MERRY CHRISTMAS

Frank and I,with our dogs Reggie and Trinket. We would like to thank all of you who have so generously given to Shoes for Haiti's Kids. You have made it possible for us to have given away close to 1,000 pairs of shoes, bags and bags full of rice, beans, bread, bananas and water to many of the children of Haiti. I feel like we have only just begun and want to do so much more in 2009. The children of Haiti need our help and we are asking God to help us double everything that we did in 2008 in this new year of 2009. We need more shoes so that more children can go to school and more food so that none of them will go hungry. I am praying for a "shoe connection" with someone who has access to hundreds of pairs of shoes, brand new shoes that they would be willing to donate or we will pay for them. Another need is shipping. If we could get some donations to ship some of the shoes to Haiti, that would really help us get them there. Please pray for us as we make plans for 2009, there is such a great need in Haiti. Merry Christmas to all of you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the help that you have given us. And a Happy New Year!!! Ria and Frank Voss

Check out the website at www.shoesforhaitiskids.com

Haiti, 3rd trip for SFHK, Nov. 5-12, 2008

Thanks to all of you who donated shoes, finances for us to buy shoes, and money for us to buy food for the poor while in Haiti. We were able to put shoes on the children at Fonde School, bring bags of rice, beans, and some bread to a small church, 3 small schools, and whenever we saw a need. We want to thank Bettie Snyder and her son Phil from Glow Ministries of Zeeland, Mi wh0 have been in Haiti for over 30 years, they help us with everything that we do. They also provided a home for some of the team and othe rest of us stayed at the hotel next door to their home. Please check out their website at http://www.glowmi.org/ They truly are making a big difference in the lives of the people there.

Again, thank you for making Shoes for Haiti's Kids possible. May God bless you for your generosity.



Also, a big hand to the team who all helped in hauling shoes, bagging rice, beans, bread and giving of themselves to the children, widows, and people of Haiti. Thanks for sacrificing of your
time, money, and yourselves for Haiti! Great job!



back row left to right, John, Carol, Frank, Cindy, Bettie, Charlie
front row left to right, Ria, Shirley, Nancy, Michele

To make a donation, MAKE CHECKS OUT TO NEW HOPE & send to:

Shoes For Haiti's Kids
New Hope Ministries
4425 71st St.
Vero Beach, Fl
32967

Fonde Baptiste School

The kids of Fonde Baptiste School were waiting for us when the truck drove up full of shoes. They were so excited and we began by opening up the suitcases full of shoes and also some large boxes full of toys. When I saw all those children, hundreds of them, I just prayed and asked God to give us enough shoes for them all. We worked for hours trying the shoes on the children and fitting them. It was a big job but very satisfying. I know in order to put a new pair of shoes on each of the children there, we will need a lot more shoes. We were also able to give a few teachers a pair of shoes. The children gathered around us outside and we loved on them, hugged them and just let them know that they are loved. I videod some of them singing and let them watch themselves on the video and there eyes just got real big from seeing themselves. They loved singing for us and we just had a great time together. After putting on the shoes, a trip to the outhouse and a nice meal of chicken, rice, beans and planteens, we headed back down the mountain. The trip up to the school was met with dirt & rocky roads, hairpin curves, and times when we were going straight up and all sliding together in the back of that truck. The truck was loaded with 12 people in the open bed in the hot sun, 12-15 suitcases full of shoes which were strapped to the top of the cab and put under the seats, etc. We also had a bucket of chicken that had been cooked for us in the early morning. This was not like a bucket we get from KFC but a pail, bucket, filled with chicken as we drove up the mountain for 2 1/2 hours in the hot sun. Needless to say, it was still hot when we ate it! Thanks to Charlie who had a firm hand on that bucket all the way up the mountain! Also, I was amazed at the people in that village, with nothing but a school/church many of them are born up there and die up there, never leaving that village. I was impressed with the gardens I saw on the mountains. Their soil is good that they are able to grow what they need. Our trip to Fonde School is a memory that none of us will ever forget! And our bodies felt the affects of that trip for several days after!

Widows meeting

As we entered the womens meeting they were singing so beautifully that they could be heard through out the neighborhood. What a beautiful sight to see their faces smiling as they sang praises to God. Cindy Holliday encouraged the women with a message that touched their hearts followed with a meal for each of them of chicken, rice, and beans. Life has been hard on these precious widows but the love of God shines in each one of them.

