Shout to the Lord!!
by Jill Foster, Children’s Minister Southwest Christian Church, Temecula,CA

Have you ever just “shouted” to the Lord? Like, “Hey God, what is your will for this situation?” That very cry was ever present the early weeks of September. Our church in Temecula had collected 150 pairs of shoes for Restored Heritage. During our summer VBS program we encouraged the kids to bring shoes and sandals for the children of the Philippines. It was like Christmas in July! The children were so excited to see the collection box overflowing each day! We prayed that these shoes would be filled with little feet that would walk with the Lord!

We boxed the shoes and sent them via FEDEX, hoping to get them to the Philippines by the time Marydel returned from the U.S. Marydel had visited our church and she saw firsthand what dedication the children had to touch the world. We expected the shoes to arrive within one week. They arrived safely but not in safe arms. The Bureau of customs would not release the boxes without Marydel paying over $200 U.S. dollars in customs fees. It had already cost us $150 to ship two boxes. Restored Heritage obviously did not have the resources to collect the shoes at this expense. So we prayed and called every resource we could.

Everything we tried seemed like it was going to work, but to no avail. So, Marydel just went on the last day to collect the shoes with God’s will in her hands. She humbly explained the situation and the purpose for the shoes. While waiting for the agents to return, Marydel and her friend Susan (Filipino) began to pray out loud. Marydel was sent to inspect the boxes with a customs agent and thankfully the shoes they pulled out read, “Made in China”. It is now apparent that the shoes were not meant to be sold in the market place but as a gift to the orphanage.

They ended up only paying for small collection fees. Yet, God’s will was still in work when Marydel witnessed to two female customs agents (Malou and Agnes) and they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
When Isaiah wrote, “You must WAIT upon the Lord before you soar like eagles”, he knew what he was talking about. God had a much higher “foot” level plan for this mission. So we praise God for His faithfulness. Two “souls” were saved and many children are running around with new “souls” on their feet!!