Operation Christmas Child underway; Shoebox Ministry Party November 5

Take an ordinary shoe box, wrap it with colorful Christmas paper, fill it with toys and other presents, and the end result is a gift for a child in need of hope and joy. Operation Christmas Child brings these gifts to over 100 countries around the world. Children in desperate situations who are refugees from war, survivors of a natural disaster, or victims of extreme poverty will receive them. The simple gift can show them they are not forgotten while bringing hope and joy.
This year, the local community will again participate in the Operation Christmas Child, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief organization that reaches out to children in need, regardless of race or creed.  For more information, go to www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.
Friday, November 5 an open house will be held at the Farmers and Merchants Saving Bank Community Room in Waukon from 12:30-8 p.m. The public is invited to share in this effort by bringing shoeboxes, items to be placed in boxes, and participating in wrapping and filling boxes. This year the party is being held earlier than in other years to avoid conflicts with other community events.
This year, Operation Christmas Child is planning to distribute a record number of shoe box gifts to hurting children in Haiti as well as millions of boys and girls in over 100 countries around the world. As part of Samaritan Purses’ ongoing disaster relief in Haiti, the boxes will serve as an encouragement to young survivors of the January earthquake.
Over 77 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have received shoe boxes since 1993, when this project was started. These gifts serve to express Christian love to these children and to bring a gospel message in the native language. The goal this year is to collect over 7.2 million boxes worldwide.