Beyond Measure

Another little bit from the notes I took at Connect Conference, this from Lou Giglio's amazing session. (Pardon the imperfect quotes, I did my best.)

God breathed and more happened than we can imagine.

"Now to Him who is able to immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine... to Him be the glory."

We can count the 1.2 million in The Greatest Journey...

We can count the 100 million shoeboxes...

but NOT what God is doing through families, pastors, leaders, and volunteers.

IMMEASURABLY MORE than all we can ask or imagine.

God spoke... and the world came into being.

The Gospel is going out... and in that Gospel is the POWER to do IMMEASURABLY MORE.

Wow, huh? We see God's Word going forth around the world, through Operation Christmas Child and so many other ministries.. and His Word is going out in POWER. We hear stories of the miracles God works through these shoeboxes, but these are just a taste of the work God is doing in healing, saving, loving, and moving... doing MORE than we could ask or imagine!!

If you do not know about Operation Christmas Child, please take a moment to learn more at the tab at the top... and if you are in the Klamath area, we are having a crafting event this Saturday, from 1-4, at Calvary Chapel Klamath Falls and we would LOVE to have you join us in making simple crafts that will show your love and the love of Christ in a tangible way to a hurting child.

Fiji- God's Word going forth

Today I read a post on facebook about Fiji. The story itself is not about Operation Christmas Child but it is about God's Word and His ministries and I had to share before I told my own CONNECT conference story about Fiji.

The BIMI Fiji Bible Project is going to deliver 220,000 Bibles to EVERY Fiji student on the island (starting this month) at the request of the GOVERNMENT of Fiji! Could you image how our country would change if our government would put the Bibles back in our classrooms? Not only that, this has some Biblical importance to it. Do you know where the furthest country is from Israel? The uttermost part of the world? Fiji! Jesus instructed us to go to the utter most part and preach his word. Well folks, God's Word is there waiting to be given out.

 

Isn't that a reason to rejoice???? EVERY student in Fiji to receive God's Word!!!! God is moving throughout Fiji!

I was blessed during one of the meals of the CONNECT conference to sit with two delightful men from Fiji, Kumar and Paul. What a blessing to meet some of the team from around the world who distribute the shoeboxes. They have full teams there of volunteers as well... to organize the HUGE job of receiving the shoeboxes through customs, training teachers, and organizing transportation, and distribution of THOUSANDS of boxes. What a blessing to have such dedicated people working to carry our shoeboxes to children.

Anyway, while I was talking to Paul and Kumar, I learned some things that I wanted to pass on. First although Fiji has many christians, 58% approximately, it also is 34% Hindi. There is MUCH to be done yet in Fiji for the Lord!

They wanted to encourage us that God is working... and so they shared some wonderful news! First, in one village where they went, only one child accepted Christ, out of the Hindi children... but do not be dismayed because this is how God works.. out of that ONE (one shoebox, and one child) came MANY. 30 NEW people now attend the church all from that one child.

Another story they shared is that in one county they were trying and trying to build a church without success within the Hindi community but resistance was too high... UNTIL one shoebox distribution. Praise God there is now not only a christian church but a Kindergarten program as well!

And a sweet story about a boy at a distribution. He wanted a toy truck like all his friends. They would play and he did not have one. This was his heart's desire, but his family could not afford it. He admitted to the team that just that morning he had thought of stealing one this very day... but what in His mercy and bounty did God provide in the box? Not one but 3 toy car/trucks in various colors!! 

Finally, I wanted to share a prayer request from Paul and Kumar.. Please pray for all the obstacles dealing with the VET and custom's taxes. The original agreement was that they would come through but the government struggles to believe so many good gifts are for giving out and not selling. May God make a way so that they do not have to pay to receive the shoeboxes.  

I was SO BLESSED to go to CONNECT and I have a whole notebook full of things I wanted to share.. and after much delay I am returning to a series of posts from the conference. 

 

 

Watch the FULL Operation Christmas Child 100 Million Shoebox Concert featuring Michael W Smith, Matthew West, the African Children's Choir and MORE

http://video.samaritanspurse.org/player/?vid=a1w0v3rz&c=17&title=homepage-100-million

World Unites for 100 Millionth Shoebox

Lou Giglio at Connect Conference

Jesus is Number 1 ~ Shoeboxes, they are a God thing

Michael W Smith has been involved in Operation Christmas Child for almost 20 years... and he was one of the performers on the 100 Million Celebration. One of the highlights for me, was not his GREAT SONGS which I loved, but his singing a song he had learned from the children in South Africa long ago. I thought you might like getting a taste of the conference in the video of part of Michael W Smith's performance.


And then in case you want to see the video where the story of his first trip with OCC... I am including that too. :) It is absolutely WONDERFUL.

Mary Damron Sings God On The Mountain at 100 Million Shoebox Event

This is not my video, and is a video of the video screen at the event, but the only one I could find of this song, which touched me so deeply... may you be blessed also.

