Sherry Larson
The Peoples Defender
T.J. McClellan
Contributing Writer
T.J. McClellan loves doing God’s work and is willing to share his experience. Thanks to his sweet mother, Linda Waugh, who writes down T.J.’s stories, readers can appreciate his adventures.
On November 27, T.J., his mom, and Anna Ritter left home bright and early for Boone, North Carolina. They set out for Operation Christmas Child headquarters. T.J. said, “The shoeboxes go around the world for children in poor countries.”
T.J. described the journey as rainy until hitting the West Virginia Turnpike, where they had to pay three hefty tolls. After lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken, they continued their journey and arrived in Boone before 2 p.m. Later that day, they met with friends Lela and Jerry McWhorter and joined other helpers at the hotel.
Monday morning started with devotions from Luke 15, followed by prayer. Before starting work, they visited the Mast General Store. T.J. said, “It had an old-fashioned post office and old wooden floors. You don’t see that anymore.” His mom purchased some traditional candy and bottled coke.
At the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center, T.J. stated, “There was a gorgeous tree!” T.J. shared that the warehouse had hundreds of people, and they were friendly. He said that folks came from everywhere. T.J. worked in station one carrying boxes. He described the detailed process of dividing and inspecting the boxes. He stated, “I was amazed by all the activity and organization and all the people working with a common goal – the children.”
Following a busy day, friends went to a restaurant called The Paddlin Pig. T.J. said, “Girl, they had the best barbeque and best sweet potato fries you’ve ever had in your life.”
Day Two started with a devotional skit based on the 12 Days of Christmas. T.J. enjoyed the performance and said, ‘It was really funny.” Since their shift didn’t start until 1 p.m. that day, they traveled into Blowing Rock. T.J. told a story about an Indian and his maiden being on the rock and beginning to fall. The wind started blowing and brought them back to safety which is how Blowing Rock got its name. He said, “I loved that place – the scenery was gorgeous. It was big and so beautiful there. We walked around and saw breathtaking scenery, and the fog was in the mountains.”
Then, it was back to work, but it sounded much like fun. T.J. explained that Christmas and praise music played, and folks wore antlers, Santa and other holiday hats. He said, “It was a beautiful atmosphere, especially everyone working together for the precious children who will receive these boxes out of love.”
After the shift, T.J. enjoyed the fellowship as they ate pizza while sharing stories.
“Every time a semi was full of boxes, they blew a horn,” said T.J. “Every hour, they stopped us to watch a video of children receiving boxes, we had prayer, and everyone put their hands on the shoeboxes to pray for the children who would receive them.
Day Three was busy. T.J. continued to carry the big and heavy boxes to the metal roller; he said, “We were all working diligently and filling box after box. He appreciated the lunch break in the cafeteria with the big, beautiful, lighted fireplace.
T.J.’s group stayed an extra night and visited Mt. Airy the next day – a place he had wanted to see for a long time. His favorite part of the trip was visiting Floyd’s Barber Shop and seeing the retro chairs. The Andy Griffith Museum had a lot of the show’s memorabilia. T.J. loved the statue of Opie and Andy and said, “They looked so real – looked just like them.” He slapped his leg, gave a laugh, and stated, “We went to Mayberry RFD – had to go see Andy Griffith.”
Thursday was the time to pack up and say goodbye. T.J. shared it was sad leaving and said, “It’s always hard to say goodbye to your friends.” He hopes to go back next year and see them again.
T.J.’s story is another reminder of the love that Operation Christmas Child spreads. He said his team completed close to 60,000 boxes over the three days. All the packages they worked on are on their way to Africa.
To commemorate the trip, T.J. was given a t-shirt and a Christmas tree ornament. He concluded, “I came away from this trip blessed. We were doing God’s work for the children.”