OXBOW - St. Peter Lutheran Church in Oxbow provided some extra Christmas cheer to the residents of a remote community in northern Canada.
Grise Fiord is an Inuit hamlet of approximately 140 residents, located on Ellesmere Island, about 1,500 kilometres from the North Pole and just over 3,000 kilometres from Oxbow. Even with modern technology, what are the chances of these two communities connecting?
It all began on Sept. 7, 2023, when a small group of women at St. Peter first heard of Grise Fiord in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut. Sharon told of her daughter Jessica’s dream of collecting Christmas gifts for the children of this small northern community where she had spent some time on a work rotation.
The idea of connecting with these particular children at Christmas grabbed the hearts of those present and the decision was made to investigate the possibility of putting a plan in place so Jessica’s dream could become a reality.
And then came the questions. How many gifts would be needed? How many boys? How many girls? Their ages? How should the gifts be packaged and shipped? Individually or as a group? Stockings or bags?
Would we have a local contact person to arrange personal delivery to the children? When and where? How would we get enough gifts for everyone? What kinds of gifts would be enjoyed by the children? Would we have enough money to cover the cost of shipping and any extra expenses that might occur? Did we have enough time to get everything together so the gifts could reach Grise Fiord before Christmas?
By Thanksgiving, most of the questions had been answered and a timeline established for a pre-Christmas gift delivery. A list of the ages of the boys and girls was posted on the bulletin board in the church narthex. Promotion of the Christmas gift collection began and the result was astonishing.
An abundance of age appropriate gifts plus cash to cover the cost of shipping and extra expenses was donated. A box of Christmas bags was found and freely given – exactly what was wanted, just waiting to be used. Word of the Christmas collection spread beyond the congregation and the extended community response was amazing.
Donations came from Estevan, Carlyle, Alameda, Carnduff, and included several games and a special cash offering from the congregation at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Frobisher. The staff at the local Canada Post office were very helpful and supportive, giving options for the best way to pack the gifts and recommending the most economical shipping.
The first week of November arrived. Tables in the church fellowship hall were filled with a wide variety of gifts. Adequate cash for shipping had been received. It was time to sort the gifts and fill the bags. The piles of books, games, toys, candy and other gifts disappeared as 35 Christmas bags, easily identifiable by age and gender, were made ready to be packed into large boxes for shipping.
A letter of introduction, along with Christmas greetings to the community, was written. Also included were 170 quilted pocket cross pillows accompanied by the Bible verse “…the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
The boxes, weighing 44.1 kilograms, were shipped via Canada Post on Nov. 16. The ability to track the boxes was limited and Canada Post could not be sure when the boxes would arrive at Grise Fiord. The exact shipping route to the northern destination was unknown. One possible route was Montreal via Winnipeg and then flights to Iqallluit, Resolute and Grise Ford.
We do know the boxes arrived safe and sound on Dec. 13 and were delivered to the local school, where they were given to the children by Santa’s helpers on Dec. 20. We also know the gifts were well received by the children; pictures reflect the joyful reality of their experience.
Looking back, it’s difficult to believe how it all came together so smoothly. Jessica’s dream became a reality. And the outcome was a most joyful Christmas experience for all who were involved.
