Office of Public Relations
Missouri Baptist University
One College Park Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63141-8698
314.392.2307 / fax 314.392.2265
www.mobap.edu / pr@mobap.edu
For Immediate Release
RE: MBC Student Collects Thirty-Five Thousand Pairs of Shoes for Kenyans
MBC Student Collects Thirty-Five Thousand Pairs of Shoes for Kenyans
January 11, 2001
Tennis shoes. Dress shoes. Tall shoes. Small shoes. Hiking shoes. House shoes. Used shoes. New shoes. Shoes of all kinds - over thirty-five thousand pairs - were bundled in white, sturdy polypropylene bags and loaded on a Mississippi barge. They are now on their way to Mombassa, Kenya.
John Kihumba, a sophomore at Missouri Baptist College, came to the United States from Kenya two years ago with the help of Eagle Wing Ministries and its president, George Hutchings. The two have partnered on a mission to meet a need in Kihumba's home country. Their goal of collecting sixteen thousands pairs of shoes was more than doubled.
"In Kenya, many people live their entire life without ever wearing shoes and sometimes not even knowing about them," says Kihumba. "God has put me in this country where I can see things that are thrown away here that would be valuable to my country."
While shoes are often associated with their comfort and fashion in the United States, for Kenyans, they are defense against disease. The shoes will be delivered to both children and adults in orphanages and hospitals.
This was not Eagle Wing's first outreach to Kenya. The two delivered medical supplies, planted two churches in Kenya and saw more than thirty Kenyans come to know the Lord, including the nation's Minister of Finance.
Last year, a group of doctors and nurses set off on a volunteer surgery mission to Kenya. Red tape threatened to tie up their medical equipment for an anticipated year. Kihumba flew to Kenya and after meeting with Kenya's president, was able to move the supplies through bureaucracy. The volunteer doctors were able to perform twenty-six life-saving surgeries and provide medical training as well.
Hutchings graduated from Missouri Baptist College in '78 and served as the director of development at the College in the early nineties. He now volunteers all of his time through the ministries of Eagle Wing and is currently a member at First Baptist Church of Ballwin. "The church members rallied around the project with donations of shoes and funds for shipping," says Hutchings about Ballwin.
Kihumba and his wife and daughter-who joined him after the embassy bombing in '98-have received support from Eagle Wing during his time at Missouri Baptist College. Hutchings refers to Kihumba as "the Pearl of Great Price," and describes his support as a lifelong investment.
Kihumba's desire for education in computer science comes with a noble cause. Similar to the shoe collection, Kihumba plans to take donations of used computers, restore them and deliver them to Kenyan schools, where only two percent of the population have access to working computers.
"If we give them food today, it will be gone tomorrow," says Kihumba, "but if we give them the ability to grow in knowledge, it will last for a lifetime. Knowledge will be their freedom in the twenty-first century."
There will be no break for the two as they are already planning for a summer 2001 crusade. Their plans include a delivery of one million dollars worth of medical equipment and supplies, accompanied by a missionary team - and of course - more shoes.
The shoe donations did not come exclusively from the St. Louis area but from across the state and river. Hutchings said, "We received shoes from churches all over-Hannibal, Illinois, and southeast Missouri."
The project reached beyond denominational barriers as "they all came together to meet a need," says Hutchings.
The shipment is expected to arrive in Kenya on February 17. Kihumba has traveled in advance to Mombassa to arrange the distribution to the unexpecting recipients. "Soles for the soul," smiles Hutchings, "truly a community act of love."
To learn how you can help Kihumba and Eagle Wing Ministries call (636) 386-9568 or write to 428 Old State Road, St. Louis, MO 63021.
Related Links: Donated shoes are set for journey to Kenya Area residents donate shoes to aid needy Kenyans
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Missouri Baptist University is a premier Christian university in Saint Louis, offering graduate and undergraduate studies in over thirty specialized fields and nine degrees. MBU's education and fine arts programs are nationally known in addition to business, religion, administration of justice, and more. MBU is one of the fastest growing higher education institutions in Missouri with an enrollment of over 4,500 students at five locations in the bi-state region — West County, Lincoln County, Jefferson County, Franklin County and the new Illinois extension at Lewis and Clark Community College.
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