Logan’s Journey Home

A local family is adopting a boy from China and they are raising some funds in a really neat way. They are collecting gently used shoes to assist in the cost of adopting their son.

Kristina and Erwin Schulz have five kids. Earlier this year they heard about a summer hosting program through the mailing list of the ECFA: Evangelical Child and Family Agency . The summer hosting program is designed to help older children who are up for adoption learn about American culture and to hopefully expose them to a potential adoptive family. Because these children are older, they are not as likely to get adopted. The Schulz’s agreed that they would host Logan for the summer.

Kristina is a friend of mine from the homeschool co-op we both belong to. When she told me they were adopting I asked Kristina, “How did you know you were being led to adopt?” Kristina replied,

“So, here is the story. We were just going to host, but then there was a change in the country and the date of hosting. We wouldn’t be able to participate. Erwin said to me, ‘Let’s look at his file. Maybe we should adopt him.’ We saw the file and prayed about it. We then decided to adopt. I am not sure why they switched from China to a different country. We wouldn’t have been able to host from the other country because it would conflict with our vacation.”

My heart has been broken for the orphaned and vulnerable children here in America because that is where my own story originated. Our God is a God who sees people. says God is a Father to the fatherless, and he sets the lonely in families. He looked down from heaven and searched for willing hearts to welcome Logan into their family. The willing hearts God found belonged to the Schulz’s. It’s not just Kristina and Erwin whose hearts have been touched for Logan, but all five of their kids as well. This has been a family decision and the whole family is on board to bring Logan home to his forever home.

Adopting internationally is not cheap. According to America World Adoption, adopting a child from China can cost between $29,655 – $43,315. While the Schulz’s were researching how to fund raise for their adoption, they discovered there are companies that turn used shoes into cash for fundraising. They haven’t decided which company they will be using for their shoe drive but they have already gotten a jump start on collecting shoes.

The Schulz family is collecting gently used shoes for their international adoption. They will be paid by the pound. The shoes will be sent to third world countries and sold to people there so that they can start their own shoe businesses. The Schulz’s will be collecting shoes until the end of September.

They’ve placed a bin next to their front door so people can drop shoes off even if they aren’t home!

While I was visiting with Kristina and hearing her share about the whole adoption process, I was struck by how humble she is and how strong her faith is. For every question she doesn’t see a solution to she responded,

“Well, I suppose I’ll just have to trust the Lord. What else can I do?”

When I asked Kristina if she felt she was going to be able to raise enough money in time, she was quick to point out her firm belief that God will provide, and she told me,

“We’re just trusting God!”

Their goal is to collect 5,000 lbs of shoes by the end of September. The black bags pictured above contain about 1,400 lbs worth of shoes they’ve collected so far.

If you are interested in donating your gently used shoes here’s what you need to know:

All sizes of adult and children’s shoes: tennis, athletic, dress, sandals, boots, etc…
Shoes should be gently used and not broken
No slippers, ballet or tap shoes
The Schulz’s will be collecting shoes through the end of September.

Kristina and Erwin have completed their home study, paid the agency fees, and sent off the paperwork to be processed. They plan to go to China early next year to pick up their son Logan. The funds they raise will be used to help cover the cost of the trip.

I invite you to join Logan’s Journey. Here are three ways you can be a part of bringing Logan home to his forever family.

PRAYfor the Schulz family, their new son Logan and the whole adoption journey. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
DONATE your gently used shoes. Contact Kristina on her Facebook page to get a drop off address at: https://www.facebook.com/kristina.ropinskischulz
SHAREthis story with friends & family. Sharing is caring!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

* If you are local, feel free to bring your shoes to me and I will get them to the Schulz family. Shoes can also be mailed to my Ministry address at: