ExxonMobil Interns Collect, Sort Shoes for Orphans

By Brittany Black
Buckner International

MESQUITE, Texas – Bridget Bennett was asked to donate five pairs of shoes for orphans as part of her service project for the ExxonMobil Community Summer Job Program, but she managed to collect 44.

“I thought, ‘Let’s get as many as possible,’” Bennett said. “I cleared out a couple of stores.” Read More

Describing our Shoes for Orphan Souls mission trip to the Mexican border sounds almost like the start of a joke: “Did you hear the one about the Texas church, the Christian band, and the volunteers from five states?”

True, the 40 members of our group seemed disparate. First Baptist Church of Zavalla sent 18 members on what Pastor Jacob Fitzgerald says is the first mission trip for the congregation in the church’s 100 years of existence. Joining them were three members of The Running Back, a contemporary Christian band based in Little Rock, Ark., and about 20 others from diverse areas, backgrounds, ages and ethnicities. Read More

By Analiz G. Schremmer

Montgomery, ALABAMA — More than 90 people from the One Voice Choir of First Baptist Church Montgomery herded into the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid on June 11 to sort shoes for orphans. Read More

Click here to see what Buckner International’s Shoes for Orphan Souls is doing in the Rio Grande Valley.

By Samantha Soto

It’s day five of the Peru trip and God is definitely at work.

The first children’s home we visited posed a little bit of a challenge. A lot of the kids there had special needs and I know that I was a little concerned that we’d have to change it up a bit to accommodate them. But, of course, everything went well. The gospel was shared and shoes were given.

This home had babies. I went in to visit them and picked up the most adorable little boy with big brown eyes and beautiful eyelashes. He must have been about a year old. I talked to him and he smiled. I carried him around for quite some time and then decided that I should probably head back outside. As I put him back in his crib, he started to cry. It broke my heart so I picked him back up. I hugged him, kissed his head and told him that I loved him, but God loves him even more. He smiled and giggled. I didn’t want to put him down. As I put him back in his crib, he started to cry, but I just walked out because I started crying too.

Samantha Soto plays with girls at an orphanage in Peru.

Even though we aren’t here very long, it makes a difference. Look around. It makes a difference.¨

The second home we went to had approximately 20-25 boys ages 10-16. They welcomed us with open arms as all the other kids have. I met the sweetest boy today. Since we had about a 1:1 ratio, I didn’t fit multiple boys for shoes, just one. After trying on a few pairs, we finally got a pair that fit him perfectly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile as big as his. He hugged me, said “Gracias” and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Then I tied his shoes and he hugged me again. When we left, he must have given my at least three more hugs as I was walking out.

Our presence here means the world to these kids. While I’m heartbroken and find it difficult to leave, I must remember the positive. I can still praise God that He is providing for them. I can praise Him for providing shelter, food, and shoes for them. I can praise Him for allowing us to spend time with these kids. I can praise Him for making it possible to share the gospel with them. I can praise Him for being more than enough. He is everything that they need. He is everything that we all need.

Click on the links below to learn more about how you can go on a Shoes for Orphan Souls mission trip to deliver shoes to orphans and vulnerable children in Romania, Mexico, Honduras or Ethiopia.