When Deborah Morris was a little girl, she wasn’t too crazy about her Uncle Dan Thompson’s idea of a Christmas gift.

“Every year, he packed a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child in honor of each of us kids,” she said. “He always wanted us to come see them to see if he needed to add anything to it. It was always packed outlandishly – with so much stuff.”

Several years later, Morris saw the light and realized the power behind her Uncle Dan’s gesture. She came not only to understand Operation Christmas Child, but developed a passion for the project during a series of events which had to be scripted by a hand from above.

Growing up, she and other members of her family filled OCC shoe boxes with small toys, trinkets, toiletries and other supplies, knowing that they would be delivered to children in third-world countries who were in need of both the items and the loving care behind them. She came to appreciate that process very much and believed in it as a means of spiritual service.

Then, at age 14, Morris was given a pretty unique opportunity.

It was her pastor at Middleville Baptist Church, Paul Boyles, who suggested she become involved with the dynamics of the OCC operation. He believed her enthusiasm for the project would be contagious among the church membership – and that it would be a good building tool for the church’s small youth group.

So Morris took the challenge. She contacted Jody Schrock, area coordinator for Harrison, Taylor and Lewis Counties, to volunteer her services.
“Given her name, I thought she was a woman. I had no idea in talking with her that she was just 14 years old,” Schrock said. “It was obvious, though, that she wanted to serve God with all of her heart.”

Morris soon became a project leader for the Samaritan Purse Operation Christmas Child project – the youngest person ever on the West Virginia team, Schrock said.

Because she couldn’t drive, her mom Janet also became very involved and ultimately served as regional media coordinator.

Other family members followed suit, taking on roles in OCC. And, as had been hoped, Middleville Baptist Church took ownership in the program, collecting items throughout the year to be assembled in late-fall and thereafter delivered around the world.

It’s likely that Morris’s passion for overseeing the shoebox projects resulted, as anticipated, in the growth of the church youth group. From an occasional handful of kids four years ago, the church now sees 20 or so on a weekly basis. And as the church grows, so does the number of love-packed boxes contributed to OCC.

“In the beginning, we did about 85 boxes with our average attendance being around 25,” Morris said. “The second year, we did 90 some and the last couple of years between 100 and 120.”

It would have been a successful story had it ended there, but Morris recently received news that made it all the more sweet.

She was selected as one of 20 teens from across America to take part in Samaritan’s Purse Youth “SPY” trip to the Phillippines, July 20-27. Morris was selected through an application process that included a video submission. And with regard to capturing her passion for the project, Morris nailed it, Schrock said. She also had to gather references and Schrock was happy to be included.

When initially given the news that she had been selected, Morris said she immediately felt unworthy.

Pastor Paul Boyles disagrees. He said she is most ready and he has no doubt she will serve with a God-given purpose.

Having watched Morris grow spiritually over the past few years, Schrock also believes she is ready for the task before her. Schrock, for one, is most excited to hear her stories when she returns. She’s hoping, through Morris's future speaking efforts, that attendees of area churches will be able to hear them also.

Morris is elated about this particular opportunity to travel.

“For me, what’s so special about it is that I am able to give a child who I never met – and probably will never see again – a tangible gift that shows God’s love toward them,” she said.

During her stay in Manila in the Phillippines, Morris will be involved in at least five shoebox distributions and various community-building projects. Those projects could range from vaccinating animals to planting gardens to doing construction.

 

"One of the goals of Samaritan's Purse is to leave every community as self-sustainable as possible," she said. 

Morris is responsible for raising her own funds for the trip. She is nearing the half-way mark and said her family, church family and friends have been generous with contributions.

To further that effort, she is taking part in a June 8 community-wide yard sale in Stonewood, her set-up including bottled water, baked goods donated by her church and hand-crocheted items, made by her grandma.

It’s funny, Morris said, how her ideas have changed about the idea of a true gift. 

Six years ago, her Uncle Dan passed away after battling cancer. Now, every year in his memory, she packs that ultimate shoe box – that outlandish one, filled with all of his favorite things, like WVU and Pittsburgh Steelers items.

Those shoeboxes are much like the ones he used to assemble in her honor.

“There’s a lot of love packed in those boxes,” she said.

Donations toward Morris’s Samaritan’s Purse Youth trip can be sent to jmorris@wvradio.com.

 

Learn more about Samaritan's Purse and Operation Christmas Child at this link: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/