Putting feet to their faith

WYANET — Tim and Theresa Oloffson of Wyanet have put feet to their faith by collecting shoes, socks and shoestrings through their "Go Therefore Orphan Ministry."

The Oloffsons are partnering again this year with Buckner International in Buckner's annual "Shoes for Orphan Souls" shoe drive. The nationwide effort hopes to collect more than 200,000 pairs of new shoes, socks and shoestrings.

The Oloffsons know firsthand what it's like to travel to Europe to share shoes and smiles with orphaned children in Romania. In 2006, Tim was part of a Quad Cities-area team traveling to Romania to deliver the collected items. The following year, his wife made the trip with others to conduct a Vacation Bible School camp for 60 orphans. To date, Tim has made four trips to Romania, and Theresa has made three. The Oloffsons will lead another group trip in July.

"The reasoning behind what we do is simple," Tim said. "There are kids who have been forgotten and/or abandoned by their parents all over the world. We feel it is our calling to take care of these 'Fatherless' children the best way we can. Our calling comes from Biblical principles and specifically from the book of James which states we are to take care of the widows and orphans."

This year, the Buckner International teams will send the collected shoes, socks and shoestrings to 54 countries around the world, including the United States. In the past 10 years, Buckner has sent more than 1.5 million pairs of new shoes to at-risk children,

The Oloffsons are now seeking collection sites at churches, businesses, clubs or schools.

"We hope with with the support of area churches, retailers and civic groups, we can help Buckner reach their goal," Theresa said. "Our local goal is to collect 1,500 pairs of shoes and many pairs of socks and shoestrings during July."

Local collection sites will be announced in June.

The Wyanet ministry outreach has been commended by the Buckner International organization and the Shoes for Orphan Souls director, Rachel Garton.

"We have seen the smiles that a new pair of shoes brings to these children, and we want to extend the same joy to other children," Garton said. "Because of Go Therefore's commitment to this program, we can continue to increase the number of kids who will benefit. Millions of children live in orphanages around the world, and those orphanages are not receiving enough money to care for the children's most basic needs."