Aberdeen North Highland UMC has been collecting shoebox Christmas gifts for the past decade and delivering them to Enemy Swim Day School on the Sisseton reservation. The partnership has continued to flourish.

The mission team is in continual conversation with the administrators of the school.  Rev. Lou Whitmer, Aberdeen North Highland UMC, describes that it is about more than collecting the gifts. “We contact them and see how many gifts are needed for each of the grades and if there are any specific needs.  We set up a time to deliver the gifts and bring a team to distribute the Christmas Shoeboxes in the classrooms. A team from the church goes to the school and spends the day distributing gifts, eating with the children and staff at the school and learning about each other.” File Photos: Young recipients of Shoebox Christmas gifts overflowed with excitement last year.

It takes about 230-250 Shoebox gifts to complete the project each year.  Churches in the Aberdeen area bring shoebox gifts to North Highland.  A team of volunteers at North Highland makes sure that there is a gift for each child. “Sometimes we have to add to a box or get a couple of additional shoeboxes ready.  We want to make sure each child has a Shoebox of gifts when we visit each classroom and deliver the gift to each child. We don’t want to leave anyone out.”

The partnership goes beyond Shoebox Christmas. This past year, Ellen, one of the school administrators, passed away and Rev. Whitmer was invited to conduct the funeral. “We keep in contact throughout the year. Sometimes we have people from North Highland go over and read to the classrooms. The school administrators and other adults from the school come over to Aberdeen and visit the church. It is great to stay connected.”

“Partnerships like the one between Enemy Swim Day School and Aberdeen North Highland UMC are extremely helpful to Shoebox Christmas and sharing the love of Jesus,” said Mike and Libby Flowers, co-directors at Spirit Lake Ministry Center in Sheyenne, ND, who coordinate the collection and distribution of the Shoebox Christmas gifts to several sites throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Shoebox Christmas gift pickup — each Christmas season, United Methodists from across the Dakotas Conference and beyond bring the gifts of Jesus in a shoebox.  Shoebox Christmas gifts are distributed to over 6,000 children across five Native American reservations in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.
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Arrangements have been made to pick up Shoebox Christmas gifts at the sites and churches listed below. Please be sure and contact the drop-off site closest to you before you go to make sure the church is open and there is someone ready to receive your gifts.

Nov. 13— The Celebration at Brandon, SD
Nov 13—Conference Office, Mitchell, SD
Nov 13 or 14—McCabe UMC Bismarck, ND
Nov. 22—First UMC, Pierre, SD*
Nov. 22—Rapid City Canyon Lake UMC*

Nov. 22—Aberdeen North Highland UMC**
Nov 27—First UMC Fargo, ND.
Nov. 29—Vincent UMC Minot, ND
Nov. 30—Wesley UMC Grand Forks ND

*Gifts delivered to these sites will go to Tree of Life in Mission, SD.
** Gifts will be delivered to Enemy Swim Day School, Waubay, SD.