Operation Christmas Child gift recipient to visit Sheridan, share about life-changing impact

Posted 8/12/21

Each year, Operation Christmas Child delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need. The project is part of the international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s …

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Operation Christmas Child gift recipient to visit Sheridan, share about life-changing impact

Irina Creek, who received a shoebox gift in an orphanage when she was 10 years old, is coming to Sheridan on Aug. 26 to share how this gift impacted her life. Every year, local residents prepare gifts for children around the world through Operation Christmas Child.

Photo courtesy Samaritan's Purse

Irina Creek holds the original hairclips she received in her Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift as a child.

Photo courtesy Samaritan's Purse

Posted Thursday, August 12, 2021 8:05 am

Each year, Operation Christmas Child delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need. The project is part of the international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse.

For years, Powell families and others in the area have packed shoebox gifts for boys and girls around the world.

An Operation Christmas Child gift reached Irina Creek in the former Soviet Union when she was a young girl. She is now visiting Wyoming residents to share how the simple gift had a life-changing impact.

Creek will be telling her story to groups and churches throughout Wyoming. She will visit The Rock Church of the Bighorns in Sheridan later this month for their local Project Leader Workshop, which helps equip residents who lead shoebox packing in their church. The workshop takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, at the church, 1100 Big Horn Ave. in Sheridan. Members of the public are invited to attend.

Creek wants to encourage residents as they kick off the upcoming collection season to fill more than 10,550 shoeboxes with toys, school supplies and hygiene items — contributing to the global goal of reaching 9.7 million children in Jesus’ name.

Creek was born into a broken family in the former Soviet Union. After being abandoned by addiction-riddled parents at the age of 4, she was moved into an orphanage. She remained hopeful of a reunion with her family, but the years passed and after frequent abuse, she was eventually moved to a new orphanage.

When Creek was 10 years old, a missionary group gave the orphanage children Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Through her gift, Creek felt unique for the first time and was touched by the message of God’s love. A year later, her prayer of adoption was answered by a family in South Carolina.

During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week, Nov. 15-22, local residents can bring gift-filled shoeboxes to multiple curbside drop-off locations across Wyoming, including in Powell. Those locations will be announced in late October.

For more information, call 303-745-9179, or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.