Right now the craft stores are FULL of fun Christmas crafts, craft kits, craft ideas, and SALES. Scope out the sales and items for things to buy. Check out the sales for supplies. And then you can use the winter months to begin crafting. I love including something handmade in the box... I pray for the child as I craft and I feel as though I am sending a bit of me with the box.
Some of the projects I am thinking of doing this winter?
I am thinking of decorating some shoeboxes.. to make the insides a DOLL HOUSE!!! I love this idea... and if I start with what scrap papers, print outs, bits of cloth, I have or find on sale, I can have some boxes ready to fill with girl items, the basics, and of course, some small dolls throughout the year! I love this idea! http://mypoppet.com.au/2012/08/kids-craft-shoe-box-doll-house.html
I will also be looking for sale yarn.. there seems to be LOTS of sales at this time of year for yarn. And then I will knit some basic hats. Or maybe this is the time to try to learn something more involved! There are lots of neat patterns on the pinterest sites in the sidebar.
I don't want to leave the boys out! I love this idea! I think it would be so neat to include a selection of felt roads to include in a boy's box! So I am watching for sales on felt squares or felt by the yard! This one seems so easy! And yet with so many opportunities for fun play. http://thehappyhousewife.com/home-management/felt-road-patrol-kit/
Starting on Black Friday and going from now through the holidays and after, toys will be on sale.... deep sales.. and often if you are not going for the MOST popular toys, the prices will KEEP going down right through the holidays. Watch for good sales and maybe you can score the perfect gift for your shoebox!
“A shoe box becomes a key to a closed door, for children to hear the good news that God has not forgotten them.” ~OCC international volunteer, sensitive country
Our shoeboxes DO make a difference! If you did not get a chance to turn in a shoebox this year, you STILL CAN through a neat feature called build a box. Click here to Build A Box online that we can send to limited access countries: http://spsocial.org/dUJ
Oh how my heart rejoices on this day! I pray that each of you is filled with thanksgiving today as we as a nation celebrate all God has done for us individually and as a nation on this day of Thanksgiving.
Enjoy your blessings. Enjoy your family. And rejoice in the work being done around the world through the simple gifts you packed in a shoebox!
So today, on Thanksgiving, I wanted to take the time on my blog to say THANK YOU!!!! And share this video I just found from last year.. watch and rejoice for this year the numbers and the impact will be even GREATER as we pass the 100 million mark!
A young, enthusiastic Operation Christmas Child ambassador crosses the country with a milestone shoe box gift
National Collection Week may be over, but the journey of Operation
Christmas Child’s 100 millionth shoe box gift has only just begun.
As millions of boxes were being brought to drop-off sites throughout the
United States, 12-year-old Evilyn Pinnow was gathering items from
around the country to add to the special gift that symbolizes the 100
millionth box collected since 1993. The simple box, wrapped in white
paper and stamped with the handprints from Evilyn’s friends in The
Shoebox Club in Fort Atkinson, Wis., began its journey last week.
So far, Pinnow has traveled more than 5,000 miles with the 100 millionth
box, stopping at various shoe box packing parties along the way. With
each stop, she spreads her passion for Operation Christmas Child.
“When I heard that OCC expected to collect the hundred millionth shoe
box this year, I thought it would be cool to help encourage people to
meet this milestone,” she explained at an annual packing party hosted by
K-LOVE Radio and a local volunteer team in Sacramento, Ca.
More than 8,000 shoe box gifts were packed at the annual event, and
year-round volunteer Ann Olson added a few meaningful items to the
milestone gift.
“About 10 years ago with our family, my daughter was passionate about
putting socks in boxes because she hates cold feet. So my first item is a
pair of socks,” Olson said. “Art is so wonderful because it helps you
express your creative side, so my next item is art supplies.”
The socks and art supplies joined some jump ropes that had been added by
the hosts of a Milwaukee morning radio show at the first stop on
Evilyn’s journey.
