Praying all night for shoes

Francisco, a believer in Paraguay, recently shared his testimony of God’s wonderful supply of his needs.  And his story focused on shoes.

“I was born into a family of ten children. We were not believers and we were very poor. I walked six kilometers (about 3.5 miles) to school. To save money, I would cut my paper into four pieces and copy everything the teacher wrote on the blackboard in letters as small as an ant might write. I used each pencil until it was so small that I could not hold it anymore.  I would study by firelight at night,” Francisco began.

He shared that then he became a believer. He left the family farm to continue his studies. He wanted to be a teacher.

“I was also growing in the Lord and the brothers would help me,” Francisco continues. Local believers would allow him to sleep in the chapel. He would sleep on a pew and wrap himself in curtains to stay warm, carefully putting the curtains back in their proper place in the morning. 

One day, these believers asked him to share a message with them from God’s Word. Francisco wanted very much to do this. But he felt there was one big obstacle: his shoes.

“I wanted so badly to share from the Word of God, but then I looked down at my shoes and I felt I could not. I only had one pair and I had sewed and glued them many times … my toes were poking way out of the front of the shoes.” 

Francisco knew of only one thing to do. He prayed. “Lord, You know how I want to preach for You,” he cried. “But how could I dishonor You by wearing these shoes?” 

All night Francisco prayed and asked God to give him shoes. He reminded God that he hardly had money for food and that he truly had none for shoes.

That very week God answered dramatically. “A friend I had lent money to a long time before sent me a pair of shoes from halfway across the country!” And, Francisco says, God went beyond what he had asked. He also gave him two additional pairs from other sources.

“When I stood up in front of everyone that Sunday, I said, ‘Brothers and sisters, we have a good God Who gives good things to His people.  Make sure you are asking for what you need, and asking in faith!’”

Since that time, God has continued to bless and use Francisco.  He is now a teacher in a Christian school, teaching science and the Gospel to a student body that is made up of mostly unbelievers. Missionary Elijah Hall shares, “Francisco is active in the local church, and he and his sweet wife are expecting their first child.  We are blessed to call them family in the Lord.”

Pray for Francisco and his wife as they long to shine brightly for Christ. Pray that God will continue to bless them and provide for them and that the power of their testimony will touch many hearts.