Editor’s Note: For the third time in the past four years, the junior high students at Zion Lutheran School in St. Charles have provided CFNA with a substantial number of welcome kits. This year, the total was 160, each containing bath soap, shampoo, body lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, a small toy, and a welcome message! Here, Jami Murray, project leader and a teacher at Zion Lutheran School, tells the story.

Every year, the junior high students at Zion Lutheran School in Saint Charles completes a large service project. Our goal at Zion is to motivate our students to see the world through different eyes and to inspire students to engage in service, both now and as they grow. We typically choose an organization in the summertime, and this year, we selected Christian Friends of New Americans. We have worked with CFNA in the past and had a wonderful experience. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve in the Saint Louis area and see the service project through from start to finish.

Our service project began in September when our students participated in a walkathon. They walked, ran, snacked, and enjoyed a beautiful day outside with their friends and teachers. They raised money based on how much they walked on that day. Some students ran or walked nearly thirteen miles! Through pledges and donations, our students raised over three thousand dollars. Half of those funds were donated to our Zion missionary in China, and half purchased the supplies needed to make 160 welcome kits for CFNA.

Next, we spent a morning assembling the welcome kits. It took a couple of hours, a massive assembly line, and lots of creative power to write encouraging notes to those who would receive the bags. The last part of our project took several of our sixth-grade students to CFNA to visit and deliver the many boxes to the center. As our new American friends arrive in this great nation, we pray the kits encourage them with our messages of welcome, safety, security, and Christ's love.

We are truly blessed with abundance in our school and community. We hope the act of giving to those struggling with such great changes—such as learning a new language, attending a new school, or trying to find work—makes this service project one students will remember as they serve in the future.

By Jami Murray Zion Lutheran Church, St. Charles

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Welcoming New Americans