It’s
just a simple box…that at one time held a pair of shoes. However, someone has taken time and money and
put a lot of love into this simple shoebox.
Filled with candy, dolls, stuffed animals, crayons, coloring books, hand-made
hats, scarves, and so much more…as you see each box, you become overwhelmed at
the love that has been given.
I just
got back with a group from my church from the Operation Christmas Child
Processing Center in Boone, NC. This was
about my third or fourth time to do this...and I had a blast! The purpose of the processing center is to
look through the box to 1) take out the $7 donation for Samaritan’s Purse to
process and 2) make sure that there isn’t anything inappropriate or dangerous in
the boxes. Now inappropriate doesn’t always
mean that it’s something unsuitable for children, it just means that certain items
(liquids, aerosol cans, shampoos) can’t be shipped overseas out of fear that
the box will be ruined or destroyed if these items leaked/exploded. Once these boxes have been looked over, they
are securely taped, placed in appropriate boxes (as it pertains to gender &
age group) and then they are sent off!
My
job was to look through shoeboxes for inappropriate items. Over the course of 5 hours I found lots of
liquids, food (cookies/chips), chocolate, fake money, and even some war-related
items (GI-Joe’s). Although it was
difficult to take these out because I knew people had put it in there for a
special child, I knew that it was important that these items come out so that
the box & child could be safe. The
war-related items and money could be detrimental to a child who lived in a
war-torn country. It was so sweet to see
some of the items that people put in a box.
You could tell that people had definitely put lots of thought into their
shoebox. From cards and letters to
handmade items to sweet stuffed animals to special-designed boxes, my heart was
so happy to know that I was the last person to touch these items before a child
received them.
Some
of the boxes we processed hardly had anything in them. Initially you think, “How could someone send
this off when there is hardly anything in there?” Then I got to thinking…these items might have
been all that person could afford or all they had to put in their box of love. That thought kind of humbles you because you
realize that how these people, who may not have very much themselves, want to help
create smiles on the faces of children around the world, too.
The
shoeboxes we processed on this day were going to Sudan. Knowing how tumultuous life is in that
country made me even more excited that I was getting to be a part of changing the life of children living in that country.
One of my favorite parts of the experience was getting to pray over the
boxes. The processing center stops every
so often to encourage the volunteers and pray over the shoeboxes. As you prayed, the processing center managers
encouraged you to reach out and touch a shoebox or big carton. I’ll tell you, I had tears in my each time we
prayed for these boxes.
Don’t
take this mission opportunity for granted each year. Your special act results in changing the life
of a child halfway around the world. When
the children receive this box, they not only get all the gifts in the box, but
they also get a copy of the gospel message written in their language. How important it is for you to do this
mission project each year! Your act of
love results in children hearing the greatest act of love that anyone has ever
given. I can’t imagine a better
Christmas present than that!
 |
| Child in Sudan receiving a shoebox & gospel message |
John 13:35
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