There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
While serving with Mission Network in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, I was walking down the street one day. As I walked, I saw a few middle-school boys who stopped men and women in business suits and begged to shine their shoes. Almost every person refused to look at these boys, and waved them away like you might wave away an annoying mosquito that keeps landing on your shoulder.
Without thinking twice, by ignoring the boys who were asking to shine shoes, the people in business suits had built an imaginary wall between them and the boys, who, instead of going to school, were forced to shine shoes to earn money to help their families.
One of the boys came up to me. I looked him in the eyes and asked him his name. “Anderson,” he said. I told him about my church, Quito Mennonite Church. I invited Anderson and his shoe-shining friends to attend a peace education workshop I was offering at the church. “I have to work,” he replied, and then he shined my shoes.
Over many weeks, I saw Anderson again and he always asked to shine my shoes. I didn’t always have the money to say “yes,” but I always asked Anderson how he was and about his favorite sport, soccer. Over time, Anderson’s curiosity grew, and he asked me when I could show him where my church was!
Discussion questions for Sunday school
• What are ways that Alyssa acted differently with Anderson than other people did?
• What do you think made Anderson feel a warm welcome and interested in attending her church?
• Alyssa reached out to people who were ignored by others. How would you feel if you were treated like one of Anderson’s shoe-shining friends, and were ignored by everyone?
• In what ways can you reach out, like Alyssa, to your own classmates who may be ignored at school or church?
Activity for Sunday school
One way to give a warm welcome to others, especially to those different from us, is to try to understand them. This game will help you think about how other people live.
Using the sheet titled “Put yourself in the other’s shoes,” which can be found in your mission bank folder, copy eight sets of shoe prints. (Adjust the number of copies for the number of players.) On the back of one footprint from each set, write one of the scenarios from the sheet. During this game, you will have a chance to think about how you would respond.
Lay the shoe prints in a circle.
Walk around the circle as you sing the song, “Jesus loves me.” When the leader tells you to stop, stop on the set of shoe prints you are closest to. Each set of shoe prints depicts a different person. Have each person around the circle read their situation and think about how you would respond based on each set of shoe prints.
This story and game come from the Ecuador Mission Bank tools.
