Wednesday, Jan. 11 2012 7:07AM
SCA students send a touch of home to soldiers
Courtesy photo
Kathy Holt’s third-grade class at Summit Christian Academy shows how much they raised for needy families through the Samaritan’s Purse relief organization.
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closeServiceman Corrie Shoemake visited his brother’s sixth-grade class at Summit Christian Academy before deploying to Afghanistan. Students in Jack Shoemake’s class began praying for Corrie and other soldiers and wanted to find a way to bless them.
Room mother Amy Drum researched ways to support soldiers and discovered Commander Amanda King from Fort Riley, Kan., and her unit on www.anysoldier.com. They are stationed in northern Afghanistan and living in mobile tents. The website includes a picture of the unit along with specific items requested.
“The items this unit requested were things our sixth-grade students could relate to like Gatorade, card games, socks, toothbrushes, magazines and snacks,” Drum said. “I talked with the class about the opportunity ahead of time, and we discussed our freedom and just how important and worthwhile it is to fight for our freedom. Through this service project, the students were able to serve others, share their love of God and be thankful for what they have.”
Bethany Lee, sixth-grade teacher, encouraged her students to let the soldiers know how much they are appreciated and that the students were praying for them.
“Not only did the students send playing cards, beef jerky, coffee, lotions and foot powder, but they also sent handmade cards with their favorite Bible verse and personally thanked the soldiers for their service. Some students even included a Bible,” Lee said. “We wanted the soldiers to see who was praying for them, so we added a few classroom photos to our package.”
On Jan. 5, the students received this message back from King:
“Happy Holidays! Our team has had a very good first two months in Afghanistan. The team has settled in nicely and is fully engaged in partnering with our Afghan counterparts. We enjoyed amazing Christmas and New Years Day meals prepared for us by some of the Army’s best cooks! The leadership covered our guard duty so the soldiers could enjoy the holidays. Thank you to all of you for the boxes of goodies. We appreciate all of your generosity and kindness. You have truly helped us through these first couple of months and given us all a reminder of home!”
