by Jones Koffa
Jones assembling school kits in 2016
Every school year from the time I was 10 years old to 17 years of age, I and my classmates in Africa would receive a bag of school supplies. Even though it arrived every year, it was always a surprise and nothing we came to expect. I remember being so happy when a bag was put in my hands! My parents could not afford much of the costs of our education so the school supplies were very important and needed by all of us. We were never told who the school bags were from nor did we ask. Since that time, I came to America as an immigrant and found my home in Lincoln, Nebraska, and at First Lutheran Church. Last November, I came to church on a Sunday morning and saw people assembling bags with school supplies. The bags looked very familiar. In fact, they were just like the school bags I received when I was in Africa! It was then, almost 26 years later, I discovered where my school bags came from! It is caring and compassionate people, like First Lutheran, who made a big difference in my education and thousands of others. From here on, you will always find me in the school kit assembly line passing on the gift of education to others like me. Join me on Sunday, November 5, at 9:30 am, as First Lutheran prepares 800 school kits to be sent to kids around the world!
