Operation Christmas Child Update
It seems a long time ago now that we were giving out flatpacked boxes and asking you to fill them with gifts for children. Many thanks to all who took part in supporting this project last autumn - we collected 81 boxes from Christchurch, which Norma duly squeezed into her car and took to be processed in Cardiff.
I was privileged to volunteer for a day at the processing centre, where all the shoe boxes are checked and packed into cardboard crates, then straight into a shipping container outside. They wouldn't see daylight again until they reached their destination, ready to put in eager young hands. It was very hard work but there was such an atmosphere of hope and joy! (If you'd like to volunteer for a couple of hours in the processing centre, let me know, and I can help you to sign up.)
I recently received a phone call and email from Cameron at Operation Christmas Child, thanking us for our support. Here is what he said:
"Yet again thank you so much for all you and the church has done for Operation Christmas Child. You’ve been part of an amazing story. I’m sure every child receiving a box from you has been really blessed. In 2022 in Cardiff we processed just over 19,000 boxes in 6 days – this time we processed an amazing 29,395! Thanks to so many great volunteers from all over South Wales, and churches like yours, we beat our target and reached this amazing total."
"From Cardiff, we were able to send an enormous lorry to Moldova with 9,720 boxes. The children, including Ukrainian refugee children have already opened their boxes – they were overjoyed – and many are already started on The Greatest Journey discipleship course.
We also sent 2 shipping containers to Central Asia with 16,271 boxes. The remainder were then loaded onto a van to be merged with those processed at our new HQ in Coventry.
Altogether, we at Operation Christmas Child sent 237,735 (including 27,141 shoe boxes on line) from the UK, and 11,330,126 worldwide."
Christchurch - Diolch yn fawr - THANK YOU again for your kindness and support. Let's do it again later this year!
Julia Davage
I was privileged to volunteer for a day at the processing centre, where all the shoe boxes are checked and packed into cardboard crates, then straight into a shipping container outside. They wouldn't see daylight again until they reached their destination, ready to put in eager young hands. It was very hard work but there was such an atmosphere of hope and joy! (If you'd like to volunteer for a couple of hours in the processing centre, let me know, and I can help you to sign up.)
I recently received a phone call and email from Cameron at Operation Christmas Child, thanking us for our support. Here is what he said:
"Yet again thank you so much for all you and the church has done for Operation Christmas Child. You’ve been part of an amazing story. I’m sure every child receiving a box from you has been really blessed. In 2022 in Cardiff we processed just over 19,000 boxes in 6 days – this time we processed an amazing 29,395! Thanks to so many great volunteers from all over South Wales, and churches like yours, we beat our target and reached this amazing total."
"From Cardiff, we were able to send an enormous lorry to Moldova with 9,720 boxes. The children, including Ukrainian refugee children have already opened their boxes – they were overjoyed – and many are already started on The Greatest Journey discipleship course.
We also sent 2 shipping containers to Central Asia with 16,271 boxes. The remainder were then loaded onto a van to be merged with those processed at our new HQ in Coventry.
Altogether, we at Operation Christmas Child sent 237,735 (including 27,141 shoe boxes on line) from the UK, and 11,330,126 worldwide."
Christchurch - Diolch yn fawr - THANK YOU again for your kindness and support. Let's do it again later this year!
Julia Davage
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