Operation Christmas Child

For a few years I've been reading posts from one of my favorite "mommy bloggers" Amanda at OhAmanda post about Operation Christmas Child. And each year, I'm always like "Oh dang! Its too late now to participate!" Our church is hoping to pack and send 350 boxes this year, and I am super, SUPER excited to help! In fact, I've been storing away things from the clearance section, the $1 spot at Target, and back to school sales for about a month. Last week I decided to bust out all the stuff I bought and start packing them in boxes. I was amazed when I realized I have enough stuff to pack 5 boxes nearly full!

Source: Operation Christmas Child Facebook Page

But what I am more excited about than the great deals, is the lives that will be changed this year. Here are some of the sweet stories I've read from the Operation Christmas Child's Facebook page:

"A Collection Center Leader from Germany participated in a distribution trip to Poland. During one of the distributions, the team visited a family with two little girls in one of the villages. As both of the girls opened their gifts, the collection center leader recognized one of the boxes as one (of many) that she had packed herself. She was overcome with joy and tears at this miraculous act of God’s grace. She now has divine motivation to pack even more boxes for children in need."

"The child of a prominent witch doctor in a Tanzanian village received a gift at an Operation Christmas Child distribution. The witch doctor was touched that someone who did not know his family would send such a wonderful gift. He heard the gospel presentation at the distribution and was so moved, he decided to accept Christ as his own personal savior!" 

"As a 10-year-old boy living in an orphanage in Central Asia, Timur had no concept of unconditional love. He had been abandoned in the hospital after birth. Survival required him to be guarded and self-reliant. At age 13, Timur received the first gift he had ever been given—an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. Inside was a yo-yo, Tootsie Roll candy, school supplies, and a letter and photo from a boy in Texas. 'The shoebox reminded me of Jesus’ love for me, that He forgave me of my sins. It reminded me that I should forgive my parents for what they did to me,' said Timur. 'When I forgave them, God set me free from the bitterness.'"

Even posting these stories is making me cry. Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me" and he is chasing after them, through Operation Christmas Child. I'm so honored to pack boxes, pray for these kids, and show them the love of a God who has not forgotten about them. Will you join me? I'd love to have some other's jump on board with me! Next week I'll be sharing how to pack a box, what was in our 5 boxes, and how much we spent. You'll see how little is actually costs to change a child's life. It didn't break the bank, but it did take some planning. Collection week is in November, so you have a little over 2 months to pack. So who is with me?