Published: October 17, 2008 10:20 am      

Weatherford resident packs shoeboxes, speaks about impact of annual project

FORT WORTH — As a young girl, Oksana Nelson experienced a deep loneliness while living in a Russian orphanage. Without a true family to call her own, the bare minimums she did have were usually shared amongst the orphans.

On a day Oksana will never forget, Americans arrived at the orphanage. The children’s excitement heightened when the visitors passed out shoe boxes to every child as their very own Christmas gift.

Along with socks, Dominoes and candy, the mint toothpaste was the item Oksana valued the most. She would no longer have to brush her teeth with the ill-tasting paste she shared with 20 other children.

Imprinted in her memory is the photo of the children who packed her box.

“I opened my box slowly and was overwhelmed by all of the gifts it held,” said Oksana. said “It was so impacting seeing the faces of the two children in the photo that cared about someone they didn’t even know on the other side of the world. A simple ‘thank-you’ for the love they sent me in that shoe box would never be enough.”

The following year, Oksana was adopted by an American family and now resides in Weatherford with three other adopted siblings. She attends college and works part-time at Reata Equine Hospital.

The first time her church, Greenwood Baptist Church, packed shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, Oksana told her pastor she was once a recipient. That launched the beginning of her speaking engagements in churches, groups and schools around the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

As the number of boxes continues to increase, Oksana sees her story making a difference in the hearts of her community and in the children receiving the shoe boxes.

Oksana encourages people to pack a shoe box. She says, “It helps the child realize that there is more to life than what he sees. Children in desperate situations have a limited view of life and often think that no one cares about them. A simple shoe box can leave a strong impact on a child.”

Along with speaking about this impact, Oksana and her family pack four boxes every year that are distributed to children suffering from natural disaster, disease, war, terrorism, famine and poverty.

This year, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, will hand-deliver 8 million shoe box gifts for hurting kids in 130 countries.

Oksana hopes to someday return to Russia and deliver Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes to children facing similar circumstances of her past.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, or to invite Oksana Nelson to speak for an event or service, call (817) 595-2230 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org.

National Collection Week is Nov. 17-24; however, shoe box gifts are collected all year.