By Dwayne Morris
Photo courtesy of Stacey Seay
What do you get when you take 335 runners divide by 19 teams and multiply by one cause? Answer: 537 pairs of flip-flops for poverty-stricken children in Nicaragua who can’t attend school without proper clothing.
The Spartanburg Christian Academy Invitational is always more than a cross country meet. It is a meet with a purpose. In lieu of the traditional entry fee, SCA’s coach, Steve Conway, asks teams to support a mission project selected by the team. The idea is that the collective efforts by the participating teams could produce substantial results. This year’s meet proved to be the most responsive meet ever.
The coordinator for SCA is Mrs. Stacey Seay, a runnermom who loves to see so many people work toward a common goal. “It is such a blessing to see the community of runners come together to help others in need. Personally, I think the greatest part of every mission project we have done, is seeing first-hand how God blows away our expectations,” Seay shared.
The project was especially exciting for SCA’s top male runner, Ben Christopher, who has served in Nicaragua with Chosen Children Ministries, the agency who will receive the flip-flops. Ben said, “Having seen a small portion of the poverty I know how helpful it is for them to receive just a single pair of flip-flops. I feel so blessed to be going to a school that is so committed to serving Christ.”
Runners were encouraged to decorate the bottom of the flip-flops with their name. Some went the extra mile and drew designs or wrote Bible verses. The SCA runners took many of the flip-flops and lined the starting chute for the runners to see as they began their race.
SCA coach Steve Conway was very surprised at the response. He summarized the event by saying, “I was worried the runners wouldn't make the connection. But the other coaches did an incredible job because these kids got it. We've never had a response like this. Almost two pairs of shoes from each finisher were donated."
Furthermore, I could tell they understood from their many comments. One visiting runner said, "This is my favorite meet. It's about glorifying God and helping the needy."
