Inge Chapman and Edna DeFord
Inge Chapman and Edna DeFord, members of PebbleCreek Community Church, recently returned from a Samaritan’s Purse mission trip to Uganda, Africa. Working with a team of other volunteers, they distributed Operation Christmas Child [OCC] shoe boxes to children in 15 different locations in and around the city of Kampala, Uganda. Inge and Edna have been year-round prayer team leaders with OCC in Phoenix for over 16 years. Both feel blessed to have had this new opportunity personally to distribute shoe boxes full of little treasures to Ugandan children, most of whom had never received such gifts before.
The shoe boxes contain hygiene items, school supplies, clothing items, small toys, stuffed animals and other delightful surprises. All the children were amazed that the boxes were theirs to keep. Hats, scarves and mittens were quickly put on and some wore them for several hours without taking them off. Soccer balls were also a big hit and the volunteers were kept very busy inflating them.
OCC groups the shoe boxes for children by ages: 2-4, 5-9 and 10-14. In our community, OCC shoe boxes are filled and collected each year by members of PebbleCreek Community Church. This year, collection day will be Sunday, November 18. The boxes will then be taken directly to a drop-off collection center, placed in large cartons and shipped to a specific country.
For Inge and Edna, this trip has had a profound impact on their lives as they witnessed firsthand the difficulties of life in Uganda. These simple shoe boxes contain treasures never dreamed of by the children. The wonderful Gospel message, also provided with each box, beautifully conveys the message of love sent from people all over the world.
In 2017, 11 million shoe boxes went to 110 countries! This year, the goal is 11.6 million shoe boxes. Anyone interested in filling a shoe box for a child should contact Inge Chapman or Edna DeFord for more information. They are in the directory or visit PebbleCreek Community Church, in the Eagle’s Nest Ballroom, any Sunday at 9:00 a.m. It is non-denominational and all are welcome.