MBSF Sends Christmas Cheer Around the World

Staff Writer

   As the Christmas holiday approaches, organizations across the University of Arkansas-Monticello campus participated in holiday-spirited events.

   The Missionary Baptist Student Fellowship organized a collection through the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child.

Photo by Douglas Boultinghouse

Load ‘em Up – MBSF Director Rob Leonard collects boxes turned into the Student Activities office on Nov. 17 to be delivered to Samaritan’s Purse. MBSF collected over 150 boxes.

   Samaritan’s Purse defines the project on its Web site www.samaritanspurse.org by saying, “Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoeboxes and the Good News of God’s love.”

   The organization began the project in 1993 and since then over 61 million shoe boxes have been delivered around the world, according to the site.

   UAM’s MBSF started contributing a few years back and makes a point to continue the effort each year.  Typically the organization receives 20 to 30 boxes. However, this year, the project was expanded campus-wide and over 150 boxes were collected.

   Amanda Kinney, an MBSF member, said, “That’s a great increase from what we’ve had.”

   Organizations across the campus took on the project for themselves and the added participation contributed to the growth of the operation.

   MBSF collected boxes on Nov. 17 and took them to Pauline Baptist Church in Monticello where they would be packaged and gathered along with boxes from Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church to be delivered to Samaritan’s Purse.

   Kinney said that another MBSF member, Brooke Gray, took the project under her wing and worked really hard.

  “It’s fun to be able to give kids a Christmas. They don’t get a lot over there,” Gray said. “It means a lot to me.”

   Gray said she plans on participating in the program next year as well.

   MBSF Director Rob Leonard said he estimated the number of boxes gathered in the community to be around 1,500.

   “We had a really good response from the campus, but I think we can do more,” he said. “We just have to get the information heard.”

   For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit www.samaritanspurse.org.

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