Operation Christmas Child

Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.  Deuteronomy 15:10 (NLT)

Our church joins the Samaritan's Purse each year in their Operation Christmas Child drive.  We have done so for years and I know this event is growing bigger and bigger all the time.  Usually, I wait until the last possible second and scramble around to find boxes and buy stuff in a rush to fill it and get them turned in on time to make delivery.  A couple years I had to drive my boxes down separately to the drop-off center because I missed our church's deadline...not this year.

I am all over it.  Ha.  I saved two shoeboxes a month ago and started buying a couple things here and there about the same time.  The two boxes our family is doing are loaded, packed and ready to go out.  This year we decided to see if our high school/college youth group would like to participate.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at their excitement.  After explaining the project, we had one boy and one girl take charge of a box for each and were nailing down who was bringing what.  They were all over it!  It was funny that a lot of the kids thought deodorant was a must!

Jay's cousin and wife are missionaries over in Africa and my mother-in-law saw pictures he had posted where shoeboxes from Operation Christmas Child were being handed out and there weren't enough for all the kids to receive one.  Does that not break your heart?  Ugh.  It makes me want to fill as many boxes as I can find!! This time, as I bought items for the box, I tried to get things that had more than one.  For instance, headbands in a group of five, two matchbox cars, a bag of marbles, etc.  I'm hopeful that if the child receiving my box knows of someone who didn't receive one, maybe they will share. 

My kids are also participating in putting a couple boxes together with their youth groups and Sunday School Classes. Lane wanted to buy Matchbox cars for his box and deodorant and Madolyn wanted hair accessories and a hairbrush.   I don't think they grasp the reality of it all, but I suppose every little bit they hear and see helps.  It is hard for me to believe that people really do live without things I don't think twice about.  I can't imagine a child who is excited about a toothbrush and toothpaste, can you?

Wednesday night our youth group will gather at my house for supper and bring their shoebox items.  We plan on taking a picture of the group and writing a note to enclose, packing up our boxes and praying over each box and for the child that receives it.  I'm excited and curious to see what items the teens bring.

If you would like more information, go to http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ and find a drop-off center near you.  Look around on the website at some of the stories and they will inspire you to head out right now and get a shoebox going.  They will also give you ideas for what to pack!  The shipping cost per box is $7 and there are three age ranges they recommend for boys and girls.  You can print the labels from your computer.  I see if you do a box online, you can track the box and where it goes.  How exciting!!  If you have a chance and feel lead, get out and pack up a shoebox...