I have read about 3 blogs today advocating for
Operation Christmas Child
and I have been encouraged for our family to serve.
We did this when we lived in Atlanta
but sadly forgot about it here~
no church to spur us into action
(so the excuse we make).
I watched this video today and was completely moved!
Why am I moved by this???
In the last month,
our family has bought at least four new pairs of shoes
with no thought of someone else in need.
Truth is...
I saved the boxes to fill for a ministry project at our church
and didn't even follow through.
That's sad...
and I even had Scott throw them away last night.
Then I got up today and God spoke to me loud and clear...
From the words of my sweet friend Rebecca~
"I want our girls to serve, to give and to love on others. To teach them that, we must be intentional. Sometimes I catch myself spending lots of money at Target each week on needless things. Later, that same week, I'll have an opportunity to give. The sad thing? I'll hesitate thinking, "Money is tight. We just spent a gillion dollars in China." Ugh. The state of my heart can be so selfish. Do I really have money for trinkets, but not to serve, provide for and love on others? We must be intentional. For us and for our girls. Little eyes are watching. Little hearts are open for molding."
This was even MY status on FB today...
You and I are called to give back to God in gratitude, but also as a demonstration of our priorities. And, it is a demonstration of our faith in His promises. We give back to God as a demonstration of our priorities and as a demonstration of our faith in His promises. God says He will provide all that you need. He doesn't say He'll provide all that we greed, but all that we need. Mal 3:10 (RW)
I think, no I KNOW God has clearly spoken to me...
He has blessed us with amazing blessings
and it is our responsibility to teach them
to show God's love to everyone all the time!!!
Yes... I dug the boxes out of the trash can
and I can't WAIT to take the girls shopping
to fill our Christmas boxes!!!
Pick an age, and fill a shoe box with non-perishable, non-liquid
gifts. Enclose $7 for shipping. Maybe have your kids write a
note. Easy, right? And what a blessing to a child.
You can find drop-off locations here (during the week of 11/15-
22), or please feel free to bring it to us by December 1. We
will happily get it to a drop-off point.
2 Timothy 1:14 NIV
Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--
guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
We have done those boxes for years. I always thought about who would recieve the box, but this year, knowing we are going to adopt an orphan, it was different. I teared up as I walked through the store aisles. We did 2 boxes. A week later, I started making gallon sized ziplock bags for every kid in our girl's orphanage :) It's so exciting that I will be able to hand deliver the gifts, and see their faces. I have always wanted to see who gets my Christmas shoebox and this year, I will :)
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!
This is also one of our FAV-O-RITE holiday traditions. The explainations are a little harder now. Alaina is asking WHY some children don't have Christmas. She went on to ask why SHE never had Christmas (until last year). The questions become much harder to answer because she REMEMBERS not having Christmas... and she said, "well how come I never got a shoe box? I would have liked to get one of those."
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it's been a life dream of mine to travel with SP to distribute the boxes. Wonder if they are allowed to take any into China... Do you know?
Cupcakes, my friends daughter from Russia asked me the same thing. And also about hosting. "Why didnt anyone ever bring me here for the summer? Why didnt anyone bring ME a shoebox?" Broke my heart. But it did help her understand how much these kids will appreciate the small things in these boxes.
ReplyDeleteLove it! So, so glad that you posted this. If one more person makes a box, it was all worth it.
ReplyDeleteGod sometimes speals LOUDLY, doesn't he?
Love doing the boxes! That's great! Actually, WMU at our church is doing OCC. We're also going to be doing either backpacks for India or raising funds for Laura to provide bedding, etc. for that same orphanage she visited!
ReplyDeleteWe have done those boxes at our church and after the earthquake in Haiti, a former colleague and his wife collected shoes for the children there. Do you know how many shoes you can get for $5 or less at places like Wal-Mart? I filled a bag for them. This couple has been going to Haiti for 20 years as part of a Catholic mission to Mother Teresa's homes there so I loved that it could go through someone I knew and trusted to get them into the hands of those who could use them. Hopefully people will feel the same way about placing these boxes with you.
ReplyDeleteHow funny you would post this today! I wrote on my hand "Operation Christmas Child" so I would figure out where the drop off is and also so I can find out if I can volunteer!
ReplyDeleteWe've been doing this for years - and we did it in Australia too! I love this ministry!
God has spoken my friend!
We love OCC too! Thanks for the encouragement! I think we can skip some Starbucks and do without mcDonalds one night. I can't wait to take the kids out for this!
ReplyDeleteOur homeschool group packed shoeboxes tonight. We had 29 children, ages 3-21 pack boxes. It was a fun night. My children took part of their earning from their prize money from state fair entries and bought their own box stuff, it was so much more meaningful than me buying all the stuff. They put alot of thought and prayer into their gifts.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sharon for the reminder of the Shoe Boxes. We have also filled them in the past but have let it slide by in the last couple of years. It was made so real through the videos you shared and we will be filling boxes this year again !! Also, I will show the videos to my children to help them see that they are sooooo blessed !! That only a shoe box filled with a few goodies can change the life of a child !! Thanks again for opening my eyes !!
ReplyDelete