Buying Flip Flops

The boys go through shoes so fast...so off to the downtown market we went Sunday morning, with the promise of ice cream looming in the air, the boys made it most of the mile walk without complaint.  This was my second trip to the market for flip flops.  Caleb had outgrown his and one of Matthews went over the side of the ship and down, down, down into the ocean below.  There were many tears shed over that spider man flip flop.  Who knew a child could be so attached to a shoe?

After negotiations had ceased for the first flip flop purchase, the cost was 30,000 Guinean Francs a pair.  Not my best negotiating.  This time I managed to get three pairs of flip flops for 45,000.  This makes me feel better about my negotiating skills...at least until I find out how much someone else paid.  I want you to know that I LOVE price tags.  I am looking forward to walking through stores in the US this summer and knowing exactly how much something costs.  I LOVE to pick things up and really look at them when I shop.  I am learning the don't touch it, don't look at it, and don't act like you are even interested method of shopping.  It is a difficult transition.

So, flip flops were purchased and it was time for ice cream.  Alas, the ice cream shop was closed.  Luckily I know my way around (a little) so off we head to the nearest grocery store for yummy ice cream covered in chocolate.  A half a mile later we arrive to an almost completely bare ice cream cooler.  Oh, the sad faces.  There was a box of 30 ice pops left.   The boys decided that ice pops were close to ice cream.  Happy faces!  But what to do with 30 ice pops on a mile walk back to the ship.

While we were outside the store opening our treats an elderly lady approached asking for money.  We gave her an ice pop and the smile she gave us was beautiful.  Thus we knew what to do with the other 24 ice pops.

While we were walking and handing out ice pops we met Muhammad.  He spent the next half hour walking and talking with us.  He also made sure that the children who received ice pops said, "Merci."  We learned that Muhammad was from Sierra Leon and that he was in Guinea because Mercy Ships had performed cataract surgery on his mother, who was recovering at the Hope Center.  It was lovely to get to know Muhammad and to see lots of smiling faces eating ice pops.  None of this would have happened if the ice cream shop hadn't been closed and the cooler hadn't been almost empty.  It was such a great life lesson for us and the boys.  Often in life things do not work out how we plan or want them to, sometimes a little disappointment leads to great blessings.