Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes–Now!
It’s here! It’s here! Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Collection Week is here! Read on and see what that means.
The Samaritan’s Purse website describes Operation Christmas Child this way— “The world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child, uses gift-filled shoeboxes to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Since 1993, the Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child, has collected and delivered more than 135 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 150 countries and territories. More than 500,000 volunteers worldwide, with more than 150,000 of those in the United States, are involved in collecting, shipping, and distributing shoebox gifts. Individuals, families, churches and groups fill empty shoeboxes with a ‘wow’ item—like a doll or soccer ball—and other fun toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and notes of encouragement.”
The women’s small group that I belong to has filled shoeboxes every November for a number of years. We pack them and take the packed boxes to the nearest Collection Center. But I was curious about what happened to the shoeboxes next.
So last December my husband, Charlie, and I drove six-and-a-half hours one way to Boone, North Carolina, to serve a four-hour volunteer shift at the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child Collection Center. That also meant we’d drive six-and-a-half-hours to get back home. Crazy? Crazy good! What a great experience! What blessings!
We arrived in town on Monday and spent Tuesday dinking around in Boone. It was a cold and rainy day so we didn’t dink much. Wednesday morning we arrived at the Center, figured out the right building and right entrance, and headed in. We got registered, received our nametags, and went through the orientation for first-time volunteers for this season.
Each team has the following assignments:
- The person who checks the shoeboxes and removes any money,
- The two people who check the shoeboxes and remove any items that shouldn’t be in the shoeboxes and put in items when there aren’t enough goodies in them,
- The person who tapes the shoeboxes closed,
- The person who scans the shoeboxes with barcodes and puts the shoeboxes into the shipping cartons, and
- The person who puts the shipping cartons onto the conveyor belt.
It takes the whole team to make it happen.
I like working as part of a team. I was one of the shoebox inspectors, and I loved opening the shoeboxes and seeing all the goodies and hopes they held. They also had some things that had to be removed, mostly liquids and some food items. We replaced them as best we could. Charlie was the scanner and shipping-carton filler for our team.
One of the best parts of the shift for me was when the leaders would call for our attention and ask us to stop our work. We’d stop to listen, and the leader would tell us a story about the shoeboxes when the kids received them. Then they’d tell us to place our hands on the shoeboxes in front of us, and they’d pray for the children who’d receive the shoeboxes. The first part of our shift the shoeboxes were headed for Colombia; the second part of the shift they were going to South Sudan. Both places face such huge problems. How awesome that the shoeboxes were heading there!
My favorite story from our shift was from the East Africa Regional Director. He spoke with a boy named Frankie before the kids received their shoeboxes. He asked Frankie what he hoped to find in his shoebox. Frankie said he wanted a blue shirt with buttons, just like the one the Director himself was wearing. The man knew that wasn’t likely because most of the shoeboxes don’t have such items. He told Frankie that he might get school supplies or toys. Then the Holy Spirit told him to “shut his mouth.” So he did. He told Frankie to be sure to let him know what was in his box. As he was ready to leave, he felt a tug on his sleeve; it was Frankie. Frankie showed him his box; he’d received a blue shirt with buttons.
The next part of that same story is that the Director’s brother is a pastor back in the States. When the man was there visiting, they introduced him to a woman the church calls “Mama Shoebox.” She fills shoeboxes and promotes the project to others. She’d been at Walmart and found ten blue shirts with buttons for $1.00 each. She bought all of them and put them in the shoeboxes she’d packed. The Lord is just simply amazing in what He can do!
Okay, that story made me cry. Such stories always do.
So what impact did our one four-hour shift have on me?
Obviously it had an emotional impact. Thinking about where those shoeboxes were headed and what impact they might have for eternity touched me deeply. Physically, I was beat. Four hours of standing on concrete with my neck bent over the shoeboxes wore me out. I was tired, and I hurt. I understood why we saw people coming in with rubber mats and stools. Spiritually, I realized that I was such a very small part of a huge outreach, but I had the blessing of being a part of it. It was a next step from packing a shoebox, and I loved getting to see more of the process.
For me, this opportunity to see the Body of Christ working to build the Kingdom meant so much. I am thankful to have been able to participate.
How can you participate? Fill a shoebox! Go to the website to learn how to pack a shoebox: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/.
Have fun—and be a small part of something huge!
Questions for you: Let me know if you have questions. Let me know if you pack a shoebox. Tell others about this great opportunity.