Hard to imagine all of these things fitting into a shoebox, but it is possible! That's what Operation Christmas Child is all about. It consists of filling a shoebox with toys, school supplies, candies, hygiene items and any other special item you wish to include. This shoebox is for a young girl or boy in need, from some part of the world. You can also include a card or note with your name and address and you may receive a letter back from the child that receives the box. This is usually done in churches and schools but with todays technology you can do it on your own, finding a drop off center near by on their website.
For these children, waking up on Christmas morning with a tree packed with over flowing gifts is just a dream. In fact, if it wasn't for this operation they probably would not receive any gift at all. Nick and I first heard of this from our church and participated last year. We completed about five shoeboxes. It was a truly rewarding experience and to our surprise we received a letter back from one of the recipients. It was from Zambia, Central Africa and it was written by the father of the child. It was a full on four page letter talking about their family, how much they enjoyed the box and God. It's amazing how in such a far away place and completely different culture, Love, Giving and above all God is the same!
This year we were equally excited to participate in this operation. We knew we wanted to make more boxes than the year before so we enlisted the help of Nick's niece Erin and nephew Isaiah. One of Nick's clients made a nice donation towards the boxes which we combined with the money we donated. We shopped for wrapping paper, candy canes, pencils, dolls, notebooks, racing cars, soap, toothbrushes, crayons, etc. You know, I absolutely enjoy shopping for others much more than for myself. I really like shopping for myself but shopping for a person in need goes beyond material satisfaction. So we ordered pizza and wrapped the boxes and filled them up. With the amount of things we were able to buy, thanks to God, we knew we were not going to finish in a day. Nick and I finished the boxes a couple of days later. The grand total was 13 boxes!! Wow, each box was full to the top with goodies. We dropped them off at Goodwill Church in Montgomery, NY. They not only were receiving boxes from their congregation but they were also a drop off center. As a center they received close to 10,000 boxes. Now that is amazing!!
(Tadaaa, our completed boxes. We realized there was a box missing after I took the picture, but we found it!)
This experience touched us in such a way that we know we will always participate in this operation. I would love to actually be the person giving these children the boxes. Just to witness their joy, love and excitement. Not only are we sharing these gifts but also showing God's Love. There is something almost magical that happens when you give, when you don't put your self first. When you have a self-less day or moment that is just amazing. It makes my heart beat a bit faster, it makes me forget any meaningless thing that had been bothering me....It makes me feel alive. Thanks to God, this was all possible!
It's not to late to participate. Check out the website for all the information and other ways to help.
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