MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — As a team from Cool Spring Baptist Church in Mechanicsville, Va., prepared to leave for a five-day mission trip to Haiti on Aug. 22, some people were asking, “Isn’t there a hurricane headed that way?”
Glen Bohannon, music and worship minister, said he and other team members weren’t too concerned. They were anxious to arrive in Miami to depart for a distribution trip sponsored by Soles4Souls, an organization that collects shoes and delivers them to people in need.
Team members wash the feet of children at an orphanage before outfitting them with shoes (Photos courtesy of Cool Spring Baptist Church) |
Headquartered outside of Nashville, Tenn., Soles4Souls has distributed over 19 million pairs of shoes in over 125 countries since 2006. The shoes are donated by footwear companies, retailers, religious organizations, civic groups, schools and individuals.
S4S accepts all types of shoes: athletic, running, dress, sandals, pumps, heels, work boots, flip flops, either new or gently worn. It sponsored 23 distribution trips this year in Haiti, India, Tanzania, Honduras, Costa Rica and Jamaica.
Bohannon learned about Soles4Souls while attending a worship leaders’ convention. Looking for a hands-on project for the children’s choir program, he signed-up to sponsor a shoe drive. A challenge of two free spots on a distribution trip to Haiti was offered to the two churches with the largest collections, said Bohannon. Cool Spring Baptist Church met the challenge by collecting over 2,000 pairs of shoes.
A Soles4Souls distribution center is located outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti, so the shoes the mission team would distribute were awaiting them. Tiffany, the team’s S4S leader, joined the group in Miami. The organization also provided them with an interpreter and bodyguard.
Living quarters while in Haiti were in a community sports center located in Fermathe, in the mountains outside Port-au-Prince. The roof of the center’s gymnasium was blown away during a previous hurricane and has yet to be repaired. S4S leases space at the center to store shoes, to house its distribution teams and to reach surrounding communities.
Brenda Birkitt blowing bubbles with a Haitian child. |
“God had given us our mission,” said Bohannon. “We were there to represent him, first and foremost, and to make a difference in someone’s life.”
On their first day in Port-au-Prince, the team visited two orphanages, washing and putting shoes on the feet of 104 children. They gave away toys, soccer balls, basketballs and Christian storybooks written in Creole.
The team visited a school housed in a two-room cinderblock building and gave the teacher 41 T-shirts from the church’s Vacation Bible School to give students. Before long the entire community was covered with children wearing Cool Spring clothing, said one team member.
One afternoon the S4S team walked from their living quarters into a small community village and were met by more than 200 mothers seeking shoes for their children. “In two hours we had given shoes to between 150 and 175 children who desperately needed them,” said Bohannon.
The team played and sang with the children. Bohannon said it was exciting to hear the children singing songs of faith because they realized that missionaries had been to the village. He recalls the children singing “I Love to Tell the Story” with team members in a combination of French, Creole and English.
The Soles4Soles distribution team in Miami awaiting a flight to Haiti. |
As the days passed there was news of the approaching storm. On the radio Bohannon heard the weather report as the government ordered evacuation of people from the tent cities set up in the wake of the 2010 earthquake.
Through a Facebook post on Aug. 26, the team reassured friends and family at home, reporting: “We endured a night of heavy rain and hurricane force winds. For nine straight hours the skies have poured down over us. The poor construction and tin roof made for a scary night. We are fine, but our rooms are flooded with 3 or 4 inches of water. We are using towels to try and dry it out, which is almost impossible as the rain continues to fall and wind continues to blow.
“We are up in the mountains with no paved roads for the most part. The team is hopeful we will be able to make it back to Port-au-Prince in the morning to fly home. We are okay, cold and wet, but safe.”
The next day they learned all flights out of Haiti had been cancelled. While awaiting news on the rescheduling of their flight, the group continued their ministry by visiting the New Vision Ministries and its orphanage.
The team’s next Facebook post revealed a sudden change of plans. “We have just come from the airport. We are currently booked to leave Haiti on Sept. 4. Yikes! … In the meantime we will plan our days one at a time and visit other orphanages to outfit children with new shoes and be a light wherever we can. While we are ready to come home, we will surrender to trust God to make that happen in his perfect timing.”
Because their trip was extended, Bohannon said the team knew that God had something else for them to do and they moved forward visiting the Baptist Haiti Mission Hospital that provides medical treatment for the Haitian public. It costs $1.50 (U.S.) to be treated by the doctor. The average household income in Haiti is $360 per year, he said.
In their extra days, the team attended a community gathering. They used the dwindling supplies, engaging the children in ball games, rounds of checkers and yo-yo lessons. “The Lord allowed us to take everything that we needed,” said Bohannon. Among their luggage to Haiti were 80 basketballs, soccer balls and other toys for games. The last child coming through the line received the last toy, he said.
As they awaited their flights home, the team rented a room at a small hotel in Port-au-Prince to take hot showers. At a large grocery store there they were able to find American foods, like Pop-Tarts and Pringles.
The group was able to return to the U.S. on two separate flights. There were additional delays and mechanical difficulties, but the Cool Spring team arrived in Richmond on Sept. 4, safe and glad to be home, said Bohannon.
“The purpose of our trip was to bring hope to children and our mission was to be Christ without words,” said Bohannon. “Although we couldn’t speak French of Creole, our smiles, gestures and faces allowed us to be Christ’s presence, without words.”
“We will reflect back on this experience for days and months to come and recognize how the power and grace of God has guided and blessed us,” said the team’s final Facebook post.
Barbara Francis ([email protected]) is on the staff of the Religious Herald.