MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (Ghost Studios) – Christmas is quickly approaching and Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child is back partnering with local churches in Middle Georgia for its National Collection Week.
Samaritan’s Purse, based out of North Carolina, is an international relief organization with Operation Christmas Child being a volunteer based program, sending festive gift-filled shoeboxes to children in need around the world.
According to the organization, tens of thousands of volunteers from local churches partner with them to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ at outreach events where children are surprised with the shoeboxes.
Sadie and Randy Rowell, a married couple and members of Island Creek Baptist Church in Sparta, delivered 59 gift-filled shoeboxes from their church to one of the drop off locations, Lakeside Baptist Church in Milledgeville.
“They were real joyful women, talking and stacking boxes and it was a joyful thing to do,” said Sadie Rowell. “I was so excited, our goal was 50 and we ended up 59, so somebody did some extra work. It’s just great and I think the kids will be appreciative and joyful. We’re just spreading the word of God and love all over.”
“A lot of the families are very poor overseas and the missionaries use these gifts to get their foot in the door to help them and to spread the word of God,” said Randy Rowell.
Operation Christmas Child originally started in 1993 and since then more than 232 million children in more than 170 countries have received the shoeboxes and according to Samaritan’s Purse Global Impact Report, 11.9 million were collected during last year’s event.
National Collection Week is from November 17-24th and nearly 5,000 drop-off locations will be open across the country.
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