The quick stop in California was followed by a trip to Nashville, and a
packing party at Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home in Brentwood. The
home, one of six operated by the Tennessee Baptist Convention, offers
support for children in difficult family situations. It was the perfect
backdrop for Oksana Nelson to add a stuffed musical lamb to the box.
Nelson grew up in a Russian orphanage, so she empathizes with the children living at TBCH.
“I think packing a shoe box will help kids [at TBCH] feel like they’re
contributing,” Nelson said. “When you’re in the position of always
receiving and needing, you don’t always feel like you can do something
to help someone else.”
About 20 residents of the children’s home chattered excitedly as they
packed 200 shoe box gifts in the gym alongside a local 4-H club and high
school football team.
Kelly Campbell, regional vice president of TBCH and director of the
Brentwood campus, said that serving as a drop-off location for Operation
Christmas Child and hosting a packing party “gives us an opportunity to
reach out. We believe in the Gospel message, and want children around
the world to hear the Gospel.”
When the last baby doll, bar of soap, and set of beads had been placed
in a shoe box, Campbell and the packing party participants paid rapt
attention as Nelson shared her story.
“When I was 9-years-old I received my first gift,” Nelson said,
recalling the time Operation Christmas Child came to her orphanage. “It
was the first time I ever felt special enough to be somebody in this
life.”
As she placed a fuzzy musical lamb in the 100 millionth box, Nelson said
that each item in a shoe box gift represents a hug and transfers the
love of the giver to the child who receives it. The crowd gathered
around as Evilyn asked God to bless the shoe box and the program that
conveys His great love for children around the world.
“Dear Lord, thank you for a project that allows kids like me to give gifts to kids around the world,” she prayed.
The next day in Tupelo, Miss., another recipient whose life was touched
by Operation Christmas Child contributed his own significant item to the
100 millionth gift. Renan Perdomo, now grown and living in Petal,
Miss., was able to attend school in Honduras after he opened a shoe box
gift filled with pencils, a notebook, crayons and scissors. Perdomo’s
pencils joined the growing list of items and stories they represent.
Finally, Evilyn took the box to New York City, the stop that she looked
forward to the most—other than actually handing the gift to its
recipient in the Dominican Republic, of course.
In the city that never sleeps, she took the box on a whirlwind tour from
sun-up to sun-down: The Today Show in Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, a
harbor cruise past the Statue of Liberty and under the Brooklyn Bridge,
and finally, the headquarters of The Salvation Army for a packing party
and concert by Matthew West.
Although she was impressed by New York’s towering buildings, she didn’t
seem phased by meeting the well-known Christian recording artist
backstage.
“I’m sorry, I’m in the middle of a candy thing,” she stated,
matter-of-factly, as West introduced himself, setting the stage for the
pair to joke together as they waited for the concert to begin.
“If you ever get in trouble, it seems like the fact that you have packed
2,000 shoe boxes kind of means you get a free pass,” West said, quickly
adding, “This girl would never disappoint. She’s not disappointing
these kids, is she?”
Evilyn didn’t disappoint the crowd of about 1,000 New Yorkers, either.
West introduced her, and the crowd broke into raucous applause as she
announced, “This is the 100 millionth shoe box!”
West, who has supported Operation Christmas Child for several years,
added some “fancy hair bows” chosen by his daughters to the box.
“I haven’t really thought much about the holidays and this kind of
starts it off for me,” West said. “A lot of times, we go on a missions
trip or we do something kind for somebody else and we think it’s going
to help that person. And then we’re surprised to find how God uses it to
enrich our lives.”
Evilyn and the 100 millionth box will continue travelling over the next
couple of weeks, enriching the lives of people along the way with her
story of kids helping kids. She will return to Wisconsin before
continuing to Huntington Beach, Ca.; Aurora, Co.; Bloomington, Minn.;
Duluth, Ga.; Boone, N.C.; and Charlotte, N.C.
Finally, in December, she will hand deliver the special gift to a girl in the Dominican Republic.
More items and more unique stories will be added along the way, all for
one purpose—to share the love of Jesus Christ through a simple
gift—fulfilling Evilyn’s prayer to help the needy.
