FORSYTH - Kim Emerson of Taylorville was pressed for time to shop and wrap gifts with Christmas only a few days away.

Luckily, she found some help with the wrapping part.

"I'd probably be going home and wrapping until there's no tomorrow," she said, "or gift bagging."

Emerson was thankful and relieved to have more than 30 gifts wrapped by members of the Moweaqua First United Methodist Church on Saturday afternoon at Hickory Point Mall in Forsyth.

Several members of the church were at the mall wrapping gifts for donations raising funds for two organizations, One in Christ Youth Group and the Alaska Mission Group.

The gift wrapping stand located outside of Sears was getting a lot of traffic Saturday, said volunteer Beverly Yoder.

"I lost about four hours," she said with a laugh. "We've been wonderfully busy. It's a good fundraiser."

Pam Moore, also volunteering, said their group had been at the mall offering gift wrapping to the public since Friday and agreed that business was booming.

"We did very well yesterday and today we're nonstop," she said.

Moore believes that with Christmas counting down, people are rushing to get their presents wrapped and ready to put under the Christmas tree.

Wrapping everything from clothes to jewelry to body spray, the volunteers have stayed busy and creative when wrapping even the most awkward gifts.

"We've gotten a lot of big items," Moore said. Wrapping huge pictures of Marilyn Monroe was a gift that stood out to her as one of the most awkward to wrap.

"It took three people to get the paper around her," she recalled.

But the challenges have been well worth their goal.

Funds from the two days of gift wrapping will go toward mission trips, Moore said. Students of One in Christ Youth Group will travel to a coastal region in July and help flood and hurricane victims. The Alaska Mission Group will venture to Juneau, Alaska, this summer to build cabins for the students there, she said.

With choices in wrapping paper and ribbon in colors of red, green, silver and gold, Moore pointed out that they brought their own wrapping materials; and instead of offering a flat fee for wrapping, they were accepting donations.

Fifteen-year-old Bo Ross of Assumption was also volunteering. He has attended one of the mission trips and wanted to help raise funds for the trips.

He admits he's not the best at wrapping gifts, but still wanted to give his time. He said he enjoys seeing the expressions on people's faces when he's finished wrapping their gifts.

"We're helping people," he said. "That's what we're here for."

Clarence Foster of Oreana was just beginning his shopping Saturday and figured someone else doing the gift wrapping would help him out.

"It does help the guys, trust me," he said with a laugh. "It's easier to get them (the volunteers) to do it, plus it's a donation - help out both ways."

Emerson said she was leaving a well-deserved donation to the church. She was impressed with the neatness of her wrapped gifts, saying her own wrapping doesn't come out as well.

"They've wrapped all of my stuff very beautifully with a smile to boot," she said. "They do a terrific job. I hope they come back every year because I know I will."

Alicia Spates can be reached at aspates@herald-review.com or 421-6986.