Sisters church offers gift of giving

Vast Church held their annual packing party for Operation Christmas Child (OCC) on Sunday, November 15. In an hour-and-a-half just over 2,000 shoeboxes were packed full and stacked, ready to be taken to the processing center in Bend.

Operation Christmas Child is one arm of Samaritan's Purse, a humanitarian aid organization that seeks to provide immediate, no-red-tape response to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations -victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution, especially in locations where few others are working. Operation Christmas Child started in 1993, and aims to collect and deliver shoebox gifts filled with hygiene items, school supplies, toys, and notes of encouragement to millions of needy children around the world, in order to bring a message of hope and love to their desperate circumstances.

The packing party began 15 years ago, in the home of Blake and JamiLyn Weber and their two kids, Rylee and Nate. That first year they packed six shoeboxes. Since then, the church has gotten involved and it has become one of the most looked-forward-to events of the year.

This year over $14,000 was raised to help fund the huge project. The monies were used to buy all the items needed for the shoeboxes, and also to help with the expense of shipping: seven dollars per box.

In addition to the supplies that were purchased, the kids (kindergarten through fifth grade) at Vast Church had a goal to make 500 bracelets to include in the boxes. They exceeded their goal by far, and made over 1,000 bracelets.

Ella Bartlett (10 years old) made numerous bracelets for the project and shared the reasons why:

"I wanted to help make sure we had enough so each box could have a bracelet," said Bartlett. "It will make a bunch of kids happy, because they don't get all the stuff we do."

Another member at Vast made 850 scarves and 200 hats, also to be included in the boxes.

A week prior to the packing, the kids packed over 2,000 bags of candy, and the night prior to the event, 50-plus people gathered to set up all the tables, and stock them - on top and underneath - with everything that would be packed inside.

On Sunday morning, the entire congregation, and members from the community, worked together and packed the boxes. People chose whether they wanted to pack for a boy or a girl, and also chose an age category; 2 to 4 years old, 5 to 9 years old, or 10 to 14 years old.

The boxes were packed with love and prayers, and will be the first gift that most of these children have ever received. But, each box is much more than the simple items that are enclosed. It's a gift that keeps on giving. Included in the box is a message of love and hope found in Jesus Christ.

OCC makes it possible for millions of children to experience God's love through shoeboxes filled with gifts. The shoeboxes open doors for presenting the Good News of Jesus Christ by working in and through local churches where possible, offering children literature through culturally appropriate evangelistic and follow-up programs.

The annual event is one that everyone looks forward to. Several shared how they felt about Operation Christmas Child.

"I so appreciate the chance to share," said Robin Green. "I wouldn't know how to do this by myself. Seeing everyone gather together so that children can have a Christmas is a thrill."

Stacy Ransom shared, "I think OCC gives us the ability to look beyond ourselves and see the needs of others and love them unconditionally. And really, we're the ones who receive the greatest gift!"

Daniel Aguirre said, "Besides being able to serve and bring joy to kids around the world, it's knowing they get to have a Christmas and a gift. My prayer is that God will show up in the midst of their situations."

On Monday, the boxes were taken in a U-Haul to Bend, and from there will be put on a semi-trailer that will head to Los Angeles for processing, and finally the boxes will shipped out to children around the world.

Last year, the boxes that Vast Church packed were sent to the Philippines and to Nepal. Samaritans Purse is still at work in the Philippines putting in water-filtration systems, and building houses for those that lost their homes in the tsunami two years ago, and the shoeboxes were added to that endeavor.

JamiLyn Weber told The Nugget that the boxes open the door for people to be cared for.

"Over the years I've come to realize that many times it is about way more than the original gift," said Weber. "The child receives a shoebox and is hopefully reminded they matter. They are loved. Then, their joy hopefully connects their family to the local church, who begin to meet some of their needs. In some of the poorest places in the world, like Nepal, that can mean a family no longer needs to abandon a child or sell a child into prostitution to feed the rest of their family. It seems crazy, but one simple gift can begin to make a big difference."

Since its inception in 1993, OCC has collected and delivered more than 124 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in over 150 countries. This year, OCC hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 11 million children.