Guest blogger Jennifer Simpson shares how she got involved with WaterStep and what motivates her to collect shoes. For more on shoe collection and how you can support safe water projects, go to our Why Shoes pages.
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Last summer my church, Southeast Christian, had a sermon series on getting out of your comfort zone. At the end of the series, we were challenged to commit to some kind of change for 6 months and were given several suggestions. One of the suggestions was to drink only water for 6 months while praying for those around the world who don’t have clean water, also asking God how He can use you to make a difference. I knew this would be stretch for me, especially giving up my morning cup of joe. So I took this water challenge from August 15th to February 15th. While it was a great experience and deepened my prayer life during that time, I wasn’t sure what kind of “action” I should take on this subject. In March, I had read about the mayor’s week of service in April, and saw that Waterstep needed groups and individuals to sponsor a shoe drive. Though this was an extremely busy time of year for me, the idea of doing a shoe drive wouldn’t leave my mind, so I decided to sign up to sponsor a shoe drive. I asked friends, family, and neighbors to donate shoes. My son helped me sort, count, and line them up on the driveway. The bonus was that I was able to talk to my ten year old about how shoes can help others around the world. This was the perfect way to close the chapter on my “water challenge” and I am excited to see how Waterstep is changing lives around the globe!
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