Seven precious orphan girls

These 7 girls have quite a story! They were in an orphanage and were asked to leave and put out on the street. One of their caretakers at the orphanage was also asked to leave. They were scattered everywhere, some going home with the cook, others to find some distant relatives but Dumwa, who had taken care of them at the orphanage, gathered them all up and took them to live with him, his wife and brand new baby. Frank and I have supported two of the girls and we wanted to see them so they all came over to the house at Betties. Dave and Luanne Gould had donated over 100 pair of brand new sandals, flats and heels so we let the girls go through the boxes and for over 1 1/2 hours we watched as they tried on the shoes, giggling and just being girls. It was so much fun to watch. There are many more like them that desperately need support on a monthly basis. If you would like to support a child in Haiti, check out http://www.glowmi.org/ They feed over 2000 children a day and with the recent hurricane this past summer, children have lost their parents and they need your support. God Bless you!

Our "Brush Arbor School"

The kids at our little "Brush Arbor School" are some of the sweetest children I have ever met. They are all so grateful for the rice and the beans that we gave to them. They will take it home to their families and will have enough for a few meals. Money has been donated to build them a new "brush arbor school" closer to the main road where the school will have better access. Our goal is to one day be able to build them a concrete block school. Also we would like to begin to support this school on a monthy basis. For $200 a month the children can be feed 5 days a week while they are attending school. Can you help? It would be life changing and maybe even life saving for the children there. Plus their education, being able to read and write!

Life in Haiti

HOME FROM HAITI

We arrived back from Haiti early this afternoon. We are all home safe and sound. Will write all about the trip in the next few days. Thanks so much for all of your prayers! Ria Voss

GODS ANSWER TO PRAYER

Since our last trip to Haiti in March '08 I have been wondering how I was going to get all the shoes that were being donated, over to Haiti. Spirit Airlines had changed their policy and instead of each person bringing in 2 suitcases plus a carryon, they changed to one suitcase each plus a carryon. That cut our ability to take in shoes by half. We have been checking into altenative ways of shipping, etc and they have proved to be costly, so we just waited. About 2 weeks ago, I heard that my friend Bettie Snyder and her son Phil from Glow Ministries International had purchased a school bus and were going to fill it with school supplies, food and water supplies, etc. After talking with them, Phil said he would come by New Hope Church in Vero Beach, Fl on his way to Miami and would let us put in as many shoes as we wanted.

Thanks to some large donations in the past week, we were able to call the man who I usually buy the shoes from and make arrangements to purchase the shoes. On Friday, with our pickup truck empty, we purchased enough shoes to fill the bed of the truck and the back seat! We made another trip on Saturday and did the same. Tommy, where we purchased the shoes, was so generous that he gave us, for free, over 100 shirts and he also threw in 44 free backpacks! Thank you Tommy for your generosity! We purchased 275 pairs of shoes for $6.00 each!!

On Sunday Phil was at the church with the school bus and we loaded it up with the shoes, shirts, and backpacks and its now on its way to Haiti. Please pray for the bus as it goes through customs.

On Nov 5 '08 a team of 10 will be going to Haiti and carrying in our suitcases as many shoes as possible. This past July, a team of 5 carried in more shoes. Our goal this trip is to put as many shoes as possible on the children at the Fonde School located a 2 hour, dirt and rocky road (should say goats trail), up the mountain. That school needs 500 to 600 pairs of shoes. Please pray for the team, we really covet your prayers from Nov. 5-12. God Bless you for giving to the children of Haiti. Because of your gifts, we will not only be able to put new shoes on their feet but also feed them and bring food to many in the villages.

After counting all the shoes we put on the bus, shoes that the team took this past July and the shoes that the team will carry in on this trip on November 5, we have a total of 744 pairs of shoes!!!!! I am so grateful! Thanks!!!! Thanks for your faithfulness God!

The Hendersonville Connection

This story is written by Christine from Hendersonville, NC who just wanted to do something that would make a difference in somebodys life. Thank you so much Christine and Margaret for all the work that you put into collecting the brand new sneakers & the finances for the kids in Haiti. We will take them with us in November.

Once we were strangers, now we are friends! God Bless you ladies for caring enough to do something that will touch their hearts!