Evilyn summed up her motivation simply: “I think every kid should feel loved.”
OK... so this year of OCC is now over... and perhaps you think it is too early to start thinking about next year. I want to challenge you to do just that! Sometimes what I hear is that I can't afford to do a box, or more than one box, etc.
Here is my challenge for you. Place a jar in your house, and collect pennies! Just 2 cents a day, and you will have your $7 to cover donation by next Collection Week! 2 cents!!! You can do that, right??
As for filling the boxes? Start early and watch here for deals! If you had followed the posts here, you would have had free toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and paper for multiple boxes. Penny deals on school supplies. And 25 cent flip flops, hats, and gloves. 74 cent plush. Free photo paper to print your photo on. And tons MORE for your boxes all for pennies!
If you start now, you can also fill your boxes with wonderful homemade items, no matter your crafting skill level!
Begin your year of OCC today! Don't procrastinate.. and little by little, penny by penny, you will be surprised at how quickly your box(es) can fill!
Begin today and the blessings will pile up for a child!
The truck full of shoeboxes just left yesterday and today I stopped by our local Payless to let them know the numbers of shoeboxes donated in our area, as they gave our area OCC hundreds of empty shoeboxes this year. To my surprise my visit yielded my first donation of the new year! I am forever blessed by the generosity of people around Klamath Falls! The sales clerk presented me with bags FULL of 8 pairs of shoes for children, socks to go with them, and some small extras! She had seen the clearance and thought of OCC... and TOTALLY made my day! Just THINK of the blessing these gifts will be to the children who receive them!!!
The numbers are IN!!! Southern Oregon (the area including K-Falls, Medford, Roseberg, etc) blew
past our shoebox goals this year... 14,056 shoeboxes !! Praising God for
His goodness and thankful for EACH of YOU who gave a shoebox! It is
truly a reason to REJOICE! Please continue in prayer in the months to
come as these shoeboxes begin their long journey to the children who
will receive them.
Our boxes, here in Klamath Falls, are now on their way! We are rejoicing because we had SO many shoeboxes, that we ran out of cartons to put them in YESTERDAY... and the rest of yesterday's and today's shoeboxes had to get put in whatever boxes we could find!! SO many children will receive the good news of Jesus Christ and receive this tangible expression of YOUR love and GOD'S love and this makes me REJOICE!!
So, what if you missed the deadline??
If you packed a box, you can no longer deliver it here in Klamath Falls, but you can choose to mail it on to Samaritan's Purse.
Or maybe you want to give to Samaritan's Purse in other ways... you can sponsor the Greatest Journey.. the 12 week discipleship course that is often done where the shoeboxes are distributed. Each child who completes the course will receive a New Testament in their own language. Or you could buy chicks or ducks or help with medical care or education. There are so MANY needs. Learn more at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/
There are so many needs that sometimes it can feel overwhelming.. but we can make SO much of a difference through ONE shoebox, transforming a child's life, bringing the Good News and rich blessings in our simple gifts. And while one of us alone can not solve the world's problems, one plus one plus one.... we can bring such hope and blessings for the glory of God!
THANK YOU for your care! Your love! And your prayers!
And your shoebox is a gospel opportunity for a child in need. When you pack a shoebox, and fill it prayerfully with things the child might need and items to make them smile, you are pouring God's love and your love upon that child! The box goes forth with the gospel. And know that over and over again.. millions of times over, children, their families, and even communities come to Christ through the blessings in the shoeboxes. God IS working.. and He can work through YOUR gift! You still have time to get a box in by tomorrow morning's deadline... but if you can't do it this year... know that next year, you can do one box.. or MANY boxes.. and change lives. It's worth it ALL for the sake of one child coming to Christ!
Today is the last Sunday for Operation Christmas Child.. but it is not too late! Packing a shoebox is such a simple thing but it has such a HUGE impact in the life of a child. Learn more about what to pack and how to pack a shoebox at samaritanspurse.org
And take the time to enjoy this video and see what JOY there is in giving!
