For the third year in a row, volunteers made up of youth and adults traveled to several locations to serve in the Operation Christmas Child Processing Centers. A total of around 80 CBC workers made the trip to serve and saw tens of thousands of Christmas shoeboxes processed. These volunteers came from four different CBC regions: Southern, Blue Ridge, Central Allegheny and Region Three. Many traveled for hours to get there and stayed overnight to work two shifts.
For the workers, it was a labor of love. One of the youth said that he wished he could have stayed all week. Another said, “You have a real feeling that you are doing something that matters.” Regularly, the work was stopped and updates were given on where the boxes that were being processed right then would be going. Officials from Samaritan’s Purse continually thanked the workers and told them how their efforts would change lives. They stressed that the volunteers were serving as the hands of Jesus, and that when the shoeboxes will be presented, the children will be told that they came from Jesus’ love. Then, while work was paused, all workers were instructed to lay their hands on a box somewhere and pray over it asking God to use all of them to bring boys and girls to the saving knowledge of Christ.
Many who went expressed the blessing they received to be part of such an enormous ministry. They played their small, but necessary role of processing the mountain of Christmas shoeboxes that come through the Operation Christmas Child centers, thereby moving them on to distribution sites around the world. Every one of the 11.9 million shoeboxes that OCC collects each year has to be opened and inspected for inappropriate or dangerous materials. Volunteers then make sure that each box is full by adding items, if needed, out of the baskets of fillers provided at each work station. No box goes into a child’s hands until a volunteer inspector makes sure it is safe, appropriate, and full.
The Covenant Brethren Church is thankful to be a part of such an amazing ministry. Perhaps next year you will want to go along! If you do, you too will be blessed as the group was this year.