I was so blessed by meeting Mary Damron at Connect. She is a lovely woman whose life shows that AMAZING things can be done by ONE person who just goes all out to follow God's leading. And she surely has been used by God in mighty ways. Please continue to pray for Mary Damron as she battles cancer and illness.. and rejoice with me that she was able to make it to the celebration. If you do not know who Mary Damron is, learn a bit about her and her participation in Operation Christmas Child, watch this video, and know that you can make a difference whether you pack one shoebox or a hundred. And ask yourself, God what can I do? And then watch God work!

Immeasurably More

The below post is from the Samaritan's Purse Blog and is written by an awesome volunteer and year round blogger from Life Inside the Box (http://occnwpa.blogspot.com/) that can be found anytime through a link in the sidebar..

Samaritan's Purse Blog | View More

Immeasurably More

People from 102 nations gather in Orlando to celebrate what God has done through Operation Christmas Child
Kathy Schriefer, an Operation Christmas Child area coordinator from Pennsylvania, reports from a conference in Orlando that brings together volunteers and ministry partners from all over the world
Tonight was our first general session for the Operation Christmas Child Global Connect Conference and it was a mind-blowing experience to be worshiping with brothers and sisters from 102 countries around the world.
After Randy Riddle, director of domestic operations, led us in a time of rousing praise to God (complete with noisemakers) in celebration for 100 million shoeboxes, he was joined on the stage by former shoe box recipient Izabella McMillen. She reminded us, “I would not be able to stand her today without your faithfulness.” Seeing the video of Izabella’s story helped us focus on what each of these precious boxes means to the child who receives it.
As he came back to speak of the history of OCC in the United States, Randy spoke of the exponential growth of those early shoe boxes. “When it was paired with the Gospel it became something God blew His breath on and it exploded.”
And Franklin Graham said, “It’s something God has done and we want to give Him the glory.”
Ross Rhoads, pastor of the first church to pack shoe boxes in 1993, told of how their church collected 11,000 boxes in just 14 days that first year—a foreshadowing of God’s hand on the project.
Canadian pastor Sean Campbell’s church in Canada also packed a large number of boxes in that inaugural year of 1993 and joked that it was the only year Canada packed more boxes than the U.S. On a more serious note, he spoke of the Bible’s warning that in the end times “the love of many will grow cold,” and reminded us that packing shoe boxes is a way to keep our love alive.
Sean told the story of giving a shoebox to a 10-year-old boy in a psychiatric ward in an Eastern European country. When he pulled a Beanie Baby out of his box and smiled, his doctors were amazed. The doctors explained that the boy’s parents had been executed in front of him four months earlier and this was the first time since that he had smiled.
“It’s all about the Prince of Peace,” Sean said.
After some phenomenal guitar and worship music by Dennis Agajanian and the Tommy Coomes band, Franklin Graham introduced Louie Giglio.
Speaking about the global presence in the room, Louie said, “We are better when we are in the company of people from the whole world.”
There is a plaque in the Georgia Dome that commemorates that largest gathering ever held in that venue—a Billy Graham event. Louie said we’re here to remember the legacy of a faithful God.
“We’re not here tonight to underestimate the power of God,” he said. “We’re here to celebrate that God will expand His kingdom.”
He admitted that he can’t comprehend 100 million shoeboxes. It’s supernatural.
But we also can’t fully comprehend that God emptied Himself and took on the skin of a baby and appeared as the gift of God to the world in that original mission of Operation Christmas Child. Into a manger came majesty—majesty in a mess.
How amazing that God gave the news of His coming first to the shepherds. They were too dirty to go to church and God said when you can’t make it to me, I’ll come to you.
What Louie felt God wanted him to bring to us tonight was a personal encouragement that the God of 100 million shoe boxes is on our side. There are huge hurdles in each of our lives tonight where we’re trusting God and the truth of Ephesians 3:20 is that God is able to do immeasurably more than we can imagine. To HIM be glory. We’re in partnership with the God who does immeasurably more.
When you walk in the door of God’s faithfulness, it marks you.
You can count shoe boxes but you can’t count changed lives. You can’t quantify the healing God brings through a shoebox. You can’t count the immeasurably more.
In that night glory came into the mess of a manger and peace with God is now possible.
Those who were rebels against God can become the worshipers of God.
It’s not just on a grand scale; it’s on a personal scale. We cannot count God out because God can do immeasurably more.

At the Operation Christmas Child Global Connect Conference!!

Hey all! I am at the conference!! Sooo excited to be here!!

The conference is not officially underway for ME yet but the Global volunteers have been going for 2 days already. Ours starts tomorrow morning. YAY.

As you would expect, the conference is being well covered in prayer. I have seen prayer team members all over.  But we covet continued prayer from all of you, that God would be in every detail, from transportation, to technology, and with each of the speakers and guests.

I learned just how big this is today also.... and I am rejoicing. The estimates are 1300 US volunteers, 60 Canadian volunteers, 400 international volunteers, and 300 staff. WOW. In all 102 countries are represented!! How exciting to be part of this ministry!

I will be blogging as I am able throughout the conference and I know I will have material enough for months to come!