Our children and youth mission groups are working together on this year’s Operation Christmas Child, a ministry effort to share the joy of Christmas with children around the world. Our children and youth will be making gift boxes on Wednesday, November 7. We need donated items to go in the boxes.

These donations (suggested list below direct from a missionary) will be collected during the weeks leading up to November 7. Donation boxes will be placed in the hallway outside Smith Hall.

• For any age boy here, what they really want is a soccer ball. So get the best quality mini soccer ball that you can fit into the box when it is inflated (or send a deflated ball with a pump) and you can basically forget about anything else!)
• Brand new nice short-sleeved shirts (with no writing on them) for boys and girls. Kids have few clothes and often wear old, ripped, hand-me-downs.
• Small flashlights with batteries (Most families don’t have electricity so a working flashlight is gold!)
• Good quality melamine plates, bowls, and/or cups.
• Bars of soap AND plastic soap dishes that have a cover.
• Toothbrushes with toothbrush holders.
• Pencils, erasers, colored pencils, and sharpeners for all school-aged kids. And good quality pens for kids aged 10-14, in black, red, green, and blue.
• Jump ropes
• Marbles
• Harmonicas
• Band-Aids
• Hard candy and gum
• Combs
• Hair elastics or headbands for girls
• Simple watches for older kids
• Solar calculators for older kids
• Sunglasses for older kids
• Socks
• For the youngest girls, baby dolls with light brown skin and no hair
• Toy cars, trucks or airplanes for the youngest boys (The ones with bigger wheels that are made for toddlers and are larger than Matchbox size are good. Matchbox wheels are so small, they don’t work well in the dirt.)

Donations will be collected through November 7.