For millions of children, Christmas is but a fantasy--like a cozy storefront window they must be content to adore from the frigid sidewalk. Samaritan's Purse, however, has given us an incredible opportunity to not only bless these children with a shoebox full of presents and love, but to experience the blessings of giving and of emulating the Wise Men who gave the first sacrificial gifts to their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This weekend, we shopped and looked and laughed and talked and bought and wrapped and laughed and talked as we filled a shoebox full of goodies for a five to nine year-old girl and one for a ten to fourteen year-old boy. What fun it was to spend time together as siblings, and what a delight it was to drop off our boxes at the designated church and hear that our middle-sized community had mustered 1100 boxes last year, and was aiming for 3000 this year.
"Operation Christmas Child," as Samaritan's Purse has dubbed their enormous project, is hoping to send out more than 8 million shoeboxes to children all over the globe this year. Their stated mission is "To demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ."
All you have to do is fill a cardboard or plastic shoebox with everything to delight a child's spirit (check with the website for prohibited items and suggestions), print out a label for your box, and enclose $7 to cover the shipping (this year, you can now pay the $7 online and print out a handy barcode which they will use to track your box and let you know where it ends up!). Go online to find a local drop off point--many churches participate in this. Please hurry, though, because this week only is National Collection Week.
Watch this video for more information (as well as a plug from the adorable Georgie Henley for THE upcoming movie of the year, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader).Won't you take a few hours out of your week to fill a shoebox and drop it off? I can't think of a better way to brighten your corner!
PS--As I typed this up, the entire house suffered one jarring shake, with my seat lurching up, and my laptop screen bouncing like a sheet of paper. Just a minor (4.2) earthquake with no apparent damages, though it was felt from Seattle to Oregon, but enough to get the day started with a bang!
Operation Christmas Child is one of my favorite ministries! I loved doing it personally and then getting my church involved back home. Last year, I had a goal of maybe collecting a dozen shoeboxes and I think we collected a total of about 40! We did the barcode thing and learned our boxes went to Peru and the Philippines. Thanks for promoting this and for posting the fun pics, too. :)
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