Welcome to Guest post month at The MOB Society! Today’s post is by Kristen Schell, writer, speaker, teacher, and mother to four littles. Please welcome her!
Looking around the house this morning, I noticed two things — lots of shoes and a messy kitchen table. My pre-coffee self grumbled and hastily began to clean stuff up, shoving socks, shoes, and remnants of breakfast out of the way.
All these shoes.
Three girls + one teenage son = shoes-a-plenty in our house. Seems like someone is always tripping over sparkly high tops or complaining about stinky cleats. As I considered the mess in my kitchen, something shifted in my heart and stirred deep within my soul.
We take our shoes for granted.
And, I wonder if you do too? If you’ve every hollered, “Boys! Pick up your shoes!” chances are you have plenty of shoes in your house.
Sometimes keeping our boys fit and fed requires thinking outside of the box. Since we are all about nourishing our son’s souls here at the MOB Society, I’d like to offer a different kind of recipe today. A recipe for hope.
Let’s have a party with a purpose.
What if I told you a pair of shoes could save a life? And by hosting a simple party you could be part of hope in Africa? Sole Hope is an amazing ministry dedicated to providing closed toed shoes to African children. Wearing shoes prevents life threatening infections caused by jiggers, small sand fleas, which enter bare feet and burrow into the skin. Sole Hope changes lives in Uganda one pair of shoes at a time. But, let’s don’t just tell our sons about the shoes, let’s be part of the team that makes them.
Host a Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party
Hosting a shoe cutting party is an easy, fun way to make a huge impact in the life of a child, and of a village. You decide who to invite, but I’m partial to the idea of a mother-son party. Keep the party small and intimate for your family, or invite the whole class, church group, or neighborhood! It’s up to you and your son.
Sole Hope makes it easy:
- Order a shoe cutting kit
- Invite your son’s friends, ask them to bring an old pair of jeans!
- Serve yummy treats, like a popcorn bar with fun toppings and mix-ins
- Cut up old jeans using the pattern provided and mail them to Sole Hope
The jeans you cut will be the inside sole of the shoes that a child will soon wear. Once the soles are in Africa, Sole Hope trains men and women to make the rest of the shoes. The children get shoes, the adults learn a valuable trade—shoe making.
GIVEAWAY!
Because every party needs favors, I’m giving away a Shoe Cutting Party {10 Person Packet} and a copy of the book Kisses from Katie.
Follow the prompts below to enter, and enjoy planning your shoe cutting party. You and your boys are changing the world, Moms!
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Deep in the heart of Texas, there’s a big kitchen table where life not only happens, it overflows. Known for her outrageous hospitality, Kristin Schell cooks, teaches, and loves those who gather ‘round her table. Kristin’s kitchen table ministry, extends beyond real life and onto the pages of her online home kristinschell.com
Wife to Tony and mama to their four Littles, Kristin juggles the every day blessings of life, mostly with a contagious smile. She is a writer, speaker, and avid fly-fisher. You can connect with Kristin on Facebook or Twitter.
I’m going to try to get my SS class to do a sole hope party! 🙂
Wonderful! Thank you!
What a great — and easy — idea! Love this.
I would love to do this with my son’s cub scout den. We are always looking for service projects and this would be an awesome one. We can combine religious beliefs, conservation and recycling with helping someone (the service component). Thanks for posting and I hope I receive one of the kits for use in this project. But if not, I can probably figure something out on myself. god bless
Nedra, We have had several boys scouts do shoe cutting parties! They are great!
Wow – I’ve never heard of a shoe cutting party or of Sole Hope. thanks for much for sharing this!!
What a great idea! We have “service birthday parties”–we are working on a Magic Show we are having a nursing home next week for the boys’ birthdays this month, and this would be a great project to add to a holiday party we have coming up. Thanks for sharing it!
Sheila, we actually have Holiday Kits available right now! We would love to be a part of your Holidays! http://solehope.wazala.com/widget/?nickname=solehope&profilepage=1&subdomain=1
I have FIVE boys! We could have quite the party at our house!
I have four sons…and yes, we have quite the Shoe Cutting Parties!
Love this idea!
Love this! Will have to try to schedule this with some friends! Thank you!
love this
love this mission – can’t go to Africa – can cut soles! Thanks for the chance!
Love this idea! Can’t wait to host my own party!
Yay Michelle! Thank you!
I would love to read Katie’s book and host a sole party. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
We hope you do! Thanks Amy!
Oh my goodness-what a PERFECT addition to our thankful holidays focus! We LOVE Katie and I have read her book aloud to my sons more than once. They cannot wait to host this shoe cutting party. Thanks for the chance to win!
What an amazing idea and great way to get children involved in serving!
Great birthday party idea!
Would love to win a shoe cutting party!
This would be great. My kids are learning about missions and what a great way for them to get hands on experience
I have never heard of a shoe cutting party. We are so blessed. Thank you for sharing this!