(left to right, Frank, Ria, Margaret, Christine)

In the Spring of 2008, I realized that the volunteer work I was doing was no longer a good fit. I asked God what it was He wanted me to do; how could I serve Him in a better way? My prayers were answered when I began noticing a lot of information about Haiti in the newspaper and other media. I felt a calling to help the people in this desperately poor nation. I mailed a check to a charity that is involved in providing assistance to Haiti and figured that was it. No way! I was haunted by the stories I had read, and knew that I must do more.
With the help of a GOOGLE search, I came upon the Shoes for Haiti's Kids project that was being carried out by Ria and Frank Voss. I was amazed to learn that children cannot attend school without shoes. I read Ria's story and e-mailed her to request her DVD. After seeing the beautiful children wearing their new shoes, I was hooked! I told my friend, Margaret about this endeavor and she immediately stepped up to the plate. Thus, the Hendersonville Connection was born! Our appeal to my Bible Study, Women's Guild and condominium community was met with much encouragement and many donations.
In September, Margaret and I had the pleasure of meeting Ria and Frank as they passed through Hendersonville on their way home to Vero Beach. We were happy to present them with 58 pairs of shoes and $60.00 cash. We look forward to more shopping and collecting for this wonderful project.
Christine

Update on Nov 08 trip to Haiti

We are preparing for our November 08 trip to Haiti. There is a team of 10 going instead of 12. Our goal is to bring in as many shoes as possible for the kids. Today we were so blessed to be able to find shoes for $4.50 each and I think that we purchased around 30 pairs. Our problem with getting the shoes there is that the airlines have made a new ruling that you can only bring 1 suitcase per person instead of 2 suitcases per person. That really hurt us, so instead of the team bringing in 20 suitcases full of shoes, we can only bring in 10. We are also allowed 1 carryon each which we use for our personal items.

This trip some of us will be staying at a Hotel while the rest of the team will be staying at Bettie's house in Kalico, Haiti. The hotel where we will be staying is right on the Carribbean and our meals will be provided for us there. We will spend most of our days giving out shoes to the children and also we will be going into some of the villages and bringing in rice, beans, water, bread, and bananas. The people of Haiti have been through so much with the hurricanes this summer and many have lost their homes. Our school, New Hope, that was contructed mostly of branches, palm leaves, etc has been destroyed but Bettie tells me that they will rebuild it again. My heart is to support that little "brush arbor" school on a monthly basis with food served to the children 5 days a week while they attend school. At least they will get one meal a day. Please help us to feed the children and put shoes on their feet. We really need your help. Together we can make a difference!

Here is how you can help. You can send shoes or your financial gift for shoes or food to:

Shoes for Haitis Kids
NEW HOPE MINISTRIES
4425 71st St.
Vero Beach, Fl 32967

Thank you so much!

Please check out our website at www.shoesforhaitiskids.com for more information and loads of pictures.

Windows Live Hotmail

Windows Live Hotmail

Upcoming Trip to Haiti

A team of 12 will be going to Haiti Nov. 5-12, 2008. More info to follow! Please pray for us as we prepare to bring in as many shoes as possible and also with your donations feed as many as possible. Thank you!!!

My Story

How it all began. Ria's Story In April 2007 I was watching the Oprah show I saw a women on the program who had collected and donated 85,000 pairs of pajamas to kids in group homes, shelters,etc. I was so inspired by that show that I could not sleep. I tossed and turned and began to cry out to the Lord, "What can I do that will make a difference in someones life? Please God just show me."
As I continued to pray, the message "SHOES" came into my mind. I began to think about shoes; then how would I get them, who would I give them to? I thought about my dear friend Bettie Snyder in Haiti. I immediately got out of bed and wrote Bettie an email telling her about what had just happened and asked if there were a way to get shoes to the kids in Haiti?
The next morning she wrote me back encouraging me to please follow my heart and vision, the children in Haiti desperately need shoes. Just like that "SHOES FOR HAITI'S KIDS" was born. Our goal is 1,000 pairs of NEW sneakers by the end of this year. In June Bettie took the first suitcase full of shoes and the smiles on the faces of the children touched my heart. In November we will bring as many shoes as are donated and give them to the children in the schools, orphanages and wherever we see a need. Thank you for your prayers and support. God Bless you all, Ria Voss

Thanks

Thanks to all of you for your donations to "shoes for haiti's kids". In March a team of 5 went to Haiti to deliver shoes to the children there. We also purchased enough rice, water and bread to feed a village, a school and some orphans. Thanks to all of you who have given money to make that possible. In November '08 we will return to Haiti. We need 500-600 pairs of BRAND NEW sneakers for Fonde School located on top of a mountain. We want to provide every child in that school with a new pair of shoes. Shoes for Haitis Kids has also taken on the responsibility of a small school made of sticks, leaves, etc. We have started to provide them with a meal daily. The cost of feeding that school a meal a day for a month is between $200-$250 a month. As we have all seen in the news lately, the children in Haiti are going hungry and resorting to eating "mud pies" made with shortening and dirt, please help us provide for this small school. I hope that you will take the time to check out this site to see how you can help. God Bless you!
Ria & Frank Voss

