Christmas 2009
My best Christmas memory of 2009 started early in the month with a trip to Boone, North Carolina for Operation Christmas Child (OCC). OCC is a project of the Samaritan Purse organization led by Billy Graham’s eldest son, Franklin Graham. Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan's Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ (www.samaritanspurse.org). The organization’s name comes from the story of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:30-37, which gives a clear picture of God's desire for us to help those in desperate need wherever we find them. After describing how the Samaritan rescued a hurting man whom others had passed by, Jesus told His hearers, "Go and do likewise." The OCC program started with the c