Cahaba Heights United Methodist Church
Operation Christmas Child 2015

Jeanette and I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta last week to volunteer at the Operation Christmas Child processing center. The processing center was a huge warehouse full of assembly lines, and we joined busloads of other volunteers from churches, senior centers and high schools as we learned how to process the Christmas boxes. We all joined together to pray over the boxes and the ministry they represented, blessing each box and each child who received it. Then, we were instructed to open each box and check for inappropriate items such as liquids such as shampoo or mouthwash; meltable candy like Hersey bars or M&Ms; or anything war-related such as toy guns. We removed those items and placed them in bins to be donated to other worthwhile charities in the area, and replaced them with items such as stuffed animals, bars of soap or other necessities. Many of the boxes included photos and sweet hand-written letters from children, writing about their family and church and sending Christmas wishes. Once each box was properly checked and filled, we securely taped it up and placed it in large packing crates to be sent to various destinations, including Haiti, Mali, Peru, Chad, Tanzania, Zambia, and the Central African Republic. It was an exciting day and we were proud to be part of such as worthwhile ministry!

By Dana Crisson

See the video below!