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.”

Bennett was one of 74 college students who volunteered at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid July 15. As summer interns, the students work at non-profits in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for eight weeks. They attend three developmental seminars and do one service project.

“Each year the interns come up with a service project at a different nonprofit,” said Emily Snooks, program officer for Exxon Mobil Corporation. “This year, shoes spoke to them.”

The voice of shoes might not have been so loud if it hadn’t been for Natalie Hedge, the ExxonMobil summer intern for Buckner International.

Hedge thought it would be a good idea for the interns to host a shoe drive and then volunteer to sort them. She set the goal to collect 500 pairs of shoes, but the group exceeded expectations with 504 pairs.

Natalie Hedge, ExxonMobil intern for Buckner International, helped organize the project.

Half of the interns spent the day sorting shoes scheduled for an upcoming shipment to Guatemala while the rest painted the hallways and break room walls.

“I have been on a summer mission trip with Buckner where we distributed shoes to orphans and thought it was a great cause with a great impact,” Hedge said. “When you experience it, you have a heart for it; not for yourself, not for Buckner, but for the kids.”

To find out how you can collect shoes or volunteer at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid, call 1-866-774-SHOE(7463) or visit www.shoesfororphansouls.org.

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.

David is a businessman from Moline, Ill. Maurice is a minister from Chattanooga, Tenn. Carolina is a teacher who came from Phoenix. Lindsey and Lauren are both freshmen at Texas A&M who met for the first time on the trip. Likewise, Marjorie, who I had never met, lives a block from me in Arlington, Texas.

Our common denominator for the June 9-13 Shoes for Orphan Souls trip was, of course, shoes. Tennis shoes, dress shoes, casual shoes, red shoes, white shoes, cartoon-character shoes, flowery shoes. Hundreds of shoes collected by volunteers nationally and sent to the Buckner Humanitarian Aid Center in Dallas before being shipped to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Despite the reason for the trip, we all discovered quickly that our time in the Valley was not about the shoes. It was about the children who received them. We worked and distributed the shoes among the children living in colonias, a border phenomenon that defines complete poverty, right here in our own country.

In a season where Buckner needs more shoes than ever before, I prayed that our efforts to place new shoes on little feet would reflect the life-changing message that goes with them – the message that someone cared.

Russ Dilday is director of public relations for Buckner International.

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.

For the past 50 years, the First Baptist Church Montgomery high-school choir has done tours that involve singing at churches and mission-oriented concert venues in the evenings, and volunteering during the day.

“Our theme this year was “I’m adopted by the king,” said Chip Colee, the church’s minister of music. “We highlighted adoption stories in our choir where we had kids who were either themselves, had adopted sibilings, or their parents/grandparents were adopted, so it was really neat to do Shoes for Orphan Souls. It just fit so well with our theme.”

Colee said that he learned about Buckner International through a friend who had volunteered with Shoes for Orphan Souls in the past. “Buckner handled our group’s large size very well. We felt like we accomplished something helpful and exposed kids to that great ministry, great experience for us to be there and work.”

The group also posted a landing page on their Web site asking people to donate money for Shoes for Orphan Souls. They collected more than $3,000 worth of shoes and are still receiving donations.

“The kids started sending Facebook messages and e-mailing their parents,” he said. “Next thing you know, money was flying in.”

Coley shared the story of an experience that his group had with a lady working at the shoe department in Wal-Mart.

“I walked in to talk to her and said we are buying shoes for a ministry that gives shoes to orphans around the world and asked her for a discount and she almost started crying. She said just a few moments ago she had marked down shoes to $3 a pair and she said ‘I knew God had a blessing for me today.’

“The kids felt good about their whole experience at Buckner. They were glad to be a part of  helping children get shoes. It turned out to be neat thing,” he said.

Besides volunteering with Buckner, the One Voice group also worked with Mission Arlington several days and sang for churches, groups of homeless people and people who were just getting out of prison, Colee said.

Click here for more information on how your group can take a mission trip to Texas to help Buckner sort shoes in its Center for Humanitarian Aid.

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.

My heart was broken by the honesty had just encountered with a gorgeous 6-year-old girl.

Her name was Jennifer, and I had been talking to her while she was playing on the swing set, just after receiving her new pink shoes from Shoes for Orphan Souls. She was absolutely ecstatic when she saw that the shoes were pink and had been proudly displaying this new gift.

I asked her where she was from, and she told me a little town near Zacapa, and then I asked the question that will forever be imprinted on my heart. I asked her why she was in the orphanage and her response, “Porque mi madre no me quiere” which means, because my mother doesn’t want me.

It was like a knife to my heart. The way she stated the situation, so matter-of-factly, tore me to pieces. How could any child, let alone a 6-year old, deal with the realization that her mother doesn’t want her and gave her over to a government institution? Throughout my travels with Buckner, I have encountered immense sadness, devastation, and hurt, mostly involving teenagers in a similar situation. I was not, however, ready for this sweet, little girl to tell me the same scenario that I normally hear from a 15-year old.

That afternoon confirmed my calling to serve the children of God. My career is to serve orphans and vulnerable children around the world, starting by meeting their physical needs and then, sharing with them the glorious love of our Heavenly Father. I was able to share with little Jennifer, that her Creator will never leave nor forsake her and that He loves her, no matter what.

Through the work of Buckner, those in need across the globe are able to hear the good news of our Lord and Savior. There is no greater gift!