This video may be my new favorite. It is not professionally done. It is not about the child who receives a box.. though THOSE videos get me every time. This is a video with a sweet little girl made by her mama that is SUCH a clear reminder about WHY it is SO valuable to pack shoeboxes with our children.. to TEACH them, deliberately, about giving, about sharing the love of Christ, letting our light shine, our love go forth, from when they are young, and then throughout their childhood. We don't come to sharing and giving naturally, which is why this is SO vital.
A girl who has packed hundreds of
Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes with her friends embarks on a
journey to pack and deliver the 100 millionth gift
“Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set
an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and
in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12, NIV).
These words, written by the apostle Paul to Timothy, were a fitting
send-off for 12-year-old Evilyn Pinnow as she said her final goodbyes to
family and members of The Shoebox Club at the Milwaukee airport on a
Friday afternoon. Surrounded by about 15 of her friends, Evilyn cradled a
small shoe box wrapped in colorfully painted paper.
“Since all of your handprints are on the box, it’s like a little piece
of the club is going with the box,” Evilyn told her peers.
The box, stamped in red, blue, green, and yellow handprints, is the
symbolic 100 millionth shoe box gift packed for Operation Christmas
Child since 1993. The project will reach the milestone this week, as
shoe box gifts are packed and taken to drop-off sites around the United
States during National Collection Week.
Evilyn, with the 100 millionth box in tow, is making appearances at
various events around the country, including Sacramento; Nashville;
Tupelo, Miss.; New York City; Huntington Beach, Ca.; Denver;
Minneapolis; Boone, N.C.; and Charlotte, N.C.. She will encourage
communities to join in the fun and pack their own boxes to add to the
total before traveling to hand-deliver the milestone gift to a girl in
the Dominican Republic.
A new item will be placed in the box by a different person at each stop,
creating a collaborative gift that represents the collective effort
that is at the heart of Operation Christmas Child. Each year, millions
of shoe boxes are filled with small toys, hygiene items, school
supplies, and other items chosen with care and packed by children,
families, churches, businesses, clubs and organizations.
Evilyn’s gift represents the millions of children around the world who
have been touched by receiving these tangible demonstrations of the love
of Jesus Christ. Many of the items will be added by shoe box recipients
who now live in the U.S. and send shoe boxes of their own.
Evilyn founded The Shoebox Club in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, when she
was just 8, after she won a “Kids Praying for Kids” journal from
Samaritan’s Purse as a prize for completing a crossword puzzle at an
AWANA meeting.
She had been praying, asking God to show her how she could help children
in need. After reading about the dire living conditions in countries
such as Uganda and Cambodia, she felt the Lord calling her to start a
club with her peers to pack shoe box gifts for Operation Christmas Child
to send to children who desperately needed to know the love of Christ.
The club started small, with 26 kids attending the first official meeting in May 2009.
“Now we have anywhere from 40 to 80 kids that come each month, and we pack 40 to 50 shoe boxes at each meeting,” Evilyn said.
Since it began, the club has packed more than 2,000 shoe boxes.
“It was growing by the hundreds, and now it’s just erupted,” she said.
It has grown not only in size, but in sophistication. The club, run
entirely by its young members, has a vision statement, mission
statement, and fully functioning board of directors with a president,
vice president, secretary, and treasurer who must be elected by the
members each December.
Children of any age may join, but the board members are limited to those
in third through sixth grade. The club even has a bank account to
receive donations, which the treasurer—Evilyn’s younger brother,
Owen—uses to purchase needed filler items or supply the $7 per box
shipping fee.
The current president, 10-year-old Autumn Congdon, is largely
responsible for presenting the project to local business owners and
requesting donated items that the club can pack in the shoe boxes. Vice
president Brynn Torrenga, 9, reserves space for the monthly meetings and
sets up the packing areas. Secretary Elizabeth Lyon, 9, writes the club
newsletters and updates the bulletin board at Faith Community Church,
where many club members attend.
