Operation Christmas Child returned to Redeemer for a second year to give students an opportunity to pack shoeboxes for children across the globe. On November 22 and 23, the Commons was transformed into a box-packing workshop, with a total of 197 shoeboxes packed over the two days. The student club that organized the event, and the event itself — which underwent months of planning by the club — have both been dubbed “Beyond the Box”.

The two-day packing party filled the Commons with tables of toys, Christmas music and decorations encouraging students, faculty and staff to participate in packing a shoebox. Members of Redeemer’s community had the opportunity to pray over the shoeboxes and write notes to the children receiving the boxes. The joy and love that surrounded the event will be shared with children across the globe this Christmas.

“The shoebox is short-term, but the real gift is sustainable,” Chantal Masselink, a member of the Beyond the Box Club states. “It opens the door for a child to be welcomed into a Christian community.” The shoebox is the first step. Operation Christmas Child goes beyond that initial step to give children globally an opportunity to hear the gospel and to know that they are loved and cherished.