Giving leads to receiving on Ukraine trip

Upon returning from the Ukraine, Paula Anderson, is sharing the positive effects of her trip with family, church and friends.

She was given the opportunity to travel to Kiev with Operation Christmas Child, a division of the evangelical relief organization Samaritan's Purse.

Each year, Anderson has taken part in the program that collects small gifts to package in shoeboxes and distribute to poor children across the continent. Presents are gathered from local churches and other collection sites in November and brought to Samaritan's Purse headquarters in Boone.

The trip to Ukraine is made more poignant because in years past she shared the "shoebox ministry" with her daughter, Bayley, who died in July in a traffic accident along with her husband, Matthew Hinson, and unborn child

"Bayley and I always loved Operation Christmas Child and wanted to go on a distribution mission with them," Anderson said.

She got that opportunity in December in Boone when she met Jim Harrelson, the vice president of Operation Christmas Child.

She told him her desire to fulfill her and her daughter's dream. "I thought that sometime in the next 10 years maybe I'd get to go," Anderson said. "But I got the call January 26, the six month anniversary of their death."

Harrelson offered her the opportunity to go to the Ukraine. Her church, family and friends helped make it possible with contributions for airfare and stay. A total of $2,500 was raised between Poplar Springs Baptist Church where son-in-law was a youth minister and Anderson's home church, Pleasant View Baptist.

"I had never been abroad before. I didn't even have a passport," Anderson said. "But they helped me expedite the process and sure enough it came through the Elkin post a week later."

Anderson traveled through Munich to the Ukraine where her group of 62 volunteers was sent to Kiev. "Kiev is a big city, but extremely rundown. We stayed at the President's Hotel, which was clean but not up to American standards." Anderson said, "We couldn't even drink the water or brush our teeth with it."

They split into groups of five to visit villages within a two-hour radius of Kiev. Anderson's group went to villages near Chernobyl, visiting children in schools and daycares. "There were a lot of health problems there, immune deficiencies from radiation poisoning in their parents, dental problems, and poor health overall.

They were well-behaved children, good teachers and generous leadership. But the schools were like what we had 50 years ago, in need of new roofs, indoor restrooms, and general repair."

Anderson said that despite their poverty they were very receptive to them coming into the schools and spreading their Christian message. "You couldn't come into a school in America and teach the Gospel like we did there. The shoebox gifts are a nice present, but more importantly, they are a vehicle for bringing the Gospel."

The team stayed one week, from Feb. 23 to March 1, to distribute the gifts to the children, put on Good Samaritan skits and teach them songs and lessons in English. Anderson has been back to work at Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital this week where she is a registered nurse.

"Every day I've been thinking back over my experience. It's surreal," Anderson said. "I hoped to be a blessing but ended up being blessed both personally and spiritually."

Anderson said her trip inspired her to find new meaning in her life since her family's tragedy. "I don't know when my next opportunity to help will be, but I don't expect my first mission to be my last. I will still hurt and grieve for my family but now I can begin the healing process that I prayed for."

Anderson said that she is already stocking up little presents and items as they go on sale throughout the year for the next shoebox collection in November.