St. John VBS gathers 600 pairs of shoes to aid mission

St. John Lutheran vacation Bible school students in grades 4, 5 and 6 took part in the "Mighty Fortress Victory" activities and also worked on a service project to achieve another victory.

The students worked to haul, sort, match, bag and load more than 600 pairs of shoes for a worthy cause. The shoes had been donated to St. John Lutheran Church for the "Shoes for Water" project.

Vic Hamer of Sparta takes the donated shoes to a facility that purchases used shoes. The money he receives from the shoes is donated to the "Give Me Water, Lord" project. The funds are then used to drill water wells in Kenya.

Hamer has traveled to Kenya to assist in well drilling projects and view the areas in need of the lifesaving water sources. The "Give Me Water, Lord" mission tries to involve the community people. They are grateful and eager to help. When rivers go dry, young children and the elderly must work to dig deep to collect water and to carry it long distances. Much of the water remains contaminated. The "Give Me Water, Lord" mission spreads the love of Jesus by digging water wells for the people of Kenya and helping with schools, orphanages, agriculture, food and clothing when possible.

St. John Lutheran Church is proud of the VBS students who participated in the service project. The children carried out the "Mighty Fortress" theme showing that "Jesus came to save" and "The Victory Continues."