thought the house was worth.  Seeing an opportunity to impress him, I looked at the price on the flyer ($425,000) and stated that considering its location and the prices of comparable homes in the neighborhood, I thought it was only worth $375,000.  “You are wrong” he replied. “It is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.”

            What is a great marriage worth to you?  Or a great friendship? What is being a Christian worth to you? How much are you willing to pay for these things?  I could go down the list of what we might consider things that are truly important to us.  However, the question we must ask ourselves is this: what carries true worth in our life?  And are we willing to pay the price to create something that has true worth?  I believe that things are not inherently valuable or carry a specific amount of worth.  Instead, we are the ones who define what something is worth.  

            With only a few months left before we depart on our trip to Africa, I am continually asking myself this question: “What price are you willing to pay to make this trip extraordinary?”  How much worth am I placing on this trip?  My desire is to treat this trip just like the family treated me when I visited their home; with extreme love and service, willing to give up my very best without seeking anything in return.  They showed me what my true worth was to them and I looking forward to the opportunity to show the people of Kenya their true worth to me.

Nate Yokers

The Meaning of Three Letters

TFP.

What do those three letters, and more importantly, the phrase they represent, mean in my life?

On the surface, the answer to that question seems fairly obvious. In its simplest form, the ultimate goal of Two Feet Project is to help those in need—a goal often much easier said than done. This is a goal which requires someone to step forward boldly with both feet. A tentative, ‘one foot in the door’ approach to changing lives won’t accomplish anything.

Over a year ago, when Stephen first sat down with me to talk about whether or not I felt called to be involved with this project, my initial reaction was one of wonder mixed with a bit of excitement. Leading up to that meeting, I had been feeling a strong pull to do something beyond my daily routine of office work, dinner, and occasional exercise (very occasional). Some might say I was merely suffering from the typical shock that most post graduates experience when they realize that being a full fledged adult isn’t quite as exciting as they’d expected, but I disagree. I believe that God was calling me to something else.

I had been searching for opportunities to give of myself, even to volunteer abroad, but had come up with little more than some vague possibilities, when Stephen approached me with his idea for TFP.I couldn’t help but feel that God had been preparing me for this partnership. At that time, I had no idea what my role or my level of involvement would be, but I knew that God wanted me to help.

Since that time, a lot has changed in my personal life. I’ve moved over two thousand miles away from Seattle. I now struggle on a daily basis to deal with the barrage of miserable weather we have to endure here in Honolulu. I’ve also traded in my office chair for a server’s apron. In some ways I’d say these changes have helped give me perspective, but they’ve also challenged me in my decision to be a part of TFP.

Being so far removed from the other team members can, at times, contribute to my feeling overwhelmed in our goal of reaching out to help the youth of Kenya. Who am I to do anything about their needs? What do I have to offer? One day when I was sharing these struggles with Stephen he sent me a quote by a guy named Britt Merrick. The quote says simply, “If our vision seems doable, then our God is too small.” Those are words you can take to the bank.

I’m only just now beginning to understand what it means to step forward with two feet.  At this stage I’ve come to understand that it means financial sacrifice, it means possibly losing my position at work, it means I have to deal with the daily uncertainty that goes along with trying to take on a need much bigger than myself. As the weeks continue to count down to our departure for Kenya, I’m learning more and more about what Two Feet means. And if I’m being completely honest with myself, I’m anxious to discover how much more learning I have ahead of me as we’ve really just set out on the initial phase of this journey.

I said at the beginning that TFP is about stepping boldly forward with both feet. But even more than that, it means trusting that God will shape something powerful out of our humble willingness to love and help His people. That’s what Two Feet Project means to me.

Aaron Sawyer

Welcome!

Welcome to the Two Feet Project Blog. Whether you’ve come here on purpose or by accident…Welcome! Thanks for giving us a try, and becoming a part of TFP no matter how big or small that may be.

Here you’re gonna find real honest thoughts and experiences about life in general and thoughts as we prepare for whats ahead. In a couple of months we will be partaking in an adventure unlike anything else. Heading over to Kenya to see exactly where we’re called in the grand scheme of making this world a better place for everyone, one life at a time. Our aim is to empower youth over in Kenya, help them realize their potential and provide them with opportunities to be successful in whatever path they may choose.

This blog doesn’t really have any objectives, or aimed goals. We just wanted to create a place where people, who are interested, could come and get a little insight into the “inner thinkings” of those working within Two Feet Project.

 Several people are adding to this blog so every time you check it out you’ll get a little different writing style, a different perspective, a different set of fears and hopes, and a different outlook on life. We at Two Feet Project sincerely hope you experience some type of emotion out of this blog. Whether it be from laughing, crying, confusion, clarity, anger, sadness, or a mix…we hope you feel like a part of the journey and can celebrate with us as we dive head first into the tumultuous waters of life. So join with us as we become renewed through the redemptive nature of ADVENTURE! Cheers!

Stephen Ishmael