The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Through this project, Samaritan’s Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make disciples of the nations.
“Let the children come to Me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:14, ESV
What can you do with your empty shoebox after you bring home your new shoes? Did you know that a simple shoebox can bless a child in another country! You can do mission work without ever packing your bags, having to apply for a passport, getting on a plane or even leaving Somerset County! Your simple box can be turned into the biggest blessing and the most amazing gift for a child! The best part of packing that box is that with every nook and cranny that is left after packing with fun items it is filled with Jesus! Wesley Chapel has taken this task to a new level by purchasing plastic boxes through Operation Christmas Child and having packing parties to fill these boxes with items for children around the globe.
Operation Christmas Child reaches to over 170 countries, and many hard to reach countries, with the shoebox gifts and the Greatest Journey. The Greatest Journey is a 12 week discipleship program that invites the child to learn about Jesus and his love. There is way more that comes out of the shoebox than what goes into the shoebox. Our church has been able to provide shoeboxes for many years and this year was no different. From the agape children helping by making handprint “You are loved” letters, to anyone that made donations to the ever growing mound of items in the back fellowship hall, to those that helped sort, organize, and stack for the packing party THANK YOU!
The packing party was attended by some diligent packers, and the following week several people stopped by to help pack up more boxes. Then the people of the congregation were able to take an empty box, fill and return by November 12.
With all boxes returned another adventure for the boxes is getting delivered to Kingwood Fellowship Center. It took two SUV’s to load up and haul 257 shoeboxes. Thank you to those that helped load and haul the shoeboxes. After dropping off all the shoeboxes at Kingwood, they were loaded into cartons and placed on a pup trailer and headed out to Baltimore, Maryland where they will be processed to continue their next adventure. They will begin to reach children all around the globe in a mid January to February time frame.
THANK YOU to everyone that helped in big and small ways by donating money and items, creating items, supporting, praying and helping in packing, sorting, and prepping. Your help goes beyond the walls of Wesley Chapel and the children around the globe appreciate and love you for all you do. Somerset County Area Team had set a goal of 6,881 and our shoeboxes helped by being a part of 7,297 shoeboxes. This is an unofficial total of boxes for the county because the end of the year and shoebox building season does not end until December 31, 2023.
You still have time to add to our total by visiting https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/
Thank you for supporting all the craziness throughout the year, and there is more exciting news to come in the upcoming months! Remember it’s never to late to shop for or pack a shoebox for a child.
-Mindy Singo OCC
Somerset Area Coordinatior
For ideas on what to pack. Vist the Samaritans Purse
