A Bible class at the Church of Christ in Austin is giving people in Sudan the means to feed themselves.

Fern Everson's Sunday morning class has been working over the last couple of months to raise money for plows to be sent to southern Sudan as a part of the Sudan African Missionary.

The plows cost $100 a piece, and the children have raised $400, enough for 16 families to plow land and grow their food for the year.

Jenny Soiney said she is proud of the work her and her Bible classmates have done.

"I feel great about it," she said. "We earned money not for just us but for people that really needed it."

Everson said focusing efforts on a specific goal allows the children to see their work and money put to good use.

"When you put money into a general fund, it doesn't really mean much," she said. "This is a small mission, but they do an enormous amount of work."

The class has been raising money for the mission for about 10 years. Pastor David DeFor said the children have always contributed willingly to whatever cause they were working on.

Last year, Soiney gave her own money to the Sudanese.

"She came walking in to Vacation Bible School with a sweatshirt full of coins," DeFor said. "She had emptied her piggy bank for these people."

Her father, Kevin, has also chipped in for the cause. He promised Jenny he would match the class if they raised $100. When they got $150, he decided to chip in $200 instead.

The children have broken their piggy banks, done chores and got donations to raise the funds. Little by little, over the last couple of months, they have managed to put the large sum together.

In her weekly class, Everson tries to make the children understand the need for charity work. She tries to personalize the experiences of the Sudanese so the children develop a passion for their cause. In class, she points out differences between the lives of the Sudanese and the lives of Americans.

"Your mother never had to go along the roadside to try to find something to feed you for breakfast," she told them. She asked them if they worry about having blankets or medicine.

"Unless we teach the class the need and the love for mankind, they're not going to learn that," she said.

The children have already started raising for the next project, even though they do not know what it is yet. They have $15 in the pot to get them started.

"I think this class has little missionary hearts," Everson said.

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by email at matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com