AND THE Winner IS...
Kristen Adam!
Kristen Adam is a Mom, wife, friend, volunteer and so much more. Her very presence lights up an entire room. Her smile is contagious, her love is vast and she has a giving heart like none other.
Kristen has been a key leader at Soles for Jesus for 6 years by serving on the Operations Team, the Events Team, Director of Prayer and one of the leaders for SOS events (where volunteers come to our warehouse to Sort and Organize Shoes by packing them for their journey to Africa). She’s been to Africa twice on mission trips for Soles for Jesus and to three countries: Ethiopia, Zambia and South Africa. In Africa, they wash, measure and put shoes on feet, while sharing the love of Christ in remote villages. "It’s an amazing experience and Kristen has served with her knees in the dirt, while loving those who have been forgotten and are so needy. If I had to use one word to sum up Kristen it would be "Love." She loves anyone, everyone, anywhere at any time." Diane Studer - Founder of Soles for Jesus. In addition to her significant contributions to Soles for Jesus, she recently went on a mission trip to Australia, is a prayer partner for Nichole Marbach Ministries, is active in her church; Garden City, and still finds time to cook, clean and run her two daughters to cheer, basketball, volleyball, guitar lessons, piano lessons, singing lessons and church & school functions. As if that isn't enough, she came up with the idea for a Love Letter Project. It started with turning our weekly walks into skips, gallops and dancing. Why not? The smiles and laughter from strangers was contagious. We were having fun, they were having fun. We then decided to write random love letters and hand these out to whoever we encountered. Seeing the positive impact, we intend to expand our efforts in this area and the official Love Letter Project is in the works. “Kristen loves to share words of encouragement to help others who are struggling and going through challenges in their lives. She is passionate about seeing lives transformed and is truly a blessing to everyone around her. This world is truly a better place because of Kristen! I can't think of anyone who deserves this award more than her!” - Yenh Mikolajewski Outside of her role as Mom, wife and volunteer, she offered friendship to me at a time when I needed it most; A stranger who sensed my need when my hope was waning. She knows when someone is hurting and offers a hug, hope, prayers and a helping hand. I've personally experienced this but I have even witnessed this extended to perfect strangers that she encounters in her day. She probably will never know how much she has inspired me to be a better person. I see light, love, blessings and joy in each and every day. I owe this gift to her. She has set the model of person we should all strive to be. With overflowing love and gratitude, Jo Stumpner |