Now that 2008 has come to a close and we are well into 2009, we are still in much prayer about the incredible amount of help needed in the daily activities of Shoes2Share. With that in mind, we'd like to give you a quick list of benefactors that received shoes in just the last few months.

Most recently, well over 100 pairs of women & children's shoes were delivered to Hope House in Wilmington, DE just two days before Christmas. These shoes were individully wrapped by volunteers at Liberty Baptist Church and adorned with a brand new Teddy Bear (compliments of Family Christian Stores located in Glascow, DE.)

In late November, a little over 100 pairs of childrens sneakers were shipped to Texas for children in great need through a Head Start Program. Danny, a registered nurse, oversaw the project, and organized a very nice event for the kids and their families.

St. Lucia Diabetic Association received 1,200 pairs of brand new orthopeodic comfort shoes before the holidays also. This Caribbean island was so very appreciative to receive the gift of new shoes for their many patients in need! Our dear friend Jacinta made all the arrangements for shipping and even got monetary donations to help fund this shipment!

Everyone at Shoes2Share greatly appreciates your patience as we grow and is immensely appreciative of all the volunteers who have come on board to help collect, process & distribute shoes for all those in need.

Stay tuned for more updates and pictures to be posted!

NEW POSTS SOON

We've got lots more to post - just not as much time to keep up!

So please check back for current & back logged entries that are being worked on!

Meanwhile - please enjoy the poem sent to me by a friend in California!

There she sat with her tear swollen eyes

But still yet she never cries
One little shoe had fallen off by her side
Could she possibly remember the blisters on her feet
As she walked on rocky paths just for food to eat
Could she remember just how sore her little feet were
Before she got the shoes she now wore
I remember when I took that shoe
and placed it back on her bony foot
Then her they tears ran away
Treat even the smallest things
as a hidden treasure today

Carla 4/21/08

Haiti - Village of Hope School

Knowledge =

the fact or condition of knowing something with

familiarity gained through experience or association

Exodus 31:3 (NIV)
3 - and I have filled him with the Spirit of God,

with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-

Haiti - March 2008
The Village of Hope School

The Village of Hope K-12 school is well attended by over 600 kids from miles around. It’s located in a desert like countryside town outside of the capital Port au Prince. It's been transformed into an education oasis with a beautiful view, clear running water and flourishing gardens!

V of H School & Chapel

greeting the happy kids

The goal of the school is to raise the next generation of leaders. Our day visit began with each class lined up perfectly. A small group of kids, barely 6 or 7 years old came in tardy, but with cheerful faces that would melt you in a minute! They all joined together in singing praise songs, followed by their pledges & then headed off to class for final exams before spring break.

aren't they precious - look at the little black boots

they all have nice shoes for school

Our visit became extra special when they learned we brought chicken to be prepared for lunch! As the children exited the canteen, we handed out candy & salvation bracelets to each child!

One little girl stood out repeatedly throughout the day. She had on two different shoes! We wanted to make sure and get that situation fixed asap! This little guy was perfecting his lace tying!

It was very exciting to meet some of the soon-to-be graduates, who have been educated at VOH since the beginning! These children have a much brighter future because of the vision, hardwork, sacrifices and donations of so many people! We're so thankful for a small part of something so big!

The following week we returned to paint a couple classrooms while the kids were on spring break. Ever wonder how many missionaries it takes to open a can of paint!?!?

With ceilings over 15ft. high and atleast a years worth of dust & dirt, we had our work cut-out for us! First came scraping off glue & tape from the walls. Then we quickly learned how best to use a Haitian broom (dried straw & grass) with short & quick sweeps as to not stir up the dust too much.

Without extension poles for our roller brushes, we had quite a challenge painting up high, but that was quickly solved by handy man John. Small tree trunks with the ends carved to fit perfectly - better than any manufactured pole any of us had ever used!

As dinnertime approached, we had finished painting, cleaned up & set-up the desks for classes to resume the following week!

Haiti Poem - Stuart Returns

A poem written by Jody during our stay at The Hope House:

Stuart Returns

T' was the dark night before Monday -
Not a sound in the room.
When all of the sudden -

DEJA VU !!!!

Stuart came a sailin' !
and Rhonda went a scalin',
up the rail to the top bed -
scared out of her head!

"There's no broom! I'll use these palms!", Merrily said.
All the swishing and coaxing to get him out the door,
poor Stuart didn't know what to do, anymore!

And this commotion caused such a clatter,
Tim sprang to their door
to see what was the matter.

He had in his mind what he would do,
for he came over, armed with a shoe!

Scurryin', hurryin', up and around!
Running confused, in circles, Stuart found,
he sure didn't want to be smashed into the ground!

So out the door he went with a bound!
Finally, Stuart ran back to his nest.
After THIS adventure he needed a rest!!

Haiti Mission Trip March 2008 - Hope House

HAITI MISSION TRIP
March 13 - 24, 2008

Anticipation = to assume; count on; expect; forsee; predict; look forward to. All of these heartfelt emotions within us were just waiting to be reunited with the other half of our hearts that was still in Haiti from January 2004. Now, 49 months later, we again were landing on the tarmac of the country that brought new levels of dismay, confusion, frustration, anger & suffering beyond what we had ever experienced or witnessed. This was nothing though compared to the almost unexplainable joy, beauty, growth, blessings & peace felt above all else.

Haiti - March 2008
Hope House of The Lazarus Project

Our arrival into the capital of Haiti, Port au Prince, was met by Rev. Larry & Margaret Bollinger of Hope House (located just East of the capital.)

