Cookies for Christmas in Iraq by Terri Cofiell
Special to the UMConnection  | | Tiffany and Dale Thomas cook at the high school, part of a large effort to bake 11,000 cookies for soldiers in Iraq. | God works in amazing ways. Even through cookies. This was the lesson recently learned at my church, Hedgesville UMC in Berkeley County, W.Va., when what started out as one woman's brainstorm grew into an avalanche of cookies stretching from West Virginia to Iraq. Lisa Dellinger, a member of Hedgesville and a former member of the National Guard, approached the church's youth director, Wayne Young, about a potential mission project for the youth. Her son, Chris Sliger, is an active part of the Hedgesville youth group. Dellinger had come across the Web site www.anysoldier.com, and thought that each youth might be able be write a Christmas message and perhaps prepare a care package for a service person serving in Iraq. Young called the Baltimore-Washington Conference Center to find the name of a United Methodist chaplain. He learned that the Rev. Willie Caraballo-Lopez, coordinator of Hispanic/Latino Ministries for the conference, along with the Rev. Will Butler of the Churchville Charge, are serving in Iraq.  | | Cookies are made by the thousands for soldiers in Iraq, just in time for Christmas. | Through a series of e-mails, Young learned that the two chaplains have 856 soldiers under their care. Initially, the youth decided that providing a little Christmas cheer for the headquarters' staff of 56 would be doable. That's when the Holy Spirit moved through the congregation. During church announcements the following Sunday, Young asked the congregation for donations of blank Christmas cards to send to soldiers who would then send Christmas greetings to their loved ones. When he announced that the goal was to provide cards and packages for 56 soldiers, I found myself asking, 'What about the other 800?' A quick report from the ushers showed attendance to be 163 people in worship that morning. With the youth leading the way, there's no reason that each of the 856 couldn't receive a package with a hand-written card and about a dozen home-baked cookies. After all, that's only 10,272 cookies. By the end of the first week, 1,600 blank Christmas cards and a tree with decorations made by the Sunday school children were on their way. By the second week the congregation had provided more than half the needed cookies. Soon, the rallying cry of 'It's only 11,000 cookies!' began to fill the church. With the cooperation of Hedgesville High School and a donation of time and expertise from the school's cook, Dale Thomas, a member of the congregation, the rest of the cookies were baked in the school's kitchen Dec. 3. 'We're baking from 3 to 11 p.m. or until the ingredients run out. Pray that the ingredients run out first,' Young said. Each day the church office was deluged with items for the care packages as well as gifts for other charities. On the first Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Hope, I asked the congregation: 'How many of you thought I had completely lost my mind when I said that we could bake 11,000 cookies?' Many hands were raised. But that's what hope is all about. It's crazy. There's nothing logical or practical about hope. It believes in the impossible because 'with God nothing is impossible.' Not even, by final count, 13,422 cookies. The Rev. Terri S. Cofiell is pastor of Hedgesville UMC in Hedgesville, W.Va. See commentary on Christmas in Iraq, written by the Revs. Willie Caraballo-Lopez and Will Butler. | 
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