“It was my mom’s idea to get the board [members] to help me,” Evilyn said. “I’m glad she did that.”
After helping her daughter set up the board, Josie Pinnow and the other
adults now attend the meetings as monitors, occasionally reminding the
kids about snack time or the need to pray for the boxes they are
packing.
Parents also wrap all of the shoe boxes, many of which are donated by a
local Nike outlet. The store has been a supporter of the club since the
beginning when Evilyn made her first presentation to the owner asking
for empty shoe boxes. Now the outlet appoints an employee as a
coordinator for The Shoebox Club, a coveted position among college
students who start work at the store each year.
Club members gathered last week to pack the final set of boxes for the
season—about 100, bringing their total for the year to more than 800
gifts.
“I cannot do anything but think about the children who will hear about Christ,” said 7-year-old Noah Schultz.
Brent Torrenga, father of the current vice president, Brynn, said The
Shoebox Club has been an example to the adults in the church.
“With the kids leading, they show the adults that they can get involved
too,” he said. “It’s such a hands-on way to show the love of Christ,
just to walk up and grab a box and be praying for it, knowing that
there’s something greater at stake—the child’s salvation.”
Each child involved understands the importance of the shoe box gifts.
Eight-year-old Maren Christian joined The Shoebox Club because, “Jesus
told me I should do it for all the kids around the world.”
As the club members finished up, Evilyn began to pray: “Dear God, thank
you for this project that allows us to be your hands and feet.”
She will be the hands and feet representing everyone who has packed a shoe box gift since 1993.
“It’s very special to me to be on the 100 Millionth Box Tour,” she said.
“I’ve been packing boxes for four years, so it’s going to be very
exciting to actually see the looks on the kids’ faces when I give them
the shoe boxes.”
She wanted to make sure, however, that the trip would not be focused on
her. On Friday, as she embarked on the first leg of the journey that
will end in the Dominican Republic she said, “Please pray that God gets
the glory for everything I do.”
There are some great printable coupons right now at coupons.com most notably if you go to the personal care tab, you can get coupons for Colgate toothbrushes, toothpaste, and Dial soap. Also available is a coupon for ziplock bags.
If you need any of these things for this year's shoebox, hurry out to the stores and go get some deals... the deadline for turning in shoeboxes is Monday morning! (Each location is different so check your hours in the right sidebar.. here in K-falls, the truck will pull away after drop off hours from 8-10 on Monday morning.)
If you are like me and are looking for great deals and even freebies for our shoeboxes all year round... print them out and watch for deals! The next deal could be right around the corner!
Maybe you just heard about Operation Christmas Child... maybe you forgot or the time slipped past you. Well, you still have time! Collection week goes through the Monday morning! (The boxes leave Klamath Falls at 10am.... but we are open most of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning from 8-10)
Packing a shoebox is a simple thing you can do to have a HUGE impact in the life of a child. Your gift will bring blessings in so many ways.. from the basic items these children need... to the fun things that children desire... to the gospel message that has eternal consequences. But as big as the results are, this is a project you and maybe your children can do quickly and easily.
1. Find a box... a shoebox or a plastic box the size of a standard shoebox. You can wrap the lid and base separately, or even leave it plain.
2. Choose an age group (2-4, 4-9, or 10-14) and whether you want to create the box for a boy or girl.
3. Buy some items for your shoebox. The dollar store has all you need... or hit your local drug store, etc. Some ideas: toothbrush and toothpaste, soap and washcloth, school supplies, hat or gloves or tshirt, a stuffed animal or doll, fun toys, and maybe a bag of hard candy. Remember that we can not send liquids or food (other than hard candy) or war related toys.
Fill the box, and add a photo or note for your child. Sometimes kids can send a note back, so although rare, consider including your address or email. Add $7 to cover shipping (or pay for your box online and print out a tracking label that will let you know by email where your box was sent.) And send the box off with love and prayer and drop it off during our collection hours before Monday the 19th at 10am. (For info on the location and time look in the right sidebar.)
