Operation Christmas Child is a yearly mission project coordinated by Samaritan’s Purse, a non-profit organization headed by Franklin Graham, son of Billy and Ruth Graham. Its mission is to deliver as many Christmas presents as possible to children all around the world who are “refugees of civil war, survivors of a natural disaster, or victims of extreme poverty.…”

For the past six years, each Hinsdale Adventist Academy (HAA) first-grade class of has taken on the great task of inspecting all the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes turned in by HAA students, parents, and faculty members before the boxes are picked up and taken to the local Operation Christmas Child Collection Center. This year was no different.

On Friday, Nov. 17, 2006, the first-grade students inspected more than 75 Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. They looked for items not allowed like liquids, war items, used items, medicines, vitamins, food, etc. They replaced the items taken out with objects (crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, activity pads, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Play-Doh, yo-yos, train whistles, harmonicas, mind-teaser puzzles, rubber balls, stuffed animals, combs, hard candy, etc.) donated by a parent or grandparent, as well as items purchased from their donations.

In the spirit of the Christmas holiday, the first-grade students chose to donate the $80 they made from auctioning a handmade scarf and homemade jellies to purchase items for the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. As their teacher, I was given permission to purchase toys, underwear, socks, washcloths, soap, etc., in preparation for Operation Christmas Child shoe box inspection day. The students also stuffed boxes that were less than full.

Two Hinsdale Church members make it their job to pick up the boxes from HAA every year and deliver them to the local Operation Christmas Child Collection Center. When they came to pick up the boxes this year, they were very happy to see 86 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. The first graders were thrilled to help carry all 86 boxes to the helpers’ vehicle.

It was hard work, and the students were very tired by the end of the day, but they had a great time. I was very proud of all the hard work they did to help make Christmas special for boys and girls around the world.

Olga Datil is the first grade teacher at Hinsdale Adventist Academy.

First graders shared their favorite part of Operation Christmas Child Shoebox inspection day:

Leah–Putting new toys in the boxes

Lael–Sending a classroom letter in the boxes

Kyle–Taking out the pocket knife a box had

Julia–Packing new boxes with the extra items

Joseph–Feeling good that the boxes were being checked

Joel–Making sure they had no war stuff

Gyasi–Making sure the boxes were labeled boy or girl

Gillian–Inspecting the boxes

Isabella–Getting all 86 boxes

Farrah–Making sure the boxes had good stuff in them

Faith–Making sure no soft candies like chocolate were in there

Claudia–Taking the boxes to the car

Cam–Making sure the boxes did not have breakable items