LIHU‘E — Michelle Metcalf, wife of Lihue Baptist Church pastor Chris Metcalf, explained that while Operation Christmas Child is a Thanksgiving project, its full impact will not be seen until Christmas. About a hundred volunteers from the Lihue and Eleele
LIHU‘E — Michelle Metcalf, wife of Lihue Baptist Church pastor Chris Metcalf, explained that while Operation Christmas Child is a Thanksgiving project, its full impact will not be seen until Christmas.
About a hundred volunteers from the Lihue and Eleele Baptist churches and the community at large transformed “the big room” (normally the bar and locker room) of the Lihue Bowling Center into a workroom that resembled Santa’s workshop as they set about to complete their Samaritan’s Purse project Saturday.
Metcalf said that they became familiar with the project while in Georgia, and brought it to Kaua‘i when they came here three years ago. She added that only one other church on the Big Island participates in the project in Hawai‘i.
Efforts extended by children are shared around the world, Metcalf explained as she relayed the message of packing a prayer with each shoe-box gift intended for a child who might otherwise go without a gift on Christmas.
Metcalf said that on one of the years they participated in the project, gifts from the Lihu‘e children were enjoyed by Russian children in the area where terrorists took control of a school, and several students and teachers were killed when the terrorists detonated a bomb.
Drawing from a Bible verse children learn, John 3:16, Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, said, “That verse provides the inspiration behind Operation Christmas Child, the unique worldwide outreach of Samaritan’s Purse.
“Each year, we share God’s love with millions of poor, sick, and suffering children by hand-delivering shoe-boxes filled with toys, school supplies, candy, and other gifts.”
In a special presentation viewed by the volunteers, Graham noted that last year over 6.6 million children received shoe-box gifts in 95 countries around the world. Most of these countries are plagued with war or natural disasters.
Youth volunteers realized then the reason why they needed to sharpen the pencils that would be used in some of the gift boxes (there likely are no pencil sharpeners at the gifts’ destinations).
Each of the completed shoe-box gifts would bear a special label denoting whether it’s for a boy, or a girl, and a check-mark made for the appropriate age level.
Tables around the work area had gifts segregated to correspond with those age levels.
Metcalf explained that Saturday’s event was a children’s party that is hosted by leaders at Lihue Baptist Church on a monthly basis, and pointed out that there are children who attend the parties on a regular basis who are not church members. Metcalf said the children’s parties are one of the church’s community-outreach projects, and welcomes everyone.
Metcalf announced that December’s children’s party will be held on Saturday, Dec. 18 at the Lihue Baptist Church.
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