And then know that you have made a HUGE difference to a child in need. These boxes go to children in abject poverty, war torn areas, and remote villages to children who have SO little and for whom this is very likely the only present they have ever received. And each box goes with a colorful booklet in their own language that teaches them about Jesus.
If you want to participate and you can't do a box this year, you can also pack a box online at Samaritanspurse.org.
We have been packing shoeboxes at Calvary Chapel for years here... and we are the drop off location in Klamath Falls, but this year we had a new goal. This year we collected items year round so that the children in the youth group and Sunday school could EACH pack a shoebox in a packing party. It was SUCH a blessing to see the joy on the children's faces. To watch them as they intently watched the videos about OCC. To hear their reactions.. and see their prayers.
Some of the things our kids said:
* Oh I wish I could be there to see them open the box!!
* Why can't we do TWO????
Even though trying to get everyone done in a short time meant we had to rush a bit... it was so fun to see the kids trying to figure out the RIGHT pencils or toys or clothes for the boxes. I was so blessed! And I know the children receiving the boxes will be so blessed too!
If you want to see a bit of the packing party, our youth pastor, Andy put together a video... check it out at http://vimeo.com/53646563
Tommie Noblett is an 81-year-old great-grandmother on a fixed income who
moves around using a cane and a wheelchair. She might not seem like the
most likely candidate to pack Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts.
But this year, Tommie has packed 102 shoe boxes with gifts to send to
children all over the world. She puts an extraordinary amount of care
into each box. Almost 75 percent of the boxes include a pair of shoes,
which she stuffs with jewelry, school supplies, toys, candy, and tons of
other items. She doesn’t leave out anything. She even lines the
containers with old calendar pages so the children can have pretty
pictures.
“They’ve never had anything, some of them in their entire lives, so they
keep it,” she said. “And I want it to be something they’ll treasure.”
If Tommie can find it on sale and it seems like something a child might
enjoy playing with, she’s determined to include it. Although inexpensive
shoes can be difficult to find, Tommie thinks they are the most
important gifts she includes in the boxes.
“Some of them have never had a pair of shoes in their life, and I just
pray that they’ll walk with the Lord when they wear them,” she said.
For Tommie, the spiritual component of the boxes is the most important.
She always tells people that she packs these boxes because these
children need to know about Christ.
She is full of other reasons to pack boxes, too. She tries to choose the
most durable shoes so they can be passed from child to child for years.
She doesn’t seek only to impact the child who receives the box, but she
also hopes to make a difference in the lives of many others as well.
“I think in the long-term for the whole family,” she said. “I pray that
it touches many lives, and like a pebble in the water, that it will just
ripple out and touch everything around it.”
It took Tommie all year to get enough money to buy supplies for 102
boxes. She said that because of her fixed income, she had thought about
cutting down on the number of gifts she packs next year. But it just
doesn’t seem possible for her. She has already collected 15 pairs of
shoes and 50 boxes to start the year, and she’s ready to do more.
“I’m already anxious to start packing,” she said.
This is National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child. Find out how to join Tommie in blessing boys and girls around the world through this simple yet powerful program.
I have shared this video before but if you ever doubt that your boxes bring joy and excitement, doubt no more. Watch this video and see what a simple box can do. (And he hasn't even OPENED it yet.)
THANK YOU. Thank you for packing a shoebox! Your gift will bring joy and it WILL make an ETERNAL difference. Take the time now to see some stories of after the shoebox and rejoice for although you may never know the story your shoebox will tell, take heart for God will use that simple gift in profound ways.
You have from now through the morning of the 19th to drop off your Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes at your local drop off spot. Here in the Klamath Area, you can drop off your boxes at a participating church or at our drop off location, Calvary Chapel Klamath Falls during drop off hours. 12-16 from 3-6 pm. Saturday the 17th from 10-6, Sunday the 18th from 12-6, and Monday morning, the 19th, from 8-10.
If you don't have time to pack a box this year, do not despair.. you can pack one online too! Go to https://www.samaritanspurse.org/giving/buildabox/ to build a box online for a child! Sharing the love of Christ has never been easier.
