On Friday, Dec. 15, Winnemucca Grammar School (WGS) students received a very special gift. Thanks to a partnership between Word of Light Fellowship in Winnemucca and Convoy of Hope, every student in the school received a new pair of shoes.
Convoy of Hope is an international relief agency affiliated with the Assemblies of God. One of its avenues of outreach is in rural areas. Word of Light Fellowship is an Assemblies of God church led by Pastors Nate and Stephanie Rhoads.
At the beginning of the school year, principal Jonathan Reynolds received word that the church wanted to help out the kids at WGS. Members of the WGS Parent Teacher Organization measured the kids’ feet.
On distribution day, volunteers from Word of Light Fellowship gathered in the WGS gym to hand out the shoes coupled with a candy cane tied together with Christmas-colored ribbon.
Since kids are notorious for outgrowing every article of clothing, the shoes they received were large enough for the kids to grow into them. Some of the kids immediately sat down to try on their new shoes. One student demonstrated how he had to fold his sock over double to keep his new shoes from falling off.
“They’re super comfy,” one kid said. Another said he would wear them for the rest of his life.
Pastor Nate Rhodes said, “Our church was able through a partnership to provide shoes for all the kids in the school. And we’re just happy to do it, especially right before Christmas.”
“A lot of times, the big urban areas get a lot of attention, a lot of donations and these little places get neglected,” Rhoads continued. “They’re trying to make an intentional effort to try to help rural areas and the people there.”
Shoe distribution didn’t take long. Classes filed in, shoes traded hands and the students sat down to wait for the other treat of the day – a Christmas concert by Lowry High School Women’s Choir and Swing Choir.
Reynolds introduced the choir members who had attended WGS and reminded the audience that they, too, could be in one of Lowry High’s choirs one day. “Wouldn’t that be neat?” he asked.
After the choirs performed, the kids headed outside to play off some bottled up energy while the teachers gathered for the Ugly Christmas Sweater contest. PE teacher Dave Radtke, beard dyed green and studded with ornaments, won again this year. Affixed to the back of his vest, in macaroni, ,were the words "Vote for Radtke."
After recess, volunteers from Word of Life Fellowship handed out the shoes to the Kindergarten students in their classrooms.
Word of Light Fellowship volunteer Brianna Davis said, “I love to see the joy on their face. Especially seeing them wearing them today — it’s really exciting for us. We just want to bring joy to them and their family for Christmas, because we know not all of them are fortunate enough to get something. So we just like to see them happy.”
