Operation Christmas Child in action in Sisters

Families of Vast church met on Sunday, November 11, and instead of a traditional church service, packed and filled over 500 shoeboxes with school supplies, toys, hygiene items and clothing, that will be sent and distributed to children all over the world. For many children, this will be their first Christmas gift ever.

Operation Christmas Child is one of the many ministries of the Samaritan's Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization that has been providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world for over 40 years. Samaritan's Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the described purpose of sharing God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Over the past several weeks families from Vast donated money to purchase the items needed for the shoeboxes, and on Sunday the work began. Tables and boxes were filled with items all lined up and ready for the assembly line to begin.

The entire process took approximately one-and-a-half hours and everyone worked together like a well-oiled machine. Families lined up and started their boxes with school supplies and then had their choice to fill their box with items for a boy or girl in one of three age categories: 2 to 4, 5 to 8, or 9 to 14.

Once boxes were full, they were tagged and brought to the packing area where 21 shoeboxes were placed in one very large packing box. Over 26 huge boxes were filled for a total of over 550 individual shoeboxes. Families took home additional boxes to be filled at their leisure this week and will be brought back to the church next Sunday. Vast hopes to have an end total of close to 800 boxes filled and ready for distribution.

Jami Lyn Weber, who was the driving force behind the effort, put in countless hours to prepare for the event. Weber has been passionate about Operation Christmas Child for years and shared her thoughts:

"The heart behind Operation Christmas Child is that every child who receives a shoebox would know they matter; they are loved, and there is hope in Jesus' name. In packing the boxes we tend to learn that for ourselves and then send it on with all the practical and fun gifts in the shoeboxes."

For more information contact Jami Lyn Weber at 541-390-8724.