I read the story below on the FB for Mary Damron, a dear sister in Christ and volunteer with OCC, and immediately thought of some of the things I do for shoeboxes, making floral hair clips and bracelets to bring beauty into the lives of the children... and smiled. But I don't craft those things for every box, and maybe you don't either. Then I thought of other ways to make each girl feel special and treasured: dress up jewelry for children, of crowns, and all the play finery available, even from the dollar store. I want each precious girl to know they are loved and lovely... and help them realize they are truly a daughter of the King of Kings.
MARY
DAMRON -- Shoebox Corner -- It sad to say but many many children live
on garbage dumps around the world. Even eating the rotten food that
others have thrown out. Our children could never imagine that everything
they have is someone else's trash. On a dump in Panama, one little 5
yr old girl shied away from all of us. She was covered in filth, hair
matted and had a horrible smell. As she sat and opened her box, she
carefully laid everything on the lid, trying not to get anything dirty.
She suddenly squealed with joy as she had found a treasure. A plastic
necklace that cost about a dollar. She put the necklace on and began to
press it to her neck. Then she climb up onto an old rusty chair so
everyone could see her and started blowing kisses. I know she felt like
a little princess. In that moment you can understand the power of a
simple shoebox. It doesn't change the circumstances for the children but
it changes how they feel about themselves. For the first time in many
of their lives, they feel special. PLEASE, PLEASE, Don't feel guilty
because of what you and your family have. Just be grateful and share
your blessings with others.
Claire:
I will never forget the first little boy I opened a shoebox with in
Serbia. The expression on his face when he looked inside was amazing, I
cannot fully describe it - it made my eyes prick with tears because his
whole face lit up so much and he had the biggest smile on his face. I
can honestly say that I had never seen a child look so happy before. One
of the 10 year old boys told us (through an interpreter) that he was so
grateful to whoever made the box and that this was his first gift
ever.
Our second distribution was at refugee homes. The buildings were
originally set up as temporary accommodation in 1999, yet people were
still living there. We went into one building that looked like
university halls; one long corridor with ten doors. Each door led to a
room. We spoke to one lady who lived in a room with her 7 children, and
she told us that this was the seventh place she had lived in since
leaving Kosovo. She started to get very upset, but when asked what
impact the shoeboxes had on her and her family her whole face lit up and
she said it made her children so happy, as she would not be able to
give them gifts like this.
Next we went to a massive Roma community who lived under a flyover.
This is the distribution that springs to mind when anyone asks me about
my trip. It was unbelievable. It looked like a shanty town – it was
like a giant rubbish dump (as most of the residents make money by
recycling other peoples rubbish) with shacks for houses, and no running
water. It was the underworld of the city of Belgrade; you could see the
flyover with expensive cars literally above you whilst standing the
middle of this deprived settlement.
There was a baby girl – too young to get a box – held by her dad who
just kept crying and crying. I went over to her with a cuddly toy sheep
I had in my pocket and as soon as she saw the sheep she stopped crying
instantly. That really upset me because something so simple to us meant
so much to them.
This experience has shown me that something small can make a big
difference. The shoeboxes are only a simple, small gift to us, and they
give not only a child - but a whole family - a message of hope.
Shirley:
It was good to be able to share a bit of the love that goes into
making a box with some of those kids. What an incentive to do more boxes
in the future. I feel truly blessed to have been part of such an
amazing team, and to have experienced this incredible journey. These
shoeboxes make a real difference, but they’re not the end of the story:
they open doors for Samaritan’s Purse partners to help these people in
other ways, enabling them to improve many aspects of their lives.
JOIN IN THE FUN AND PACK A SHOEBOX OR MORE AND YOU CAN IMPACT THE LIFE OF A CHILD IN THE NAME OF CHRIST!