Trip to Haiti, March 6-11, 2008

When we arrived in Haiti we were met by the missionary there, Bettie Snyder from Glow Ministries. We spent the day getting the shoes ready to put on the feet of the kids. We went back to Grande Gode School where some of the children had not received shoes the last time because we ran out of sizes. We were also able to give the teachers each a pair of shoes and they were so grateful. Then on to Village 87 where we passed out bread, water, and rice. The people were so grateful and it was such a blessing to walk among them handing them a piece of fresh baked bread that we had just bought from the market. Thank you to all of you who gave extra finances so that we were able to buy food. Our time at Village 87 is always a blessing and we finished our time there with a swim in the beautiful, warm water, surrounded by all the children. They were laughing, splashing, diving and just having a wonderful time of fun with us.
There were 7 teenage girls that Bettie heard about that were kicked out of an orphanage there and left on the street to fend for themselves. A couple with a brand new baby took them into their home and we went and visited them and brought them all a pair of shoes. They were thrilled with their new shoes and really loved the crocs that we gave them. Their smiles made it all worth while. We were so happy to see them being well taken care of.
Later that day we were told about a small "brush arbor" school where the children were so hungry. We went to the market and bought rice and headed for the school. What we saw made my heart heavy. The school was made out of tree limbs and palm leaves, etc. These children are so happy to get an education that they will sit close together on hard benches just so that they can learn. My heart was so touched by this little "brush arbor" school that we would like to start a feeding program for them. It will take about $200. a month to feed them every day, 5 days a week. If you are interested in helping with this school, just e-mail me. We handed them each a bag of rice to take home to their families. Thanks again to all of you who gave money for food. On our next visit (Nov. '08) to the "brush arbor" school, we will bring them new shoes.
On Sunday we headed up the mountains in 2 vehicles. It was the most frightening thing I have ever done. We drove up the mountain on roads full of boulders and potholes not meant for vehicles but for goats and donkeys! And there were NO guardrails. Sometimes we were so frightened that we all held our breath as my husband Frank would make a hairpin turn. We looked down and couldn't see anything, not even the bottom of the mountain. Needless to say we started singing! Thank God for all Franks years of driving for UPS! He took us up and down that mountain safely. All the way up that mountain I said, I will never go up here again, I was so scared! After I got down the mountain I told everybody we were going back in November! Only God can change our hearts sometimes! Our goal on the mountain was to go to Evwa School/Church and put shoes on the feet of the kids there. We took hundreds of pairs of shoes with us and we spent hours fitting the children till we began to run out of sizes. It was such a blessing to see the kids walking around later with a pair of brand new sneakers on, wearing a big smile. Bettie's son Phil Snyder, Glow Ministries from Zeeland, Mi. was also with us and his ministry donated enough food to have a celebration and everyone ate that day, children and adults. What a great time we had in Evwa! Thanks to Glow Ministries, Phil's Mom, Bettie for making that day so very special. As we were leaving Philip said to me, "Ria, there is a school even farther up the mountain with 500-600 kids who need shoes" and I told him with God's help and the generosity of many, we would get those shoes for them and bring them in Nov. '08. That is a lot of shoes!
I want to thank our team, who gave up time with their families, took time off from their jobs and gave of themselves till they were drained of energy!
From left to Right, Josh Sieger, his 1st trip, what a blessing he was and a I know this will not be his last mission trip. Next, Bettie Snyder, my dear friend and missionary to Haiti for over 30 years! I continually thank God for bringing her into my life! She shared her home with us and her cook! Then Dave Mckee from Christian Media Productions, http://www.cvpro.us/ who spent hours and hours putting together a great video presentation of our trip to Haiti! Thanks Dave! Just e-mail me and I will be glad to send you a copy. Next, myself, Ria Voss. Then there is Pastor Nancy Hart from New Hope Ministries of Vero Beach, Fl., a very precious friend. She has been on both trips with Shoes for Haiti's Kids. Her and Pastor Jack Hart have been such a great support to this ministry. Check out their ministry, New Hope Ministries at http://www.hope4you.us/ And then my husband Frank, who is always there, hauling shoes, loading suitcases, driving us up the mountains and never complaining. Thanks to all of you who gave of yourselves, your finances, your time to make this trip one that made a difference to many of the children in Haiti.
Thanks to Phil Snyder and Mom, Bettie Snyder of Glow Ministries of Zeeland, Mi http://www.glowmi.org/ who housed us, feed us, transported us and provided everything we needed in Haiti to make my dream of putting shoes on the children in Haiti so they can have an education. Check out their ministry, they feed over 2000 kids a day! They have given their lives to the country of Haiti for over 30 years. God Bless you Glow Ministries and Bettie & Phil!