We were once again on a familiar ride in the back of the islands most used vehicle - a Daihatsu truck TapTap (open taxi) down the dusty, bumpy streets.


We couldn’t help but notice the familiar smells & sites of thousands of hard working Haitians all over the streets. Carrying goods in handmade wheelbarrows, sacks & buckets upon the heads & most wearing thin sandles or old sneakers or no shoes at all to cover their feet. Many traveling by foot miles across trash laden city streets, crowded street markets & communities, barren fields and rocky hillsides.

This time though, there was an enormous UN presence which reassured what we had already felt - no signs of danger. The clean, safe & comfortable compound of The Hope House would be our refuge for a week. Surrounded by gardens filled with beautiful plants & fruit trees, each dorm style room had modest creature comforts of bunk beds, generator controlled fans & a/c’s, warm showers and incredible homemade meals 3x a day served buffet style in the open air!

Our creature comforts also included a couple 8 legged visitors the size of tennis balls & one Stuart Little (aka - mouse) who thought it would be entertaining to climb up my bed post, within inches of my head, in the middle of the night.


(read STUART RETURNS poem in the next post)


But alas, most of us slept like logs and woke every morning to the gate buzzer rung by local children to see MaMa Margaret & the Americans who were visiting. Sarah, Starlye and other big eyed children charmed us, engaged in play and reminded us love does make the world go round.

GO TIM!

The first task at hand was to empty our 8 donation filled suitcases for distributing. These donations included a variety of medical supplies, vitamins, hygiene products, toys, candy, shoes, bandanas, jewelry & clothing.

When the local kids saw the brightly colored bandanas - it wasn’t long before more came asking for a bandana and to have it tied on immediately!

Our projects for the week included removing old paint & primer on an approx. 12’ x 30’ steel gate and then repriming it; cleaning & varnishing two large wooden cabinets, replacing screen windows; painting two 20’ high ceiling school classrooms & a 6ft. Mural on an exterior compound wall.

Each evening wound down with devotions written by each of the 8 team members: Pastor Paul, Merrily, Carol, Jody, Nancy, JoAnne, Tim & Rhonda. Then followed by praise & worship singing lead by accoustic guitar and closing with prayer requests & praises of thanks. Our stay with The Bollingers also included visits to other ministries. Life changing experiences to say the least! Stay tuned to read more about these special visits & much more in our posts to follow!

Once experiencing Haiti, part of your heart remains there........

Priceless - Friendship Baptist

Priceless – Friendship Baptist of Wilmington, DE

“Priceless” ….. that’s exactly what our relationship with God is…………priceless. Never should we take for granted the gift HE has given us in HIS son Jesus Christ; nor the plan HE has for each of us; and especially the daily opportunities to be part of HIS agenda in all situations!

Well we are counting our blessings for the “priceless” experience of being in fellowship with Friendship Baptist of Wilmington, DE just this morning. Trust me when I say, our whole family is walking RENEWED and WITH MORE VIGOR from more than just the brisk autumn morning. Our increased joyful awareness has been a revolving door as we visit with churches, businesses, schools, clubs and individuals.

Thank you Sister Alberta, Rev. Jackson & Rev. Heath for allowing us to share our adoption/ministry story before the church. We are so appreciative of your sincere interest & support in the work of Shoes 2 Share. Everyone we met today was so joyful and filled with an incredible amount of excitement for Lord and working for HIM! The shoe filled boxes & containers will find new owners in the many children, teens & adults that would otherwise go without. Thank you again and we will never forget the “up out of your seats” singing & swaying that we experienced today in the pews of Friendship Baptist!

Mountain Momma in WV & DE

Rhonda grew up making yearly trips to the southern area of West Virginia. It’s there that many of her relatives still reside and have given her the best of those simple and pure childhood memories. Hours of laughter & tears. And some of the the most wonderfully quiet (yet squeaky) chained porch swinging episodes are forever burned in her memory bank. The roadtrips never failed to have atleast one radio airtime playing of the famous lyrics “West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home, country road!” There’s something very, very special about the people in West Virginia. For starters, you can expect to consistently receive a hearty greeting upon walking into an establishment . Then there’s the official term for a soda - “pop” and the famous slogan “I’d say so & ya’ll come back now ya hear”. And if you haven’t had the pleasure of eating the best southern bisquits & gravy breakfast, on a classic melamin plate, while sitting on a front porch overlooking a crystal clear creek, then your truly missing some of the finest down to earth fellowship in the world!

Well some folks from WV have proven themselves again in being friendly, selfless and so gracious in their simple giving spirit. The youth of Brake Brethren Church

http://www.cob-net.org/church/brake.htm

not only collected hundreds or shoes, but they also collected hundreds of dollars in spare change to help offset the cost of distributing the shoe donations! This was such a blessing to S2S in helping to complete the mission of getting the shoes to their recipients. As we collect more shoes, the cost to distribute them increases - so thank you to our new friends in WV for the insight & leading to take S2S on as a project in full circle. And thank you to the Howard family for sharing the S2S mission with your family in WV and traveling back & forth to get the donations to Delaware. Your appreciated and admired in so many ways!

This month we received many individual donations, being dropped off at our warehouse. Lots of email inquiries to host shoe drives have come in and phone calls with questions on how to get involved. One group in particular went the extra mile, The Pike Creek MOMS Club,

http://www.geocities.com/pikecreekmomsclub/home.html

who mailed a monetary donation to S2S and with plans to kick-off a shoe drive soon. Thanks ladies for your dedication in being moms and for sharing with us the gift of giving! The small mountains (more like one big hill) of Pike Creek in Delaware obviously shares the same qualities of the large mountains of West Virginia!