Run as Fast as You Can

If you read my last post you read that God has been working in Steve's and my heart about a country that He keeps putting in our path. I have a story to share about that, but it's still being written. One day I was doing some research...searching out mission organizations that reach out to that country and I was led to Buckner International. I hadn't heard about or thought of Buckner in many years, but I did know the name. When I was little, I remember, although with very little clarity, that my parents 'adopted' a teenage girl named Julie from Buckner. From what I remember, we only had her on weekends because she went to school either at or near Buckner, but I vividly remember the old red brick building.

Anyway, poking around on Buckner's website, I found one of their ministries called Shoes for Orphan Souls (SOS). The more I read, the more I was interested...especially since they minister to the country that holds a piece of my heart. I told Steve about it and he fell in love with it too...enough that he has spent many hours volunteering there in the last several months on his days off.

This past Saturday a group of people we share Sunday morning small group with went with our families to SOS to volunteer. We were excited to finally be able to take the boys this time... except that Caleb ended up being sick so he couldn't go.

This place melts me. I'm not gonna lie. It's just shoes...boxes and boxes full of shoes. Athletic shoes, boots, sandles and more placed in large box bins lined along the walls of a warehouse.

But when I pick up a pair of shoes and think of the child who's going to receive that pair of shoes, I melt and realize it's not just shoes.

"According to The State of the World's Children as reported by Unicef, there are 148 million orphans around the world. Orphanages do not receive enough funding to support the children in their care. One of the greatest and most immediate needs is a pair of shoes. Many of the children receive one pair of shoes to last the entire year, and some don't have shoes at all." Shoes for Orphan Souls collects shoes, sorts them, and then distributes them to children in need in 68 countries all over the world. I love the simple, yet gigantic measure. Shoes can give a child hope and a smile.

As I volunteered to pack boxes full of athletic shoes to prepare for shipping, I, of course, gravitated towards the boys shoes.

And as I held a pair of size 3 running shoes in my hands, I couldn't help but think about the little boy who would open up his dirty little hands to receive this pair of shoes...hurriedly put them on his dusty little feet and look up with the biggest smile on his sweet little face. I can imagine that he will run and play for hours on end...possibly days on end...just soaking up the feeling of how fast he can run. And he will have hope...and a smile.

And what it did for this boy? Well, I can only hope it gave him a small reason to be thankful and to fall in love with helping others a little more.

This will move you.