After a week of operations and the pouring in of compassion from throughout Harrison, Lewis and Taylor counties, the Operation Christmas Child collection center at Simpson Creek Baptist Church received and sent off 10,352 shoeboxes filled with small gifts for children throughout the world.

 

The toys, dolls, games, school supplies and hygiene products will thrill children’s hearts and the act of compassion will draw hearts to God.

 

“We thank all the men, women and teens who worked, everyone who filled a box or boxes and those who brought us food,” said Debbie Mount, organizer. “We have a lot of groups – especially churches – who pack hundreds of boxes every year. We’re so thankful for them.”

 

From Simpson Creek Baptist Church family life center, the filled boxes were packed Monday in tractor trailers which delivered them to a processing center in Charlotte, NC. At that processing center and others across the country, safety checks will be performed on boxes.

 

“They don’t repack anything, but they have to check that there are no guns, war toys, liquids or breakables,” Mount said. “It is quite an undertaking and there are thousands of volunteers.”

 

Included in volunteers at a processing center in Boone, NC are locals Lynn and Frank Jarman and Lynn and Leonard Posey; all who are year-round volunteers for the Samaritan’s Purse project. Some other Posey family members went along, too. As seen left, the locals ran into Franklin Graham while working at the center. 

 

From each processing center, boxes are shipped to children in several different countries. The boxes will be received by children over the course of the next several months.

 

“That’s because of the methods they have to get there and each country’s customs,” Mount said. “The logistics of this is beyond anything I can think of. You see pictures where they are delivered by canoes, bicycles and camels. It is amazing.”

 

Most children receiving the boxes have never received one before and will never receive one again, Mount said.

 

“They are different children every year. They try to reach out to different places,” she said. “If people knew that, I think it would soften their hearts.”

 

National collection week took place Nov. 12-19. The local collection center's total of 10,352 is 39 boxes more than in 2017, Mount said. The week-long efforts included about 40 volunteers, which included Bridgeport High School Key Club members.

 

“It’s just a God thing,” Mount said. “It’s hard to schedule volunteers and know for sure who’s going to show up.”

 

Many of the volunteers are retired individuals and for next year, Mount would like to see some young men volunteer to do loading and heavy lifting. It would be a great service project for a high school sports team.