“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know.  And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.. . . ”    Dr. Seuss

I had no idea that a $20 pair of sneakers could take me on a journey so deep inside my soul. January 2018, as I touched down in Santiago, the Dominican Republic, excited, ignorant, and unaware of what lay before me on my first mission trip. I was told, “bring really old, ratty shoes, they will be so disgusting you’ll want to leave them behind.” 

Expecting the worst, I indeed took my worst shoes without giving it a second thought. When I put them on the first day of the clinic, I realized the soles were literally falling off. Tom Hinton, the founder of Barnabus Task, graciously took me to Sam’s club to buy a new pair. 

Four mission trips, 2300 patient encounters and a dozen new friendships later, it was time to finally gift this pair of shoes. Packing them for donation, I began to weep, realizing that while I came to the DR to serve others, it was indeed me who had been served. The ministers and prayer women of the churches opened my heart to a new level of gratitude; the people of DR, living far below the poverty line, were not at all as I had imagined. They are filled with light and love. Materialism fades, hearts connect and souls are mended. This is Sacred Commerce. Where hearts, minds, and missions become one. 

The coffee cup coaching in all of this?

Perhaps its simply to try on a new pair of shoes. Walk in Grace a little more often. Look for places to serve – as Dr. Seuss says “You can steer yourself in any direction you choose”. 

To read more Coffee Cup Coaching tips from Vicki, go HERE.