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New shoes! (Click any photo to enlarge) |
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Shoe Teams - Spring '06
The first team was organized by Cookie Slate from The Heights Baptist
Church, Richardson, TX. Heights members on the team were Phil and Cookie
Slate, Ken and Kay Penny, Jim Abernathy, Marcus Schmitz and Rhonda
Caldwell. Also included on this team was Del Quinn from Hamsterley
Baptist Church (England); Bob Butts from Franklin, TN, and Nancy Madson
from Stonebriar Community Church, Frisco, TX.
This 10-member team spent their
first four nights in a small hotel in the town of Berkovitsa. I know
that it must have been difficult for the Texans to sleep in rooms where
the temps were in the 50's but they survived each night to work
extremely hard the next day.
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Team member Phil Slate fitting a child for shoes. |
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On Monday, May 1, we visited
three homes in Berkovitsa and the home for preschoolers in Georgi
Damyanovo. Several of the homes prepared special programs for the
team. We were all especially thrilled by the long, complicated program
done by the home for special needs children and youth in Berkovitsa.
They recited poetry, sang, played instruments and performed national
dances. This had been a labor of love by the teacher that prepared them
and by the kids themselves.
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Seeing old friends in Borovtsi. |
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On Tuesday, we began the day at
the home in Gavril Genovo. The number of kids in this home had been
drastically reduced over the last several months. This home will be
closed as of July1. Some of you will remember that a few years ago
American sponsorship was found for a new heating system in the Genovo
home. Then, BCI enlisted the help of William's Trace Baptist Church to
remodel bathrooms, toilets, and sleeping rooms in this home. Of course,
BCI regularly provides food and clothing. Though we are troubled
by the closing of this home, we have no regrets about having spent the
money to keep these kids warm and cared for these last five years.
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Even children who can't walk can use
socks and love. |
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We visited the public school in
Georgi Damyanovo and put new socks and shoes on all the children in
attendance. In the afternoon we traveled to the home in Borovtsi. This
home will remain open.
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Showing off their new
shoes. |
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On Wednesday we left the Berkovitsa are and traveled to Vidrare. Nearly
100 special needs children and youth live in this home. They, too,
entertained us with songs and poetry. The children who were unable to
walk received warm socks. Everybody got an armful of clothing, too!
From there we drove to the home
in Roman where we put shoes on more than 100 children! They were very
excited to see some familiar faces among the team members.
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Unloading boxes at
Rosovo. (Photos from here down from second team.) |
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We overnighted in Pleven and
visited the home for preschoolers there Thursday morning. We did our
best to put tennis shoes and dress shoes on each one of those cute
little kids.
From there we drove to Kazanluk
for lunch, before heading to the home in Vetren and the school for the
deaf in Muglish.
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Charlene Smith says 'I
love you' despite the language barrier. |
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Friday morning we visited the
home for infants to babies three years of age in Buzovgrad. Many of
these children are handicapped in some way, but they all responded to
the love shown to them by team members. In many ways this is the most
difficult home to visit because there is such a desire to help those
little ones who are hurting. Hopefully, we can find some surgery
opportunities to correct some of the birth defects and help make life a
little better for some.
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The fitting line at
Bratsigovo. |
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The team visited 13 homes and
gave away 750 pairs of new shoes and a lot of new spring clothing.
Sorry, but I didn't get a count on the number of smiles and hugs given
out or received!
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Children waiting to be
sized. |
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The second team came from
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia. We had the privilege
of participating in this church's missions conference in February of
this year. Though the church had already committed to around 60 other
mission trips for 2006, a small team of four members came to Bulgaria
this spring to help with shoe distribution. Marshall and Lorene Avery
and Hank and Nancy Dell Konigsmark came with great servant's hearts to
minister to the children in 9 children's homes. These four were joined
by our friends, Ray and Charlene Smith - interim pastor at the
International Baptist Church, Sofia. Along with our Bulgarian team
members this group had a wonderful spirit and accomplished much.
They began by visiting homes in
Rosovo and Bratsigovo the first day. It was a long drive from Sofia and
the director of the Bratsigovo home treated the team to a wonderful
lunch at a historical site in town. Then, the children in that home
performed folk dances and sang for the team. It is always good for these
kids to have an opportunity to perform for a real audience!
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Another shot of the
program at Bratsigovo. |
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Children at Bratsigovo
put on a program of traditional dances for us. |
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On Tuesday, May 9, we started south and made our first stop at the
delightful home for preschoolers in Dren. These children shared their
talents with us also! I do wish we had a recording of the singing and
dancing! I think there are a couple of kids who may one day be
professional performers!
After lunch, we made our way up the mountain to the remote village of
Gorna Koznitsa. This is one of the saddest places we visit. Most of the
children have psychological problems and many have other physical and
mental disabilities.
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Ray Smith waits on a
'customer' while Marshall Avery laces up a pair of
shoes. |
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They remembered the order of the shoe distribution, though. Many were
already pulling off shoes and socks the moment we arrived. We try to
make these kids feel special by clapping and cheering when each child is
fitted with a new pair of shoes.
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The children at the
gypsy village were expecting us! |
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This time, they anticipated this and began clapping for themselves as
soon as a shoe went on their foot!
Since this procedure went faster than expected, we went on to the home
for babies in Blagoevgrad. This was a true delight! Though it is not
easy to put shoes on those little wrigglers, especially when they curl
in their toes! But, we succeeded!
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Shoeing children at the
gypsy village Rakovitsa. |
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On Wednesday we worked with the children at Stob. Then visited the
famous Rila Monastery. It is so beautiful this time of year because
there is still so much snow on the mountains.
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The reason we do shoe
teams. |
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In the afternoon, we put shoes on the children at Rila and the home for
older children in Blagoevgrad. On Thursday morning we visited the home for the disabled in Petrovo.
There have been many dramatic improvements in this home, but our hearts
still ache for these children. Again, those that walk were given new
shoes. Those who will never do so, were given warm socks. All were shown
love by the team members.
The last day the team was here we drove to the gypsy village of
Rakovitsa to put shoes on the preschool children living there. Grand
total for that one afternoon: 354 pairs of shoes!!! Nancy Dell gets
special recognition for single-handedly "socking" all those little ones.
This one afternoon put their week's work at 774 pairs.
Total distribution for 2 weeks: 1,267 items of clothing
from Kelly's Kids, 1,473 pairs of socks, 286 t-shirts, 365 pairs of
jeans, and 1524 pairs of new shoes!!!
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