Calgary, AB
– A team of more than forty Canadian youth, along with a
group of leaders and trained medical professionals, flew
to Paraguay recently. During the trip, the team
distributed Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts to
thousands of children and conducted medical, dental, and
eyeglass clinics.
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Operation Christmas Child, a
project of Samaritan’s Purse Canada, gives Canadians a
practical way to bless the lives of children living in
the developing world.
Each shoe box gift
distributed in Paraguay was packed and donated by a
caring Canadian.
Samaritan’s Purse is an international Christian relief
organization providing basic needs such as clean water,
disaster relief, and medical help around the world.
Operation Christmas Child
provides hope for today and Samaritan’s Purse provides
resources for tomorrow. |
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Darryl Elliott of Calgary
remembers his experience while volunteering on a team in
Peru.
"We’d gone down to help
in disaster relief and found out we were able to do a
couple of shoe box deliveries while we were there," he
said. "We headed out across the desert while standing in
the back of a cattle truck. There were no trees, no
structures of any kind. An hour later we pull into this
town and the entire community showed up.
We put on a Christmas
show for the kids. One lady helped a child open a box.
On top of the box she saw a note from a friend she knew
in Canada. She’d had coffee with that friend before she
left and was told, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if you see where
my shoe box goes.’ And behold, she’s handing out her
friend’s shoe box."
"It was overwhelming
enough to be able to be there," Elliott noted. "Let
alone, witness that." |
