Watching this video brings back so many memories of my trip and really tells the story of why Operation Christmas Child is different for me this year. I still feel so grateful that I had the opportunity to go to Ecuador and be a part of what really happens when Samaritan’s Purse delivers the shoeboxes to the children.
:: See all my pictures from my Operation Christmas Child trip to Ecuador HERE.
Shoeboxes for Christmas
For years, my kids and I have filled up several Christmas shoeboxes for children. It is amazing just how many goodies and how much fun can be packaged inside one shoebox! I shop for deals all year long, being especially careful to hit the “after holiday” sales –after Christmas, after New Year’s, after Valentine’s Day–to really stock up on items like stickers, stuffed animals, colorful notepads, and other things that make kids smile. We pack and decorate the boxes with friends, add a letter and photo of our family, and then during collection week, we drop the boxes off. That’s pretty much where it ended other years. We could track our boxes to see where they went, but aside from watching the Operation Christmas Child videos on the OCC website, we missed out on the real celebration that happens when the children receive their gifts….that is…
Until Samaritan’s Purse Called Me
Until Samaritan’s Purse called me, and invited me to go on a trip with them last February. Now I know the rest of the story! I know where those boxes go, and I know who gets them, and I know the joy they bring to those children because it is written on my heart. I was there, and because so many people around the country get behind this ministry and pack a Christmas shoebox every fall, children hear the Gospel. They are blessed by the love of Jesus shown through you. Plus, I learned how the boxes are used by the local churches and pastors. And something I didn’t know: Many of the boxes are going to those pastors’ families, who are just as needy and just as appreciative to get them.
Just a shoebox? No, it is so much more than that. It is hope for many of these children. It is a ministry tool for the local pastors to reach out to those they will shepherd. (Read my story of how a shoebox can be a ministry HERE!)
So let’s get started! Share my video with your friends and on Facebook. Wherever you find great deals on items that will work for Christmas shoebox gifts, share that with me. Together we can make this the best year ever for Operation Christmas Child!
You can learn more about what Operation Christmas Child is HERE.
Have you been collecting for OCC all year? Just getting started? What are you putting in your boxes?
