DALLAS, TX – Shoes for Orphan Souls is currently accepting applications for trips to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and St. Petersburg, Russia this fall. Both trips are scheduled from Oct. 6-15.
The trip to Russia will focus on delivering shoes to and bonding with children in orphanages.
Reb Wayne went to Russia with Shoes for Orphan Souls in November 2007. A native of Austin, Texas, he said the cold was a shock, but the trip was worth every minute.
“When we got to the orphanage and I was told we were their first visitors in a year. I understood my purpose and it was life altering,” Wayne said.
He has been back to Russia once since that trip and plans to go again later this year. He has kept in touch with several people from his original mission trip team, and said that besides those friendships, the biggest blessing has been working to raise funds to sponsor two young boys he met at one of the orphanages he visited.
Travelers to Ethiopia can expect much warmer climates.
The Ethiopia trip involves spending time with children in the communities, distributing shoes and putting on a Vacation Bible School.
Leona Wynne went on the first Buckner mission trip to Ethiopia in November 2009. She said she was struck by the beauty of the country and the contentedness of the people.
“When we arrived at the school where we would be working with 200 young children, they were all in a huge circle singing a song of welcome,” Wynne said. “Afterward the mayor of the village called Getahun, the country director for Buckner, to let him know how appreciative the people were to have us visit and share our hearts and much-needed shoes.”
“I think it’s important not only to get out of my comfort zone but to see how other cultures live and not assume I know what their experience is from what I’ve seen on the news,” Wynne said. “The first thing I noticed in Ethiopia was how happy and joy-filled they were with very little of what we’re used to.”
For more details, view the trip flyer for Russia at
http://itsyourmission.com/downloads/RU11-0002.pdf and for Ethiopia at
http://itsyourmission.com/downloads/ET11-0013.pdf or call
1-877-7-ORPHAN.
