{The Journey of my TOMS}

This journey begins at Victoria Gardens in late January of this year. It was a pleasant California evening, just at dusk. I slipped off my black flats and put on the new,tight,navy blue classics. They fit my feet perfectly, the wrap styled shoes condensed my feet into utter cuteness. My feet felt the comfortable insoles and security of the new shoes. I felt confidant,secure and ready to travel the world. It was from that moment that I knew that my toms would take me far into the depths of the world ( well, Europe).

A week or so later, I left the mountains and traveled to the big,dirty city of LA and almost begrudgingly stepped on to a plane that would take me to the land that was to be my new home. I had too comfortable with the American lifestyle, I fell into things that I had promised myself years earlier that I would never fall into. But I traveled out of that stage and moved on into the new chapter of my life.

I arrived in the little village of Vajta in dead of night, it was cold outside. But my trusty Toms kept my feet warm as I stepped out of the van and into the cold outside, and up the steps of the Castle. There were new faces around me, faces of potential friends. After unpacking my belongings I had discovered that I had forgotten my flip flops in the midst of the crazy packing spree. So, it was decided that I was going to be wearing my toms and on occasion, my black flats. But what are flat soled black flats to the wonderful comfort of TOMS?

During the five months I have been here, my Toms have traveled to the small bakery down the road, to the city of Budapest, the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, to my childhood country, Romania and then right back to Vajta.

Now, during these travels my poor shoes have acquired several enormous holes.But only on my right foot, I could stick my big toe and my pinkie toe out and wave at people. People told me I looked like an orphan child,or they would just pity me and my lack of decent shoes. But just recently, my friend Travis, who is an excellent tailor and designer patched them for me. And now, I no longer look like a poor,deprived missionary kid, but a responsible,individual who wears decent shoes.

There are many verses in the bible that have to do with feet and shoes. But my favorite is the one from Deuteronomy. God did not let the clothes or the shoes of the Isrealites wear out, and they were wandering for 40 years...obviously, a little different than 4 months.

We shall see where they shall continue to take me.

-Autie


"And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet"
- Deuteronomy 29:5
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