Shoes

**********************UPDATE**********************

So far I have ordered 4 pairs of shoes.
My Aunt Betty has ordered 5 pairs of shoes.
Let's keep it going folks. Let's help Yoel help others!

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This story really touched my heart and I have to share it with you all. I participate in many adoption groups online and have met some wonderful people.

Lyvone is one of those people. Lyvone and her husband have 8 children. Yes 8! In the last year they brought home a boy and a girl from Ethiopia. While they were there they met two other children that touched their hearts. So in a couple of months they will be traveling back to Ethiopia to bring home two more children. Yes they will have 10 children!

They asked their 8.5 year old son Yoel what he would like to take to his village when they went back to visit and bring the other children home. This is what Yoel decided in Lyvone's words!

Yoel thought very hard and seriously about it and decided that since his feet are beginning to heal that all the kids in his village needed shoes too. I asked him what kind of shoes was he thinking of giving and he went to our shoe closet (which is large, with 8 kids!) and he pondered which shoes would be the best for the rocky and often wet conditions in their village. He decided, all on his own, that Crocs would be the best because they are durable (my word) and washable. He said in his cute little accent, "good shoes, wet okay, dry good, no socks if hot, yes sock if cold". I stood by the closet crying, knowing how blessed he feels to have 4 pair of shoes of his own.

How can we not bring 100 pair of shoes to this village? We were planning on bringing 5 suitcases of donations again anyway. That is 20 pair per suitcase and the shoes are very lightweight. We are hoping to hear from the Croc manufacturer soon about reduced pricing. So, along with our son and daughter we have started a 'Socks and Crocs for Ethiopia' campaign in our area. We just received an email from another adoptive family that traveled when we did, to pick up their new daughters, and they have already begun to receive shoe donations and even monetary donations to help us purchase the shoes and socks.

If anyone would like to contribute for this village by purchasing a pair of Crocs or a package of Socks, they can be sent to: Yoel Lees, 922 Bradford Greens CT NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525.

I would encourage you all to consider sending a pair of crocs his way! Isn't that amazing!!!

I went online to www.payless.com I found their brand of crocs and ordered 4 pairs. Right now they are buy one get one half off. So for four pairs and the shipping it was right around 50 bucks. So worth it in my opinion. You can have them shipped right to Yoel that way. One pair costs about $12.00.

Let me know if you decided to send some shoes! I'd love to know how many pairs the group of people I love send!

Jessie