July 29, 2002

VBS laced with Shoes for Souls lessons
___By Brandon Kirk
___Staff Writer
___RICHARDSON--Vacation Bible School planners at First Baptist Church of Richardson chose Shoes for Orphan Souls as their VBS mission project to teach their children the joys of helping those less fortunate.
___After months of planning and preparation, shoes began to flood the church's sanctuary floor, where a giant 8-foot shoe had been placed.
___"The joy on their faces as they showed me the shoes they were bringing to children was priceless," said Sweet Hopkins, minister of childhood education. Shoes for Orphan Souls is a humanitarian aid project of Buckner Orphan Care International and aims to provide shoes for children in orphanages around the world.
___Hopkins' VBS students also wrote notes to place in the donated shoes, containing the student's photograph and a personalized note. They also made Bible markers to remind them to pray for the children receiving the shoes and knelt in groups in front of the shoes to pray over them.
___Hopkins said many children prayed a prayer similar to those prayed by a group of third-graders: "Dear God, it is very cold where these shoes are going. Help this girl not to feel so cold when she wears these shoes," and "God, help the boy who will get my shoes to know that we love him and you do too."
___The notes, along with more than 1,200 pairs of shoes collected during the week, were shipped to Romania, where thousands of needy orphans await gifts of love and compassion.
___Shoes for Orphan Souls is an ideal project for other churches to adopt during VBS, according to Tiffany Taylor, director of the Buckner ministry.
___"Orphanages are not receiving enough money to care for the children," she said. "One of their greatest and most immediate needs is a pair of shoes and socks. Many children are wearing shoes that are literally falling apart on their feet."
___Church groups also are encouraged to volunteer at Dallas/Fort Worth area drop-off centers in August and September. Contact Andrew Knight at (214) 275-9003 to sign up.
___These months are the most urgent time of need for volunteers, said Taylor, but churches can collect shoes and cash donations at any time of the year.
___Information about the drive and volunteering locally or internationally is available at www.shoesfororhpansouls.org.

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