Christmas comes early at Mt. Pleasant Christian School

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Students and staff at Mt. Pleasant Christian School have been packing this week.

No, the staff and students aren?t going anywhere, but the 1,000 shoeboxes they?ve been packing are. For well over a decade, the school has participated in Operation Christmas Child.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan?s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization. The gift boxes will be delivered to children overseas, this year to Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific Islands, Charise White, an instructor at Mt. Pleasant Christian and the coordinator of the project said.

?Most of these boxes are sent to orphans or children of parents who don?t have the (financial) means to purchase items for their children. It might be the only Christmas gift the children receive,? said White. She added that local pastors in the respective countries receiving the shoeboxes pick the recipients of the gifts.

The boxes are divided into age categories with gifts sent to two to four-year olds, five to nine-year olds and 10 to 14 year olds.

Contents of the boxes vary from personal hygiene items, socks, washcloths and towels and each box has a toy, or something the child can cuddle. ?The toys are usually stuffed bears or something small,? White explained. ?They will not allow any ?war toys? because some of these countries have suffered through wars.?

Mt. Pleasant Christian senior Wesley Coop, sophomore Bradley Coop and freshman Levi Moberg, all of Mt. Pleasant, are the student leaders for Operation Christmas Child.

They all said knowing that the boxes will bring joy to children is the main reason for their involvement.

?This is my fourth year and I just enjoy doing it,? said W. Coop. ?I really enjoy packing the boxes.?

B. Coop has been involved in the project for 10 years and said he does it because he likes helping others. ?Helping other people is so satisfying,? he added.

Moberg said knowing he is helping a child in need puts a smile on his face. ?I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing this,? he began. ?I will take every opportunity to impact the life of someone else for the better. It really doesn?t matter where they live, and I don?t need to meet or see them, I just have to know they are helped.?

White said receiving countries send back videos and some recipients pen notes. For White and the three students, the videos and notes are the frosting on the cake. ?I enjoy the videos and always look forward to Operation Christmas Child because I know the kids are receiving the gifts. Seeing the joy on the faces of kids receiving them is heartwarming,? Moberg commented.

?The videos really show me the impact these boxes have on the kids. Some kids are receiving a gift for the first time and it really impacts their life,? said B. Coop.

Up until two years ago, Mt. Pleasant Christian was a collection center. Now, they are not only a collection center but also a relay center. That means shoeboxes from surrounding churches and organizations are brought to the school for packing. On Monday, Nov. 23, the crates of boxes will be taken to Ottumwa and from there they will go to Minneapolis before arriving at the chosen countries. Shipping cost on each crate is $7, White said.

White, who has been involved with the project since she began teaching at Mt. Pleasant Christian in 2001, said she first helped with the project at her church in Burlington. ?When I first started teaching, I thought this would be a great idea to do here,? she explained.

During school hours at Mt. Pleasant Christian, various classes also help with packing the crates. Today (Friday), the kindergarten and first-grade classes took their turn.

Mt. Pleasant Christian will continue to collect boxes until 4:30 p.m., today; from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday; 1-5 p.m., Sunday; and 8-10 a.m., Monday.

This year, Operation Shoebox hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach more than 11 million children. Since 1993, the project has delivered shoebox gifts to more than 124 million children in over 150 countries and territories. For more information on how to participate in the project, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Although he is a senior and will be leaving Mt. Pleasant Christian, W. Coop says he?s enjoyed it so much he may not be finished. ?I might come back next year to help pack. Our church does it, so I can pack there, too,? he explained.