Parenting This Generation – 10.21.09 – Mark Your Calendar: November 23
Posted by jeffandthea on October 20, 2009
Samaritan’s Purse is a ministry with many volunteer opportunities. Operation Christmas Child / Shoebox Ministry is one of their projects that the church family @ FBC Fort Payne has worked with in the past. The website… www.samaritanspurse.org has lots of great information. Your teenager is invited to participate in operation Christmas child on November 23rd (Monday during fall break, the same week as thanksgiving). This year we will assist in Birmingham, AL instead of Atlanta, GA at the request of the folks at Samaritan’s Purse. You, as parents of a teenager are also invited to join us for the wonderful ministry opportunity. Sign up is in the youth room. Let me know if you are interested in joining your child in this missions endeavor. Thank you.
Additional information on Samaritan’s purse (Local and Global) ministry efforts & fbc partnership:
(Locally)
Last November (’08) the Youth Group at First Baptist Church traveled to Atlanta, GA to volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child.
On September 26, 2009 Jeff assisted with a special Operation Christmas Child Regional Kick-off Worship Service in Birmingham, AL – Featured “full circle story” Speaker: Anca.
Today’s “Parenting This Generation” message should be an encouragement to you to visit the Samaritan’s Purse website. Your family would be greatly blessed by participating in a service project in partnership with Samaritan’s Purse.
(Globally)
A Couple of Interesting Articles from the Samaritan’s Purse Website…
Kids and Families in the U.S. Unite to Help Millions of Suffering Children Worldwide – The World’s Largest Christmas Project – Shoe Box Gifts Help Bring Joy to 8 Million Needy Kids in 100 Countries
BOONE, N.C., Sept. 17, 2009— Imagine a child who has never owned something as simple as a hair brush, a toy ball or even a pencil. It is the reality for millions of children worldwide. This year, U.S. kids are working to change that reality – and they need your help.
Through Operation Christmas Child, U.S. kids, families, churches, school groups and civic organizations are playing an important role in helping children around the world who are suffering from natural disaster, war, terrorism, disease, poverty and famine.
A kids-helping-kids project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, Operation Christmas Child hand-delivers shoe boxes packed with school supplies, toys, necessity items and often a hand-written note of encouragement.
“I think it is special to these kids that I don’t know them and yet I’m giving them a gift. They probably think, ‘wow, she cares and doesn’t know me,” said 12-year-old Kassie Miller, who packed 401 shoe box gifts in 2008. This year her goal is to pack 500 Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has hand-delivered shoe box gifts to more than 69 million hurting children in more than 130 countries. Staff and volunteers use whatever means necessary – ships, trucks, buses, trains, airplanes, helicopters, boats, camels, even dog sleds – to reach suffering children.
Samaritan’s Purse uses tracking technology that allows donors to “follow your box” to the destination country where it will be hand-delivered to a child in need. To register shoe box gifts and find out what country they are delivered to, use the EZ Give donation form found at www.samaritanspurse.org.
To volunteer or learn how to pack and send an Operation Christmas Child shoe box gift, call (828) 262-1980 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org. National Collection Week is Nov. 16-23; however, shoe box gifts are collected all year.
International Relief Organization Samaritan’s Purse Responds to Recent Natural Disasters in Asia – Disaster Relief Teams Now Working in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Samoa to Bring Help to Victims of Storms and Earthquakes @ www.samaritanspurse.org
BOONE, N.C., Oct. 6, 2009— In the past week typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis have ravaged parts of Asia killing thousands and leaving many more homeless. Now Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief teams are on the ground in the Philippines, Indonesia and Samoa and helping families by providing plastic for temporary shelter, medical supplies, food parcels, water filters, hygiene kits and tools to begin the rebuilding process. The Samaritan’s Purse response includes:
Philippines Response:
• A total of 4,400 food packages have been distributed to provide for more than 20,000 people. These distributions are taking place in evacuation centers and to displaced people living along a flooded lake.
• Distributions of 650 additional food parcels will be distributed in metro Manila by Thursday.
• Provided 2,100 blankets, 2 community water filters, 1,056 hygiene kits, and 2 water storage units in Manila.
• The team is planning to take 15 tons relief supplies and 2,600 food parcels to the hard-to-reach areas of the north Luzon region. This will require a 14-hour journey to reach storm survivors in very isolated places who have not received any assistance.
• A water filter that produces 10,000 liters of safe drinking water a day has been allocated to a church in metro Manila
• Volunteer teams led by Samaritan’s Purse will begin clearing mud and debris, as well as helping people salvage their belongings from 150 flooded homes in a fishing village in the Bulacan region.
Samoa Response:
• A shipment of relief supplies is set to arrive this week with 100 rolls of plastic, 700 hygiene kits, 1,400 blankets, and an emergency health kit that can provide medical care for 10,000 people for three months.
Indonesia Response:
• The team on the ground is providing 1,000 temporary shelters, tool kits, blankets, hygiene kits and food parcels. Tool kits include saws, hammers, gloves, shovels, boots, and nails. Food parcels include bread, sugar, salt, and salt fish. Hygiene kits include soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, and combs.
• Two mechanical water filtration systems are being shipped to Padang, each capable of filtering 10,000 liters of water per day.
Samaritan’s Purse is a non-profit organization that provides immediate, no-red-tape response to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations-especially in locations where few others are working. Samaritan’s Purse has worked in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution.
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Explore the website to discover the answers to all of these frequently asked questions…
Frequently Asked Questions: 1. What is Franklin Graham’s role? 2. What is the difference between Operation Christmas Child and Samaritan’s Purse? 3. What other ministries besides disaster relief and Christmas shoeboxes is Samaritan’s Purse involved in around the world? 4. How can I get involved? 5. How can I give? 6. What about the history of this organization? 7. What is the purpose of Samaritan’s Purse in one concise statement? (answer to # 7: Samaritan’s Purse exist to meet emergency needs in crisis areas through existing mission agencies and national churches.)
Last thing… We Can: Think Globally & Act Locally. <><
