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Thousands of individuals, churches, schools and other groups in New Zealand and Australia have shown that generosity is not limited by hard times… every person involved has helped to ensure that over 300,000 children will receive a gift-filled shoe box this Christmas!
One of the boxes has already been given to Pov who lives in the village of Viel Thom in Cambodia. She is one of the children who received the first boxes from Australia, during the first weekend of December…
“I’ve never gotten a gift like this before,” said six year old Pov. “I like the stuffed animal the most,” she added, pulling the stuffed gorilla tightly into a hug.
With an unstoppable grin on her face, Pov carefully looked through the contents of her shoe box stopping to inspect a pencil case filled with pencils and erasers and pens.
“I will use this for school,” she said. “I like it so much.”
Pov’s parents, poor rice farmers, would never have dreamed of giving a gift like that to their daughter. Yet on the day of the distribution, Pov could not contain her excitement.
The corrugated tin shacks that line the dusty dirt track cutting through the heart of Viel Thom expose the village’s poverty. Of all the communities in the region, Viel Thom is the poorest. While most of the men in the village are handicapped former soldiers, now retired because of their disabilities, the women of the village farm rice, or tie hay to make thatch to build homes.
Samaritan’s Purse has worked in Viel Thom providing the village with some of its most most basic needs; water filters through local partners, a school for the children of the community, and support for the village’s men.
But it was Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts packed with small gifts, school supplies and hygiene items that brought a twinkle to the eye and a bounce to the step of the children and parents of Viel Thom.
Perfect shoe box for the exams!
For 12 year old Ven Van Thon, the contents of his shoe box gift was the perfect compliment to the school that Samaritan’s Purse built.
Pulling a pencil case out of his shoe box filled with pencils and erasers and pens, Ven broke into a grin. “I am happy. I want to use this for my upcoming exam. This will help me a lot and I will use it a lot.”
Chom Saron, a member of Cambodia’s National Leadership Team said he could see that Operation Christmas Child had made a significant impact on the villagers of Viel Thom.
“It’s a gift of love and a tangible way to show the family that somebody cared enough to think of them this Christmas. For us it is also a practical way to express God’s love.” he said.
Thank you for everything you have done for families, communities and children like Pov this year! The way you have showed your generosity has blessed close to 400,000 people in 2008! (watch FINGERPRINTS here)
FIJI 2008: Read full report from distribution in Fiji Times here . (December 10)
The following is an excerpt...
Good Samaritan drops in early
CHRISTMAS came early for 60 children in a rural settlement yesterday when the Samaritan Purse dropped in bearing gifts.
Students of Muainaweni Indian School received shoe-size boxes of books, dolls, balls and other toys from families in Australia and New Zealand under the Project Christmas Child.
A project volunteer and pastor at the Central Christian Centre, Jone Soqovale, said more than 1000 children from Lau, Lomaiviti and areas on the two main islands would receive gifts.
Mr Soqovale said the volunteers would take the gifts to the poorest of the poor and Indian dominated communities.
Mr Soqovale said a home to home survey was done to select areas in need.
"One of the ideas behind it is to bridge the racial gap, especially with the turmoil we are going through," he said.[...] >> Full story with photo
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