Beautiful feet HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOOD NEWS! RYAN JASPER ('95)
My story of becoming a missionary is one that started by my stepping out in faith to go to Word of Life Bible Institute. It is where I first understood what international missions was all about. I then signed up for my first missions trip with Word of Life to the Philippines and Korea. I was new to the ministry world, and for weeks I saw things that broke my heart. That experience with Word of Life rocked my faith and opened my eyes to a physical and spiritual world. The Philippines was the first place I saw people seven stories high living in the dumps, and it seemed like the darkest place on earth. In that season God began placing the burden of global mis- sions on my heart, and it continues to be a special place I look back on. After my experience with Word of Life, I felt empowered and had this sense of responsibility that I needed to do something greater than just having a good
a 9-year-old boy being carried out with a huge rusty nail sticking out of the bottom of his foot. Or the kids, as young as seven, were recycling metal by burning the rubber off tires, and little girls were being prostituted for a better pick of the trash. At night, I would go to sleep haunted and frus- trated knowing what these kids were up against. I felt they were not being given a chance in life because of their cir- cumstances. So I began praying that God would show me a way to help them. It was during this time God gave me the verse found in Romans 10:15, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the Gospel of good things." And so the ministry, Beautiful Feet, came to life. I’LL NEVER FORGET SEEING A 9-YEAR- OLD BOY BEING CARRIED OUT WITH A HUGE RUSTY NAIL STICKING OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF HIS FOOT. I was not sure how God was going to provide the framework and structure to help the families in the dumps of Managua, but I felt I could use my experience in student ministry and building surf shops to share the Gospel. I started contact- ing friends in the surf industry and in churches all over the United States. Everyone was excited to get behind the vision God had given to me. Today, Beautiful Feet has distributed over 2.9 million dollars in resources and over 450,000 pairs of shoes and sandals. We recently shipped a 40-foot container full of supplies and about 10,000 pairs of shoes to an impoverished community in India. With every pair of shoes we give away, we wash the feet of the person receiving them, and we have seen over 500,000 people hear the Gospel. In the beginning our ministry-model was simple, and we had student-led teams each year from small churches all over the United States join us to put on events like Vacation Bible School and surf camps for the children in the dumps. As I frequented back to the slums, our ministry organically
career. I began to wonder how God might use me in a mighty way. Ten years ago I traveled to Nicaragua on an epic trip to surf and serve. I was with some pro surfers, and we were hunting the acclaimed 15-foot waves of a point break called the Popoyo Outer Reef. At the time, I was the chief executive officer of
a multi million dollar surf shop franchise throughout the state of Florida. I was living the dream, working and traveling the world, but something still felt missing in my life. When we were not searching for the perfect barrels, we spent our time at a local feeding center in the dumps of Managua. While Nicaragua is a surfer’s dream, it is the poorest country in Latin America. Many of its residents live in dire conditions, and my short time in the dumps reminded me of my first missions trip with Word of Life to the Philippines. When I returned to Florida, I couldn’t stop thinking of the barefoot children in Managua walking over trash, dodging bloody needles and shards of glass. I’ll never forget seeing
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