MARY DAMRON -- Shoebox Corner -- The children from the community were gathered in an old abandon warehouse. It was dark because very little sunlight shone throught the broken windows. But i was glad that it wasn't as cold as it had been. We gave the children shoeboxes and enjoyed the "Holy Uproar", that always takes place. We played with the children for a couple of hours and gathered our belongings. Suddenly I realized that I didn't have my camera. I ran back into the warehouse and searched in the dim light for it. I spotted it on the floor in one of the Offices. As I bent down to retrive it, I heard someone crying. A little girl about 9yrs old was sitting between 2 other girls and I realized she didn't have a box. "How did we miss her? She must feel like she's being punished for something or that she didn't deserve a box." I tried to comfort her and tell her, '"I'm so sorry baby, I'll be right back, I'll get you a box."
I ran to the van, got her shoebox and headed inside. Making my way through the children, i was stopped in my tracks. The 2 girls were now patting her and loving on her. Other children were coming by, each dropping something from their shoeboxes into her lap as they stooped down to hug her. It was a beautiful site. She now had more gifts that anyone. These loving children, who had lost everything in the war, were sacrificing their gifts to make her feel special. I walked out thinking --- This is the way the church should be.
(Special thanks to Pam who shared this story today, to Mary Damron who has done so much for OCC and therefore for so many precious children, to Franklin Graham and all the OCC volunteers who make this possible, to EACH who gives a shoebox, and especially to Christ Jesus who taught us first to love so that we may love others.)
I have shared this video earlier this year, but it is so touching... we may never know the name of the child who receives our box, but God does! God knows the name of the precious child, and God LOVES each of these children so dearly.
Will you share the love of Christ in a simple shoebox this year?
Operation Christmas Child is right around the corner! You still have time to pack a shoebox... as Collection Week is Nov 12-19. If you need info about Operation Christmas Child, about what to pack in a shoebox, or where to bring your box, you can click the OCC link in the sidebar.
I have been so busy working with organizing Packing Parties and planning for Collection Week that I haven't even finished my OWN boxes... but I have lots of fun stuff to add ready to go.
I may not have finished my boxes, but I am praying for the children that receive my boxes... that their hearts are being prepared EVEN NOW... and the boxes I pack will find their way to the children for whom it will be an answer to prayer or in a meaningful way show Christ's love for the child.
Spend some time reading the stories or watching the videos in the impact section and see that God IS working through these shoeboxes. Get inspired and get motivated. There is still time to pack an awesome box that is an answer to prayer!
Today there was the first ever campus wide packing party at Oregon Tech!
Christian Fellowship and Chi Alpha hosted a packing party open to others on campus... and together 181 shoeboxes were packed!
The students were awesome workers and are already planning how to do next year! I know the children who receive the boxes will be blessed. And I can't wait to see what happens next year!
I love this feature on Operation Christmas Child... please DO send a letter and if possible a photo to your child and include your address and maybe email... sometimes you may get a letter back, but that is rare. But with Follow Your Box you can know where your box went even when the child can not send you a letter back. YAY. Learn more at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/followyourbox/
Discover the Destination of Your Shoe Box Gift
Make your shoe box donation online and learn about the country where your gift is going.
By
making your donation online using a credit or debit card you will
receive a special shoe box label included in your e-mail receipt. Print or copy the label as many times as you need to attach to each of your boxes.
Your specific barcode is connected to your e-mail address, so
it’s important to use the same label on each of your boxes. The barcode
on the label enables us to track each shoe box gift. You will receive an
e-mail telling you the destination of your gift, along with information
about Operation Christmas Child in that country. If your boxes go to
more than one country, you will receive more than one e-mail.
Print or copy the label as many times as you need to attach to each of your boxes.
SPECIAL NOTE - The
unique barcode on the label is scanned during the shipment process.
Covering it with tape or damaging it could affect scanning. In the event
that your label is ripped or separated from the gift in the process of
shipping, it may prevent us from tracking the gift.
I am linking to two great blog posts that list 100 ideas for items for the shoeboxes. Full of great ideas they are sure to be a help as you pack your shoeboxes!
By
making your donation online using a credit or debit card you will
receive a special shoe box label included in your e-mail receipt. 
