It’s the most wonderful (and giving) time of year! Operation Christmas Child is already now in full swing as folks from around the world are participating in the Shoebox event.
Operation Christmas Child is an annual project of Samaritan’s Purse that delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to children around the world in Jesus’ Name.
The festive-colored boxes can be found in most stores and are meant to be filled with gifts and love to bring a child comfort during the holiday season. These boxes are sent to children in over 170 countries from all over the world.
Last year, 11.3 million shoebox gifts were collected worldwide with over 10 million of them coming from the United States alone. For this year, the goal is 12 million worldwide with 10.6 million coming from the States.
These boxes are distributed by local Christians who are trained to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in a child-friendly way at outreach events where children will receive a surprise shoebox gift along with The Greatest Gift Booklet. The booklet has been translated to 107 languages with more in the works.
Many of the shoebox gift recipients participate in a 12-lesson discipleship program, The Greatest Journey, and upon graduation of the program, the children receive a certificate and colorfully illustrated New Testament in their own language.
For anyone wishing to participate in the Shoebox event, it’s simple:
• Use a standard-size shoebox to pack for a boy or a girl, or use one provided by certain retailers-the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child logo will be displayed on the box
• Select a quality “wow” item such as a doll, soccer ball with pump, or stuffed animal
• Pack the box full of other fun items, personal care items and school supplies
• Include an encouraging note and photo for the child
• Pray for the child who will receive the gift-this is the most important thing to add to your shoebox gift!
• Donate $10 per shoebox to help cover shipping and other project costs
There is an option to build a shoebox online that goes to harder to reach places where there is little access to the Gospel and where there are strict customs regulations. The suggested donation for shoeboxes online is $25 each at samaritanspurse.org/buildonline. Just follow the steps to personalize each gift and add a photo or write a letter to make it even more personal. You can also create a custom goal page for your church, group, or event to track your progress of reaching that goal.
The shoebox drop off times for Pampa are as follows:
Monday, Nov. 18: 9AM-1PM
Tuesday, Nov. 19: 2PM-6PM
Wednesday, Nov. 20: 10AM-2PM
Thursday, Nov. 21: 2PM-6PM
Friday, Nov. 22: 1PM-5PM
Saturday, Nov. 23: 10AM-2PM
Sunday, Nov. 24: 1PM-5PM
Monday, Nov. 25: 8AM-10AM
The drop off location will be at Calvary Baptist Church, 900 E. 23rd Avenue in Pampa. Items will be loaded onto the truck on Monday, Nov. 25 and any volunteers who would like to help are greatly appreciated.
For more information on Operation Christmas Child or how to volunteer, call Rachel Bridges, Area Coordinator at 806-664-0053.
Make a difference in a child’s life this holiday season!
