GIVING SEASON
Elam Baptist Church in Gray recently packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child to give items to children in need who live in orphanages overseas, so they can experience the joy of a Christmas gift.
Megan Bray, the pastor’s wife at Elam Baptist Church, said she was excited to be helping children this Christmas with Operation Christmas Child. She said the entire church helped to bring the whole thing together.
“We packed our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. We started back in January where we had an item focus for each month,” she said. “Every Sunday people would bring in different stuff for the shoeboxes.
The shoeboxes will normally go overseas to children in orphanages.”
She said it was important for Elam Baptist Church to participate in Operation Christmas Child, because they want to show that a part of Christmas is about giving back to others. She said the children in these orphanages are excited to just get a bar of soap. They want to be involved and help people.
The pastor’s wife said every shoebox received a scarf that was handmade by the ladies of Elam Baptist Church, soap, a toothbrush, a washcloth, and a fun item such as a toy or stuffed animal.
She said they tried to put as much as they could in the shoeboxes for the children.
“Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. Last year they sent their one-millionth shoebox.
Churches around the country pack the shoeboxes and they go to a packing setup. They get sent all over the world to different ministries, orphanages and outreaches to be given out to children in need,” Bray said.
She said the families at Elam Baptist Church have loved helping pack the shoeboxes and help children in need. She said last year the families got their own shoeboxes and sent them out. She said they sent about 30 in all, but this year as a group they packed 100 shoeboxes.
“The kids are so proud to pack these boxes here at Elam,” the pastor’s wife said. “We also prayed over the boxes as a church on Sunday. These kids and families get a sense of pride just knowing they’ve done something good for someone else.”
Bray said her favorite part about Elam Baptist Church participating in Operation Christmas Child is seeing everyone come together to pack up the shoeboxes to help another person in need.
She said she hopes the children at Elam Baptist Church see that they can make a difference in the world.
“It’s amazing how the shoeboxes always have just what the kids need in the orphanages. It always seems to work out,” she said. “We get stories from the Operation Christmas Child website, and these kids are so grateful for the items they receive in their shoebox.”
For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit https://www. samaritanspurse.org/ what-we-do/operation- christmas-child/.
For information on Elam Baptist Church in Gray, visit https://www.elambaptist. org/.