September 2007 Trip

On September 27, 2007 a team of 5 left Vero Beach, Fl. for 5 nights and 6 days with 10 suitcases full of brand new sneakers, bound for Haiti! On our team was Nancy Hart, Cindy Ward, Chuck Wilson and my husband Frank Voss and myself, Ria Voss. After collecting shoes since April we were so excited to finally pack them all up and get them on the feet of the Haitain children. When we arrived in Port au Prince, Haiti, we were met by Bettie Synder and Teresa Prange, both of Glow Ministries in Zeeland, Mi. Also, Dr. Marty Schnell, from Tennessee and Dr. Barry Staum from Idaho also joined our "Shoes for Haiti's kids" team.

We started our trip in Haiti with a trip to an orphanage of 100 children. We walked through the orphange hugging, loving, and praying for the children there. Many were severally handicapped and we thank God for those at the orphange that were called to take care of these precious children. Then onto see our dear friend, Beverly Plourde also from Vero Beach, who is helping to take care of the children in the "Baby House" A home where babies are brought there by their mothers because they cannot take care of them. We all were so touched by all the children, full of smiles and just wanting to be played with and loved.

We left there with all our suitcases full of shoes and climbed into the back of the pickup truck and sat on benches as our driver took us to Kalico, Haiti. It was over an hour drive in the back of that pickup truck on roads full of potholes and with the heat in the 90's. We arrived at Bettie Snyders house eager to get started and full of anticipation.

The next day we decided to go to Village 87, a village located about 45 minutes off the main road. We had to drive on a dirt trail and through (and I do mean through!) a riverbed to get there. When we arrived at Village 87 they were so happy to see us because Dr. Marty was with us and he supports the village with food every month. God, bless Dr. Marty for his generosity to these, your people! On our way to the village we had stopped to buy fresh baked bread and water for the people there. It was such a blessing to see the smiles on the faces of these precious people and the kids as we began to pass out the bread and the water. They live in such poverty, I could not believe my eyes as I looked around an saw a metal shed where most of them lived. Dr. Marty noticed that part of the shed was gone and asked them what happened to the shed and was told that some robbers came and took the metal away. Now some of them had to sleep outside. My heart ached for these people. In order for them to get water, they had to walk that 45 minute drive that we just took to get their water. I will never forget them.

On Sunday, we attended church and saw the school that was started by Bettie Snyder and her son Philip, who are founders of Glow Minitries, Zeeland, Mi. After the service they came into a room, 6 at a time as Dr. Marty "washed" their feet with oil and prayed over them and we began to fit the shoes on their feet. Their eyes were filled with excitement as we began to find a pair for each one of them that would fit. We noticed that some of the kids had their "sunday best" shoes on and many had them "stuffed" with paper so that they would "fit" their feet. We continued to fit shoes on the kids at the church/school and after hours of being in that room with temperatures at about 100, we started to run out of shoes for the older kids. My heart was saddened as I saw them standing out in that hot sun, just waiting for their turn. One young man, maybe around 16 years old, showed me his shoe that was half seperated from the sole, I don't know how he walked in them without tripping. We promised to bring them some shoes on our next trip and we left with heavy hearts because we were not able to give the teens new shoes. But still our hearts were full because of what we had just experienced with the children.

On Monday we headed back to Port au Prince to take shoes to the school there lead by Mistro. The children were so eager to see us and we walked through the classrooms that were filled with kids wanting to get an education and thankful that they were able to be there. They all had on uniforms that were made for them and they were so cute! We began to fit the smaller children with shoes and tried to fit everyone that we could, till we again ran out of shoes. It just hurts to see the looks on the faces of those who didn't get a pair of shoes, but we promised that we would be back in January.

Since I have been back home, the images I saw of the poverty everywhere I went in Haiti come crashing through my thoughts. How can we make a difference? We have so much and they have so very little. Their greatest need is food. If you would like to help with that, just e-mail me and I will tell you how you can do that. God has called me to put shoes on the feet of the children in Haiti but I cannot do it without your help. The need is so great. I could see that the shoes they were wearing had been passed down from one person to another to another. The pair of BRAND NEW SNEAKERS that you donate will be worn by not just the person receiving them but will be passed on to another and another till they are worn out. We need 1,000 pair of BRAND NEW SNEAKERS (no canvas please-they do not hold up in Haiti) for our next trip that is being planned for the beginning of 2008.

In Haiti we prayed for God to bless all of you who have so generously given to "shoes for Haitis kids" and we want to thank you again. Without your help, this trip would not have been possible! God Bless you all!

Ria Voss