Behind the scenes with Operation Christmas Child in SW Missouri

Many people are familiar with Operation Christmas Child, which sends shoebox-sized Christmas gifts for distribution to children who might otherwise not receive a gift. Some families involve their own children in preparing a box to be sent to a less fortunate child somewhere in the world; other people enjoy preparing multiple boxes, watching for appropriate items all year as they do their regular household shopping. Participants have the opportunity to track where their boxes are distributed; and each box also includes a booklet, “The Greatest Gift,” which introduces the child to the loving Savior, Jesus. 

For area team leaders, though, the work isn’t just in the weeks leading up to Christmas. On Saturday, September 19, southwest Missouri leaders from the Ozark Mountain Area, comprising Taney, Stone, and Christian counties, gathered at Grace Community Assembly in Branson for a Project Leader Workshop. At least 75 attendees, representing 25-plus area churches, were excited to learn more about coordinating the shoebox ministry for their community or church, learn how to participate in the area leadership team, or simply learn more about the program in general. Two attendees at the meeting shared about recent opportunities to visit countries where boxes have been distributed, and the impact those visits had on their commitment to the Operation Christmas Child ministry. 

Attendees received boxes to take back to their church or community group, either for individual members and families to fill or for packing parties using items contributed throughout the year; GCA, for example, suggests a monthly shopping theme that often coincides with when certain items such as school supplies are plentiful and/or on sale. Outreach coordinator Edy Muttillo also thanked Chick-fil-A Branson for providing breakfast sandwiches and Grace Community Assembly for welcoming the workshop attendees with coffee and pastries. 

The Ozark Mountain Area has two Central Drop-Off locations, one at First Baptist Church in Ozark and the other, newly added this year, at Grace Community Assembly. Local drop-off locations throughout the area bring their boxes to the Central Drop-Off locations, where they are loaded on to semi-truck trailers and taken to one of the Samaritan’s Purse processing centers to be prepared for shipment. In addition to GCA and FBC Ozark, drop-off locations include—

• Friendly Baptist Church, Branson

• Real Life Church, Hollister 

• First Baptist Church, Kimberling City 

• Church 3:16, Forsyth 

• College of the Ozarks 

• Ozark Highlands Church, Ozark 

• First Baptist Church, Nixa 

Schedules can be found online for each location. 

Area volunteer coordinator Edi Mutillo emphasized that the real heart of Operation Christmas Child is evangelism and discipleship. “Many people think that sending a shoebox to a child is simply a form of benevolence,” she said, “but what good is it for someone to ‘gain the world, yet lose their soul’?” One of the most exciting rewards of being a volunteer or packing a box comes from learning, via local coordinators in the recipient areas, that thousands of children continue to learn and grow in faith, after being introduced to Jesus Christ through a shoebox gift, via a discipleship program called “The Greatest Journey.”  

Ready to get involved by packing a box, helping at a drop-off location, or supporting this valuable effort through a donation and regular prayer? Learn more by visiting the Operation Christmas Child – Ozark Mtn. MO Area Team page on Facebook; or visit https://www.samaritanspurse.org where you can find information about Operation Christmas Child, including details about how to pack boxes, where boxes go, and more.