"2014 we started two new things, Breakfast Club and wearing Birkenstocks.  Jake and I decided to make breakfast once a week, before school, for STMA high schoolers and then Jake would teach a story from the Bible.  It started with 12 students in our basement and has exploded into 375 students attending Breakfast Club.  We outgrew hosting it in our home and we are building a Breakfast Club barn right across the street from St. Michael Albertville High School.  Our mission is to feed their tummies and feed their souls.  But that very same year Birks came into my life. 

 

       A friend of mine introduced me to Birkenstocks.  The phrase "walk a mile in my shoes" became the theme for these shoes.  Literally and figuratively, these Birks have walked a mile with many highschoolers through some lonely, dark, and heavy times.  Walking alongside students in their struggles and challenges is an honor.  It's a privilege to be invited into those moments.

 

I often read this before walking a mile in my Birks with a high schooler - 

Walk a mile in my shoes.

See what I see,

Hear what I hear,

Feel what I feel.

Then maybe you’ll understand

Why I do what I do.

And love me through it,

Walk this mile with me.

 

       When we take the time to walk a mile with the people God puts in our lives, we get the privilege of perspective and understand true compassion.  You weave your story with theirs and help shoulder the load.  That is why we do Breakfast Club in Birkenstocks."  

 

-Jake & Christy Vanada