‘Shoes’ trip encourages participants to do more

By October 10, 2006

Russia (MNN) — There are more than 800-thousand orphans in Russia. 80-percent of the children up to 17 years old are ‘social’ orphans — children that have parents, but have been taken away by the state, or given-up for other reasons.

They’re unloved by many in society and forgotten. On October 8th, Mission Network News and Buckner Orphan Care International just returned from a 10 day ‘Shoes for Orphan Souls’ trip to the Leningrad Region of Russia.

This is an area just outside the city of St. Petersburg. Many of the orphanages visited have never had visitors from the west and many had never heard the Gospel.

Since it was MNN’s 15th anniversary we decided to celebrate by taking some listeners and giving a trip away in a special drawing. The winner was Frank Haley from New Mexico. “We’re showing the children that not only do we love them, but that God loves them,” Hales told MNN’s Greg Yoder at the completion of the trip.

He says, “At first when see this kind of situation it’s overwhelming. And, you could just throw your hands up and say, ‘Oh I can’t do anything about that,’ but we can and we need to tell more people about it, more people will see that and get involved.”

The team not only took winter boots to eight orphanages, but also held vacation Bible school styled evangelistic outreach while there. Team member Denise Griffin told us, “I’m just hoping and praying that the Word of God that we have planted in their hearts will root and grow.”

Everyone agreed that the American church can and should do more to help. $30 can purchases a pair of boots for a child. They’re desperately needed as winter is approaching and Buckner is getting even more requests for them. They also need more people to do shoe drives.

Go to their website by clicking here to help.

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