Back in May of last year, my Spelman sister, Amena Brown Owen, sent me a Facebook message about connecting with Logan Wolfram, a woman who wanted to talk to a Christian blogger about ways she could better reach women of color who write about faith and culture. After a few exchanged messages, Logan told me that she and her boys would be making their way to Atlanta from Greenville, South Carolina for a pit stop on their way to a family vacation in Florida.

The Day Logan and I Met!

Ashli and I met Logan and the boys at Centennial Park, picnic baskets and blankets in tow, and we spent what seemed like hours talking about Jesus, our faith, our families, and comparing tattoos. The clouds would roll in, the thunder would start to rumble, and we would find ourselves hiding under a tree with a blanket over our heads waiting for the storm to pass. Our kids would find much joy frolicking in and out of the rain. It would begin the start of a beautiful friendship. Since then, Logan and I have prayed for each other, encouraged one another, shared meals and stages together.

The Allume Conference Speakers, Performers and Team!

Logan and I have wrestled together about the happenings in our world: from the senseless killings of Black boys and men to the ways in which we see (or at least feel) God absent in some of our most trying times. She has opted to be vulnerable with me in ways I respect and revere. She is one of the most invitational and welcoming women I know.

And, in true fashion, Logan invited me to share one more experience with her: travel to Uganda with Sole Hope.

When she asked me via text message, I stared at the phone, mouth agape.

Uganda? U G A N D A??

Logan believed that there was a story I could tell, a perspective I could give, that would resonate from across the globe to further the work and missions of Sole Hope. She believed that sharing in this opportunity would be life changing — for me and for the people Sole Hope serves.

Sole Hope’s mission is two-fold: to first, remove jiggers, little fleas that burrow themselves in the soles of shoeless children. Second, to prevent the children from suffering from the same problem again, they provide shoes for them. But this is more than just offering a short-term solution — it’s about education and sustainability, too. By empowering Ugandans through education and vocational opportunities, like shoe making and other trades, communities in Uganda find hope in being able to care for their families holistically.

Medical care. Resources. Education. Empowerment.

This, my friends, is what this missions trip is about. I think it answers the psalmist David’s question found in Psalm 8:4: What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? (amplified version)

Who are we, oh God, that you’d do so much for us?

We can only repay you by doing your work in the earth, in the very way we know how. \O/

Follow me as I chronicle my experiences on the blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hashtags #solestories and #StoryTellers2015.

Click here to learn more about the entire team of bloggers and story tellers who will write and photograph this experience!

Changing lives two feet at a time,

Alisha L.