Cup of Joy.. Zimbabwe Boy Receives Gift

Great Coupons

Sorry I have not been on much this week.. hope to be back to normal after the holidays.

Check out Michaels.com to see their great coupon deals throughout the week! Tomorrow, depending on the time of day, you can get a 50% of one item or a coupon off total purchase... and then more coupons available all week!

Also, on coupon.com there are coupons for Hot Wheels and Barbies to print out.

And... finally.. there are MANY inserts tomorrow! Including the P&G insert... so check them out to see if there are any for OCC.

Saving big means buying more for LESS.

Ecuador Distribution Video

This video was made just around a month ago, when a group of OCC bloggers went on a distribution trip. If you have been here that long you may have followed it then.

I never tire of seeing the shoebox deliveries! One line in this video hit me... that many of the children.. the stuff in the shoebox costs more than their parents earn in a month!

Watch the video and see God's love pouring out through the simple gift of a shoebox.

Operation Christmas Child Special Report Online

If you did not receive a Special Report... or want to share with others what OCC is doing, sharing this link will do just that. http://www.samaritanspurse.org/pdf/2011occsr.pdf

In the Christmas Mood ALL YEAR ~ Matthew West, Amy Grant, and Veggies Tales

I hope you enjoy this video....

"Give This Christmas Away" Music Video Amy Grant and Matthew West -VeggieTales Bonus Song from jesusislord1234 on GodTube.

SOCK PUPPETS!!

This week I have been working on a variety of crafts.. my favorite so far are the sock puppets. My son is reluctantly modeling the duck and dino. I will post instructions and more varieties soon.

Miracles Abound... Our God Saves!

Guyana, 2010: Entire Family Gave Their Lives To The Lord

2012-01-04

Krishna, a Hindu boy from the village of De Kindered on the West Coast thought he could never attend a Christian church because of his parents’ Hindu background and would not be allowed to attend church services or have friends from the church.
During the February (shoe box) Gift Distribution, Krishna received a gift box and the booklet “The Greatest Gift Of All” (GGOA) from a volunteer whose ministry was concentrated in the street to target the un-churched. He was happy to see the contents and share the excitement with his parents and friends.
Krishna had an accident puncturing his abdomen and damaging his spleen; chances of life for Krishna looked dim and his parents were worried about post surgery.  They were told by the Doctors they couldn’t do anything more, they’ve done their best, and now they (Krishna’s parents) will have to pray and hope for the best. The parents went home read the GGOA booklet and prayed to Lord Jesus. The next day on their visit to the hospital they notice signs of improvement and decided to take a step further by going to the church in search of the volunteer and ask for prayers. They were surprised at the welcome they received and the concern shown by the members of the church. The church prayed and visited Krishna in the hospital. Krishna is out of the hospital today and is doing The Greatest Journey lesson # 1. His father stood up in church one morning and testifies of how he prayed to Lord Jesus and Lord Jesus Heard him and grants his request. The entire family gave their lives to the Lord and is attending church regularly.

Thank You Video... Operation Christmas Child

Right now, children around the world are opening gift-filled shoe boxes that YOU packed, and learning how much you love them -- and how much God loves them! THANK YOU!

This video is from OCC Canada but the truth is universal.

And what do I get for THEM??? Ideas for a 10-14 girl's box.

The majority of boxes coming in (overwhelmingly) are for the 5-9 year olds... perhaps because this is the easiest group to shop for. If so, I want to tell you that 10-14 year olds are FUN to shop for!! And are a HUGE ministry opportunity!

I love this age group! If you read my post on 10-14 year old boys, you will recognize that much of this post is exactly the same.


Of course, the basics:

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Soap and washcloth
• Comb 
• Pencils and pencil sharpener
• Notebook
• Extra school supplies

But then what?? How about...

  Active Play Items:

• small football
• baseball/ other small balls
• jumprope
• flying disc (small version of frisbee for disc golf? or other small frisbee)
• baseball cap
• soccer ball and small pump (soccer is HUGELY popular many places) 
• hackeysack

Toys:

• stuffed animal or puppet (yes they SEEM too old.. but are they??? No.)
• mini toy animal figurines
• slinky
• yo yo

Creative Outlet

• art supplies (all kinds)
• harmonica or recorder

Clothes

• socks, hat, gloves, tshirt, etc
• barrettes, hairbands
• jewelry

Life Skill items

• sewing kit: scissors, fabric, needles, thread, thimble, pins, etc
• workgloves
• calculator (solar is ideal)
• gardening tools
• fishing kit

Miscellaneous:

• flashlight with extra batteries or hand crank one
• watch
• totebag or collapsible backpack 
• water bottle or cup
• CANDY (in a baggie)
• sunglasses

Remember, each child only gets ONE box in a lifetime... and often this is their LAST chance to receive a shoebox... and is a GREAT time for them to HEAR THE GOSPEL. These children are in desperate need for what we have.. and I don't mean the STUFF. Operation Christmas Child allows the gospel to reach those who are otherwise unreachable... and your box makes a DIFFERENCE.

Cute Puppets to Make!

Are you a crafter? Looking for something truly special to make for the boxes? I think this is TOO cute! I love puppets because they serve so well for imaginative play... and these would be great for the shoeboxes.

You can find the instructions including free patterns at http://zitzmanfam.blogspot.com/2010/09/old-macdonald-puppet-tutorial-and.html