“…his name is the Lord – rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of the widows, is God in his holy dwelling” (Psalm 68:4-5).

Brynn Anderson, from Dallas, Texas, serves as coordinator for Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls.

 Analiz G. Schremmer

(DALLAS)—For the tenth year in a row, the Missouri Rotary District 6040 has come through for Buckner, bringing a donation of more than 20,000 pairs of shoes—right when needed most.

“Right now our shelves are empty from having sent out 50,000 pairs of shoes to Haiti and many other countries,” said Rachel Garton, director of Buckner International’s Shoes for Orphan Souls program. “There is such a huge need.”

The Missouri Rotary donation also included 764 pairs of socks, 2,042 laces, 2,024 t-shirts 945 coloring books and $5,253. It is the largest single contributing organization to the Shoes for Orphan Souls campaign to date, collecting a total of 190,000 pairs of shoes and $67,000 in cash since the first shoe drive in 2001.

This year, Missouri Rotary district Governor John R. Gill and the Rotary’s Buckner liaison, Larry Lunsford, drove for three days straight and made 20 caravan stops to collect loads of shoes from the collections that were held in different parts of the district.

“Rotarians provide ‘Service Above Self’ in serving their local communities, and also their international community,” said Larry Lunsford, former district governor of Rotary District 6040. “For the past decade, the Shoes for Orphan Souls project has prompted Missouri Rotarians to action.  The project has been a great way for Rotarians in Missouri to partner with Buckner, and connect with the international aspects of Rotary, to help children we may never meet, just because. 

“Missouri Rotarians know that a simple gift, such as a new pair of shoes, provides tangible benefits to an orphan child, but most importantly, Rotarians believe the gift shows that child someone truly cares about them.  This year, our Rotarians responded to the needs of the Haitian children in a big way, and we are thankful to be able to help.”

Other groups who helped with this shipment include the United Postal Service, who delivered the shipment at no cost, and the Texas Baptist Men and friends who worked tirelessly to unpack the full trailer at the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid.

Ben Muzechenko, transportation service manager for UPS, brought five employees to help with the unloading.

“It’s an honor to do this. My employees and I look forward to this annually, and each year it just gets better and better, just seeing everyone come together and giving their effort, that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

Andy Bugh, member of First Christian Church in Plano, is a missionary in Honduras on furlough. He said he was happy to help unload the donation because his ministry has given him a better understanding of the great need for basic necessities like shoes.

Since 1999, Shoes for Orphan Souls has delivered more than 2 million pairs of shoes and socks to orphan children in 69 countries. Shoes for Orphan Souls is a ministry of Buckner International, a Dallas-based global ministry dedicated to the restoration and healing of orphans and at-risk children, families and senior adults.

Shoes for Orphan Souls is still desperately in need of shoe donations. Buckner plans to send more shoes to orphans and vulnerable children in Haiti as well other countries in need, but can’t put shoes on orphans without your help. Click here to make an online donation.

By Analiz G. Schremmer

DALLAS – Shoes for Orphan Souls is in urgent need of new shoe donations after sending thousands of shoes to Haiti, said director Rachel Garton.

“The need in Haiti has been so great that people have focused their attention on giving there. We have sent out a lot of shoes there, which means we are short on our supply for shoes scheduled to go other places.”

Garton said more than 50,000 pairs of shoes have been shipped to Romania, Sierra Leon, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Haiti this year, “but the new requests for shoes this year are four times what we have shipped in the past.”

A large number of shoes come from individual donors, Garton said, but she would like to encourage more churches to consider participating with Buckner and Shoes for Orphan Souls in a more holistic manner. “There is a great need for shoe drive coordinators, warehouse volunteers and mission trip participants,” she said.

The Crossing Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas is one of several churches who have participated in the entire Shoes for Orphan Souls process. Every year they host a shoe drive, volunteer at the warehouse and go on a mission trip to the Rio Grande Valley.

“The neat thing about congregations like The Crossing is that they get to take ownership of the work because they see it to completion. They give shoes; they collect shoes from others. They go to the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid to sort and pack shoes and finally, they go on a mission trip to put shoes on the feet of children who need them.

“Going through the entire process gives people the opportunity to see the fruit of their labor, which is why we’d love to see lots of other congregations follow in their footsteps. It puts passion and heart behind every service step.”

To learn how to get your church involved in participating with Shoes for Orphan Souls, please call 1-866-774-SHOE (7463) or visit www.ShoesforOrphanSouls.org.

Analiz G. Schremmer

DALLAS—Shoes for Orphan Souls shipped more than 24,520 pairs of Crocs Monday, Feb. 22 to children affected by the earthquake in Haiti and plans to send at least 20,000 more.

“New, durable shoes will protect their feet from the rubble and any disease that can stem from walking around barefoot and possibly getting injured,” said Matt Asato, Buckner director for international humanitarian aid.

“Given the conditions and climate in Haiti, Crocs are the type of shoes that will protect their feet and still keep them cool,” he said.

Asato added that new shoes are something practical that will help bring hope to the people of Haiti as they begin rebuilding their lives.

Buckner International has already shipped more than 23,500 pounds of aid to the victims of the Haiti earthquake, a donation that filled an 18-wheeler truck. And with the help of donors and volunteers who sort donations, Buckner hopes to send four more shipments into the country.

To help sort shoes and humanitarian aid kits to be shipped to Haiti, click here.

To give a pair of shoes to an orphan or vulnerable child, click here.