Showing Up with Hope in Kenya

The morning after a shoe distribution in Kenya, Mike Anderson sat in a church service and noticed a little girl nearby. She was only two or three years old, and on her feet was a new pair of The World Shoe. Mike did not believe she attended the Missions of Hope International school that hosted the distribution. She was simply a child from the surrounding community who had received a pair the day before. Seeing her wear them so quickly gave him the confirmation he needed.

“That was a great affirmation for me that we were somewhere meeting a need,” Mike said. “It wasn’t like people just showed up and got a pair of shoes and then put them away. She was wearing the shoes right then.”

That moment captured what Mike saw throughout his first visit to Kenya: the need for shoes was immediate, but the impact of the experience reached far beyond the shoes themselves.

A Partnership Built to Serve

Mike serves as director of missions at Christ’s Church of the Valley, commonly known as CCV, an Arizona church with 18 campuses. He has been on staff for nearly 14 years and has overseen the church’s missions ministry for the past two. CCV’s relationship with Missions of Hope International, or MOHI, extends back more than 20 years. Church teams regularly travel to Kenya to visit MOHI communities and participate in trips with different areas of focus.

Mike’s connection with Samaritan’s Feet began with a conversation about organizing a shoe distribution in Phoenix. As those discussions continued, an international opportunity emerged. CCV already had a trusted partner serving communities across Kenya, while Samaritan’s Feet could provide shoes and a distribution model centered on personal connection. Together, CCV, MOHI, and Samaritan’s Feet could place a needed resource into the hands of local leaders who understood their communities. The effort centers on six containers totaling approximately 119,000 pairs of shoes.

Seeing the Need Up Close

Although CCV teams have traveled to Kenya for years, this was Mike’s first time in the country and his first Samaritan’s Feet distribution. The trip allowed him to see MOHI’s work on the ground while participating in the new collaboration. He traveled among several of MOHI’s schools and joined shoe distributions where children, adults, and families from the surrounding communities gathered to be served.

The need became visible in the number and range of people who came. Mike recalled serving participants from about two years old to 60. Finding the right fit sometimes took several attempts, but the response when someone received a comfortable pair stayed with him.

“I think it is hard for us as Americans to understand how much dignity and hope a pair of shoes can bring to somebody,” Mike said. “When there is a shoe that fits them, just the way their faces light up, how excited they are, and how much pride they have—it is powerful.”

The little girl he saw at church the next morning made that need tangible. Her shoes were already part of her everyday life. For Mike, that simple sight confirmed that the distribution had reached beyond a scheduled event and into the broader community.

More Than Receiving Shoes

What distinguished the experience for Mike was the way Samaritan’s Feet approaches each distribution. Participants do not simply move through a line and leave with a pair. Volunteers sit across from them, wash their feet when appropriate, listen to their stories, fit their shoes, offer encouragement, and pray with them. Each interaction creates time for one person to recognize the dignity of another.

“It’s not, ‘Line up and get a pair of shoes,’” Mike explained. “It’s, ‘Come have a personal connection with somebody.’ I’m able to sit across from someone face to face, hear their story, and pray for them.”

Across hundreds of interactions, Mike saw recipients respond not only to the practical gift but also to the care surrounding it. Several women told volunteers that no one had ever washed or touched their feet in that way. The attention itself communicated value.

“Meeting the physical need of shoes is important for so many reasons,” Mike said. “But it is so much more than that. This person is walking away feeling loved, cared for, and cherished, even more than they are excited about having a pair of shoes.”

Traveling also gave Mike a broader view of faith. He watched God at work in a culture different from his own and was reminded that distance, language, and material circumstances do not separate people as much as they may appear to.

“I think it is impossible to have a full picture of how big God is until you go to different parts of the world and see Him working there,” Mike said. “The people may look different or have different cultures and systems, but they are still us. We are still children of God.”

Go Far or Begin at Home

Mike encourages people who can travel to experience a mission trip for themselves. Leaving familiar surroundings can change how a person understands faith, community, and need. Samaritan’s Feet offers public trips for individuals, couples, families, and small groups, as well as private trip opportunities for churches and other groups.

International travel, however, is not the only way to serve. Mike believes the practice begins at home and expands outward: first through families, then through churches, neighborhoods, and communities. Need exists everywhere, including in the places people pass every day.

“We can get consumed with doing things for others,” Mike said, “but really we need to be with others and show them that we care for them.”

The lesson Mike carried home from Kenya is simple. The shoes matter, and so does the willingness to be present. A person may travel across the world or drive across town, but service begins with choosing to show up, listen, and care.

Ready to experience the journey for yourself? Explore upcoming Samaritan’s Feet mission trips or find a volunteer opportunity closer to home. Wherever you begin, there is someone who can be encouraged by your presence.