Every year churches around our nation become a part of Samaritan’s Purse “Operation Christmas Child”.  We take a shoebox, and we fill it with all kinds of gifts that might bless the life of a child stateside or global.

We look for small yet “wow” gifts. Soccer balls and pumps, dolls, clothes, hair ties, toiletries, games, flashlights, the list is endless. Then we can put in a small personal letter and a picture of ourselves or family. 

At First Baptist Church in Wellman, we have been filling these shoeboxes and find great joy in the experience.  This year we filled 76 boxes and wanted to take it a step further. On Friday, December 2, a van load of 11 took off for Aurora, IL to spend time working in a Samaritan’s Purse warehouse where 22,000+ boxes were inspected and approved for shipping. That site had already processed over 300,000 boxes.

The shoeboxes are only part of the gift the children will receive. They will be invited to a 10-week study to learn about God and His love for them and about Jesus coming into the world as a baby at Christmas. They will hear how Jesus died on the cross to be our Savior. The impact of a shoebox gift cannot be measured - it has the potential to change lives and effect generations. That is the power of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.