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Volunteers Urgently Needed to Deliver
Shoes for Orphan Souls

By Vanessa Mosharaf
Buckner International

Buckner still needs volunteers to travel on upcoming Shoes for Orphan Souls trips or they may be cancelled, said George McCain, director of Buckner Missions.

“Hundreds of children may suffer because of it,” he said. Dozens of volunteers are still needed in order to make the trips to China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Honduras, Mexico, Romania, Latvia and Peru.

“We currently have about half the people we need signed up,” said Jessica Garcia, mission trip coordinator.

If the shoe trips are cancelled, Garcia explained, the children may still receive the shoes but there will be no one there to deliver them and build relationships.

McCain acknowledged that the declining economy has everyone on a tight budget.

“But our mission trip coordinators can help people with ideas for fundraising,” he said. “There are tons of stories about people who took a leap of faith and signed up for a trip, knowing they didn’t have the funds in the beginning. But they sent letters to family and friends and were able to come up with the resources.

“We truly believe that if you feel called to missions, if you feel called to go on a trip, God will make a way.”

Denise Griffin traveled on a Shoes for Orphan Souls mission trip in 2005 and recalled a little girl following her as she left an orphanage in Russia. “Will you come back? Please come back,” the girl said.

While it may be hard for volunteers to leave knowing that they may not be back, Griffin said she was comforted by the fact that someone from Buckner will always go back.

“When Buckner goes somewhere, they make a promise and keep relationships with them,” she said.

Garcia said they are looking for anyone “12 years old and older desiring to love on orphans and impact the lives of kids.”

The shoe trip dates begin in late September with Guatemala and continue to the end of the year with several trips scheduled during the Christmas season. The deadline to sign up for each trip varies, but it is usually about a month and a half before the trip.

For information about taking a Shoes for Orphan Souls mission trip, visit www.ItsYourMission.com or contact Pat Wilson at (214) 388-1442.

Click here to download the mission trip calendar.
Click here to sign up today!
Ways You Can Help

Pray for Shoes for Orphan Souls
Please pray for the children living in orphanages throughout the world and for those individuals who are working to collect shoes.

Donate to Shoes for Orphan Souls
Your gift will provide a pair of new shoes to a needy child overseas. Many of these children have never owned a new pair of shoes.

Volunteer with Shoes for Orphan Souls
Volunteers are needed to travel overseas to deliver the shoes to the children. We also need volunteers to host shoe drives and to help process shoes.

Contact Us:
* Click here to email us.
* Toll Free 1-866-774-SHOE(7463)

Shoes for Orphan Souls, a ministry of Buckner International, provides new shoes and socks to orphans and at-risk children in the United States and throughout the world. From conducting shoe drives to humanitarian aid trips, Shoes for Orphan Souls offers hands-on opportunities to individuals, groups and organizations that want to transform lives through social ministry. Since 1999, more than 1.8 million pairs of new shoes and socks have been distributed to 68 countries. Buckner is a fully accredited non-profit organization with IRS 501(c)(3) status. Your gifts to Buckner are tax-deductible as allowed by the IRS


Shoes for Orphan Souls, a ministry of Buckner, is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.