One of my passions—and the purpose of my blog—is to encourage fellow dream-chasers to reach their goals and take next steps on the journey.
But for today, I’m going to turn the tables and ask you to join me in making a dream come true for a needy child somewhere in the world. All it takes is something simple: a shoebox.
I’m talking about Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse (which was started by Franklin Graham, Evangelist Billy Graham’s son). Some of the children who receive the shoeboxes have never received a gift in their lives. They live in unimaginable poverty and are thrilled to receive little things we take for granted, like pencils, socks and toothbrushes. OCC sends gifts all around the world, especially to places where disasters have struck and people have lost what little they had.
I got choked up when I realized some of last year’s shoeboxes went to children who live in the city dump just outside Manila, in the Philippines. I’ve been there, and it is as horrible as you’d imagine. The experience changed me forever. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that “People LIVE here.” The stench was as bad as you’d imagine. We had to wait until the tide went out before we could even get there. And yet, we were surrounded by laughing children who enticed us to play with them. Families lived in cardboard boxes and tin-roofed shacks—and yet they invited us into their homes to share what little food they had.
These are the places Operation Christmas Child sends boxes.
Would you pack a box for a child? If you click on the image below, it will take you to the OCC website. National Collection week is November 14-21.
On the Operation Christmas Child website, you’ll find:
- Instructions on how to pack a box
- Suggested items to place inside
- Collection Centers to drop off your box
- How to track your box
Our family gets together every year for an OCC shopping and packing party. Last year, we printed online labels so we could track our shoe boxes. What fun to get an email that our shoeboxes went to children in Madagascar.
Thanks for taking the time to make a difference in the life of a child!
Recent Comments