Operation Christmas Child

Collection Items for April

Toothbrushes and Toothbrush Caps

Thank you!!
This year we were able to fill and ship 252 boxes!

So our church did Operation Christmas Child this year. If you are not familiar with that organization it is shoeboxes that you fill with things to send to kids overseas. But it's a Christian program so we are able to touch the hearts of the kids and let them know that Jesus loves them.

I've been involved in Operation Christmas Child in years past, but I just wanted to share what my experience was this year.

I was by no means in charge of running it, I just helped out.

It was incredible to see the amount of people that came to help to put all the containers on the tables in order to start getting ready to pack the Christmas boxes.

Every single table in our huge church building was filled with things for kids. As far as I know most all the items were donated by people from our church (and while the building is big, the church body itself is not huge.)

All in all 252 boxes were made to bless the children.

Shipping for each box is $10, so people from our church donated items and food for an auction so that we could raise money for shipping.

The church came together and was able to raise enough money to ship each box.

Then all of the boxes had to be loaded into two vehicles to take to a church in town so everybody in the city that was doing this could ship it all together.

When I got there Monday morning, with my car filled with boxes it was pouring rain, but plenty of people showed up to help unload all the boxes. After unloading we all went inside to pray over the boxes and for the children. It brought tears to my eyes.

I've been involved in a lot of churches over the course of my life, but it's been quite a while since I've seen a church body be this lovingly involved.

I think it is a perfect example of how God wants us all as the body of Christ to work together. I've been attending this church for about 8 months, and I feel very blessed that my husband and I moved to the area.

Just As I Am Cowboy Church has been filling boxes for over 4 years. Church members are encouraged to pick up items as they see them on sale – things such as school supplies, hygiene products, clothing, hair accessories, underwear, socks, reading books, coloring books, toys, etc. We store the items until the packing party in October. During the packing party, we fill shoeboxes for both boys and girls in three different age groups: 2-4, 5-9, and 10-14. Once the shoeboxes are filled, we schedule a day in November to deliver them to a nearby drop-off location where they are stacked in packing boxes and sent to one of several processing centers in the United States. At the processing center, shoeboxes are opened and any inappropriate items are removed. Fillers are also put into the boxes to fill any open spaces as we want the children to have a shoebox FULL of joy. At the processing centers, completed boxes are then placed into larger containers and shipped overseas. When they reach their destination, they are then transported to the community by boat, bus, animal, train, etc. where volunteers share the shoeboxes and The Greatest Journey with the children. If you would like to be a part of this wonderful ministry, please contact Lisa McCubbins at lgmcubns@gmail.com.

Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet the needs of victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine to share God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, became President and Chairman of the Board for Samaritan’s Purse in 1978. In the summer of 1993, he received a phone call from a friend in England asking if he would be willing to donate a shoebox filled with gifts for children in war-torn Bosnia. Franklin said yes and eventually reached out to a pastor in Charlotte, North Carolina asking for help. Within weeks, the pastor and his congregation filled 11,000 shoeboxes and this is how Operation Christmas Child began.

Since this time over 209 million boys and girls in more than 170 countries have experienced God’s love through the power of simple shoebox gifts from OCC. These boxes help to share the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ. After receiving a shoebox, the children are encouraged to participate in The Greatest Journey study where they learn how to follow Christ and share Him with others. During this 12-lesson program, children have the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and eventually many share their faith with family and friends.