Cleats for the Streets

This is a program that we are about to start down here.

Everyone here plays soccer. They play on the streets, on the sidewalk, or the few soccer fields. The balls that they play with are anything that can be kicked -but they are always flat. The people here love to play. It does not matter whether the ball is flat or if there are rocks in the streets, these people love to play.

This has proved to be our biggest witness down here. We invite kids to come over and play soccer on our small field, and then invite them to church with us. We have had quite a few vie for both options. It is my goal to start providing cleats for the kids here. Just about everyone plays bare foot. The few that are able to purchase cleats (although cheap for us, way too expensive for these people) are at a significant advantage. Cleats make a world of difference when playing soccer.

Our goal is to acquire 200 pairs of cleats and pass them out to the kids on the streets here in Santo Tomas. Foot sizes down here are puny compared to those in the states. We are looking for kids sizes, and then adult sizes up to size 9 US. The bulk of those, we are hoping, are in the kids ranges, not the adults. Here is what we are asking.

• If you have any cleats sitting around the house, we would like them.
• If you could pick up some at the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or other thrift stores, we would greatly apprecite it.
• If you would prefer not to purchase cleats, you could donate money to pay for the shipping down to Peru.
• We are looking for kids sizes ranging from 6.5 - 13, and then adult sizes ranging from 5-9

New, old, used, whatever, anything is better than playing barefoot. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please let me know. This is an amazing opportunity for us, and you, to provide a small gift to the children of Santo Tomas. I will send out an email, and post a blog, as to where to send the cleats. Right now we are trying to work out the best option.

Please let me know any feedback you might have. Thanks!