Operation Christmas Child now excepting donations in Phillips County

Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has been in charge of the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child which collects gift-filled shoeboxes to demonstrate God’s love to needy children around the world.

According to the group’s website -- operationchristmaschild.org -- The concept of Operation Christmas Child began in October of 1990, when Dave and Jill Cooke of Wrexham, Wales were watching a broadcast on Romanian orphanages. They asked the question: How can we help the real victims, the children, who live in these situations day after day? They knew they could not stop the wars, but they could offer something – the gift of love. Together, they filled a convoy of nine trucks with medical supplies, food, clothing and Christmas gifts for children, and headed into Romania, which had recently been devastated by war. This was the beginning of the world’s largest children’s Christmas program.

In 1993, Franklin Graham, International President of Samaritan’s Purse, adopted Operation Christmas Child. Since then, more than 113 million shoe boxes have been delivered to hurting children in more than 135 countries.

“This year the group is expecting to receive 10-million shoeboxes to distribute,” said Malta’s Sue Solberg, a volunteer for the program in Phillips County. She said that Phillips County Churches started participating in the program at about the same time as Operation Christmas Child originally started.

“It certainly has grown since then,” Solberg added.

It is the goal of Samaritan’s Purse to teach children about the love of God and lead them to faith in Jesus Christ, inspire pastors and plant new churches.

“What goes into the box is fun,” reads one statement from Samaritan’s Purse, “but what comes out is eternal.”

Shoebox gifts are collected in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom. More than 500,000 volunteers worldwide, with more than 100,000 of those in the United States, are involved in collecting, shipping and distributing shoebox gifts.

“People are also encouraged to put personal notes and pictures in the shoeboxes,” said Solberg.

“Included with the gifts, there is literature from Operation Christmas Child talking about Christ in their own language,” said Solberg. “Following that, there are courses taught and sometimes the children, sometimes the entire families, are converted to Christianity. These boxes are sent to India, Asia, Africa and this year will start going into South America.”

The shoeboxes work as follows:

Get an empty cardboard or plastic shoebox, decide whether the girft will be for a boy or girl (and which age range; 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14) and then fill the box with a variety of gifts, i.e. toys, school supplies, non-liquid hygiene items, clothes, watches, etcetera as well as a personalized note. (Do not include used or damaged items, war-related items, chocolate or food, out-of-date candy, medications or glass items.) To help cover the shipping cost of the boxes, a $7 donation will be expected.

Following the packing of the shoeboxes, Samartian’s Purse suggests the giver Pray and ask God to use your gifts to show His love to the child who will receive the shoebox.

The final step is to wrap a rubber band around the shoebox, and bring it to the drop-off location nearest you.

This year’s shoebox donations can be made at Elim Church, First Community Church and Grace Fellowship Church. Solberg said that this year is the first in which Elim Church will distribute all the shoeboxes gathered in Phillips County, sending them to the Samaritan Purse distribution center in Boone, North Dakota – one of many centers across the United States.

For more information about the project, give Solberg a call at 654-2060 or visit Samaritan’s Purse online.