Church brings joy to children worldwide

Operation Christmas Child (OCC) has brought joy and hope to over 100 million boys and girls in over 130 countries since its inception in 1993, through simple shoebox gifts. This year, Vast Church, in its third year of supporting Operation Christmas Child, got wholeheartedly behind the project.

The church dreamed big. People were encouraged to pray about donating to the effort and one person said they would match any giving up to $6,000.

"After we put out the match challenge I really believed that if we got $3,000 people would be showing a good portion of generosity, especially for the size of our body," said church member Jamilyn Weber. "I bought school supplies with a 1,500 box count in mind thinking that that would be extraordinary. Then Pastor David (Yost) got up the Sunday the matching funds were due and says we're hoping to do 2,000 boxes. I leaned over to Blake and said, 'There he goes again, upping the number. Clearly David does not know about underselling.

"I was thinking to myself ... don't be disappointed if we don't get that," added Weber. "But, you can't undersell God. So, a small group of people who love a God who likes to do 'exceedingly and abundantly, more than we could ask or imagine' gave $16,000-plus dollars. As a response to His generosity with us, they gave more than we asked for and we were able to reach kids and communities we will never see with the love story of Jesus. We get to remind them and remind ourselves that they/we matter to Him. He loves us and has a plan for us, for our good."

Pastor Ryan Moffat shared there was a specific purpose behind the endeavor.

Moffat said, "The purpose of Operation Christmas Child isn't for us to give out of guilt or out of duty. Rather, it's our response to God's grace in our lives."

Much preparation took place before the big packing event. Weber, who has always had a passion for OCC, bought all the school supplies and ordered the toys and stuffed animals that would go into the boxes. Kids ages kindergarten through fourth grade took time to fill over 1,000 bags of candy and the middle school students did the same.

Children's director Mindi Cotner said, "This is my favorite Sunday of the year. We get to play a part in God's big story in packing the boxes, filling them up with what we think will make the kids so happy, and then praising God because we know He will give them to exactly who needs them. When the kids receive their gifts, then they will hear the message of hope, of how God loves them so much! We are praying that many feel God's great love."

Over 50 people gathered in the commons and the gym on Saturday night, November 16, and unpacked and organized box after box of notebooks, pencils, markers, crayons, socks, gloves, candy, beaded necklaces, water bottles, and many toys and stuffed animals.

Sunday morning wasn't a typical Sunday morning service. Instead, over 300 people gathered for breakfast and then filed into line and filled shoebox after shoebox. Six assembly lines kept moving for more than two hours, and in the end 2,343 individual shoeboxes had been filled.

A total of 111 cartons (holding 21 shoeboxes each) were piled several deep and as high as seemed safe to form a huge pyramid. The boxes were eventually loaded into a U-Haul trailer and will end up in a distribution center in Los Angeles before they are shipped overseas.

Weber said, "As I stood and looked at all those people and all those boxes I thought, 'This changed how we live. We are grateful; so we gave, and now He will do much with our gift for His glory and life-changing good."

Robin Green said, "It took my breath away to see little ones through older adults give children somewhere else a wonderful Christmas."

As shoeboxes were packed they were prayed over and God was asked to bring the box to just the right child. Stories were shared about what God had done in the past.

Via video, one girl stated she had wanted hair barrettes so bad and when she opened her box there was an entire package at the top of her box. She quickly put every one in her hair. In another country, twins were waiting for boxes and there was only one left for one of the twins. When the box was opened there was two of every item!

Sydney Rawlins (seventh grade) and Austin Ekern (fourth grade) both shared their thoughts.

"God knows where these boxes are going and it will go to the right kid," said Rawlins.

"I haven't ever done something like this before," said Ekern. "I liked doing something for someone else and it made me feel good. I look forward to doing it again."

There were several items left over and plans are to purchase additional supplies so 100-plus boxes can be assembled next week by the middle school students.