Grief to grace: Jill's Operation Christmas Child story

At one of the darkest moments of her life, Jill found comfort and renewed purpose through Operation Christmas Child. Encouraged by her son's desire to help children in need, she chose to focus on giving rather than grief.

Jill's journey supporting Operation Christmas Child, which transports shoeboxes filled with gifts plus the Christian message of hope, to children in other countries, began in 2002.

Jill said, "It was a very low point in my life as I had just lost my husband to cancer earlier in the year, I was trying to stay positive for my three children. I was dreading the first Christmas without Jon and I was worried about how we could possibly celebrate. Then one day my son came home from school with a leaflet about Operation Christmas Child. He was excited to tell me that he needed to find an empty shoe box and fill it with gifts for children who were less fortunate than us. He talked about how sad it was that they have nothing, when we have so much.  

"It then made me realise that although he had lost his dad at such a young age, he was still able to appreciate that there were so many families far less fortunate than us. It put me to shame and it was a turning point for me. I had been finding my faith a challenge, - despite my husband asking me not to blame God just days before he died - but I decided that if I focused on something positive like filling shoeboxes for children who were far less fortunate than us then it would make Christmas more bearable. I also felt that Jon would have wanted me to do this rather than wallow in self-pity."

Jill and her family filled four shoeboxes that first year and have continued filling more every year since.

Jill then began working as a mental health practitioner on an acute psychiatric ward. Whilst running groups on the ward she could see that many of the patients felt that they lacked purpose. Jill said, "They struggled to find any task fulfilling so one day I suggested that they could help by making some gifts to go in the shoe boxes, such as pencil cases, jewellery and for those who could knit I suggested hats, scarves, and puppets. At the time I had a volunteer supporting me who was an ex-patient herself and she was a great encouragement. I could see how much satisfaction the patients were getting from making things for the children."

Jill was concerned that this group of patients would not be able to continue this work once they were discharged into the community and no longer on the ward. She asked her manager if she could run a group in the activity room, one evening a month in her own time to enable these patients to continue filling shoeboxes after being discharged. This was agreed, and hence the Shoebox Club began and meets once a month to fill shoeboxes and support each other.

What started as a small effort has grown, involving many people in the community, including neighbours from Jill's village in Shotesham and her local church All Saints. Jill remarried in 2009 and her husband Paul has got involved, as well as her mother, who covers all the boxes with wrapping paper.

Jill said, "We are only a small group, but we now manage to fill 300 boxes a year.  We all enjoy the social aspect of meeting up as well as the immense satisfaction from giving so many children around the world some joy when they receive the gifts we send."

Anyone who would like to find out more can contact Mark and Debra Watkins on markdebrawatkinsocc@yahoo.com
https://www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child

Pictured above, Jill Masters and friends from the Shoebox Club