Operation Christmas Child

Mini-Cassia churches participate in global holiday ministry through Operation Christmas Child

By Dianna Troyer

How can a few items that fit inside a shoebox have a life-changing impact on a child during the holidays

Grace Church in Rupert participates in Operation Christmas Child, sending shoeboxes full of supplies to children in need around the world. Recipients say the boxes have changed their lives.Since 2002, church members have packed boxes with school supplies, personal hygiene items, toys and information about Jesus’ life and ministry of love. Boxes are made for children ages 2-4, 5-9 and 9-14.

“It’s a simple way to change kids’ lives,” says Christa Cope of Almo, who manages the Almo Inn and Outpost Steakhouse. “Each box is a message from Jesus to reassure kids that they are loved and to give them a message of hope. All the blessings resulting from the shoeboxes are from God who works through us.”

Christa says helping pack the boxes is fulfilling.

“It always amazes me to see everyone come together and spread the gospel through this outreach program,” she says.

Hearing from recipients reinforces the worthwhile impact of the shoebox ministry. Christa recalls how a woman from a developing nation told them the box changed her life and motivated her to give back to her own community.

Sarah Wright, a member of Grace Church who helped launch the congregation’s participation in the program, recalls stories, too.

“People have told us how receiving the box was a tangible expression of love that helped them to become a Christian and to share Jesus’ message of love and hope with others,” Sarah says. “In some cases, families have started churches that minister to their village or town.”

A girl in the Philippines and her pen pal, a boy in the United States, finally met as young adults and eventually got married, Sarah says. Another woman, sold into slavery as a child by her parents who needed money, received a box and eventually was able to obtain her freedom and live without bitterness about her early life circumstances.

A pastor in Ukraine described how the boxes helped refugees calm their stress and anxiety and reminded them they are loved.

Last year, Grace Church members packed 4,224 boxes. The church is a designated drop-off center for other churches in the Mini-Cassia area participating in Operation Christmas Child.

The boxes are forwarded to a regional processing center, shipped to church partners and distributed to children during community events in more than 170 countries.

Operation Christmas Child started in 1993 as an outreach of the nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse, an ecumenical ministry. Since then, more than 220 million children have received boxes.

Grace Church members began participating in the program when Sarah was teaching a Sunday school class and was searching for a Christmas ministry in which the children could participate.

“We talked about doing something that would mean something to someone else,” she says. “It all started with a goat. Through Heifer International, our kids could donate $160 and buy a goat for a family. I did some research and learned of Samaritan’s Purse and their program to buy a goat for $80, so we bought two instead of one.”

When she received the Samaritan’s Purse catalog, she read about the organization’s other opportunities, including Operation Christmas Child.

Sarah says the generosity of churches and people throughout the Mini-Cassia region impresses her and her sister, Roli Mack.

Every year, they volunteer at the Minidoka and Cassia county fairs and have a booth, donated by the fair boards, so fairgoers can pack shoeboxes and share information about Operation Christmas Child.

Between the two fairs this year, they packed 2,022 boxes.

Each box contains a notebook, coloring book, pencils and sharpeners, toothbrush, washcloth, a stuffed animal, a deflated soccer ball with a pump or other toys.

“The ball is an outreach that often touches a neighborhood,” she says.

Booklets and pamphlets telling about Jesus are also included. Sometimes, the sender includes a personalized letter in case a recipient wants to reply or become a pen pal.

“I’ve had recipients write to me from Haiti, the Philippines and Mexico,” Sarah says.

At Grace Church, the program is a year-round ministry called Shoebox 365.

Volunteers host a June yard sale and other fundraising events throughout the year to support Operation Christmas Child.

“You can donate year-round, too, by packing a shoebox on the website, samaritanspurse.org,” Sarah says. “You never know how the boxes will impact lives.”

Build a shoebox online and help a boy or girl in the far reaches of the world hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Select fun items from the Samaritan’s Purse collection and personalize your gift with a letter and photo. The nonprofit will pack the gift for you and send it on its way for a suggested donation of $25. To start building, visit samaritanspurse.org/buildonline.