"Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples."
~1 Chronicles 16:24
I've been thinking about this post for several days, and I still can't do it. I can't find the words. The opportunity to once again partner with Samaritan's Purse and pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child is, indeed, humbling. I remember the very first shoebox I packed in 1994. I had absolutely no idea at the time the magnitude of the ministry that would eventually deliver shoebox gifts to over 143 million children in more than 100 countries. And to think that 23 years later I am packing shoeboxes with my own children!
I can tell you that shoebox shopping day is always a big deal for us. The kids so carefully and so thoughtfully pick out gifts to include in their shoeboxes.
Packing day is another big day at our house. We spread everything out on the dining room table and organize it by child so each one has a special place at the table to pack their boxes. I think this is one of the children's favorite days of the year. It's not just something we do each November. It's something we talk about throughout the entire year. There are SO MANY reasons I LOVE this ministry, and one of the main reasons is because it's such an easy way for my children to get involved in a missions' project. It's so relatable to them because they, too, love receiving gifts. I've used these boxes to try to help them understand that there are so many kids just like them who have NEVER received a gift of any kind before.
But it's not just about the items in the boxes . . . the toys and school supplies and hygiene items and craft projects. It's so much bigger! These shoeboxes are a tangible way to share the love of Jesus with others.
Mason told me this year as he was packing his box that he wished he knew the boys who were going to receive his boxes. I just can't even imagine what it would be like to hand this box to one of those boys . . . a boy just like Mason . . . but living in a war-torn country, perhaps . . . impoverished . . . living in a spiritually darkened place . . .
Sometimes I think these gifts are just so small, so seemingly insignificant compared to the gifts under the tree for my own children . . . and, yet, these simple boxes are bringing so much hope and love to the "least of these."
I've heard the testimonies and watched shoebox recipient videos each year. Oh, the joy! But sometimes I think there's got to be even greater joy in the packing of these boxes!
Just when I think it can't possibly get any better, it does! Several weeks ago, our church had the honor of hosting a shoebox recipient from the Dominican Republic. Anabel is now married and lives in the states, but she received a shoebox as a child. She shared her testimony with us, and it nearly brought me to tears.
Of all the things in her box, can you guess what meant the most to her? She loved her toothbrush. Her toothbrush! I mean, I have a jumbo pack of toothbrushes that I purchased from Costco in my drawer right now. But you know what else? The family who packed her box included a simple, handwritten note telling her that Jesus loves her. All these years later, she still treasures that note, and she brought it with her to show us. That note . . . that truth of the Savior's love for her . . . sustained her through the loss of her parents in an automobile accident a few years later . . . and many times since!
We've always tried to include a note or picture of some sort in our boxes, but in years past, the kids weren't excited about writing their notes. I don't think it meant much to them. But this year? They very willingly and very carefully spent time picking out their stationary and paper and pens. We didn't talk about this specifically, but it didn't hit me until later why writing these little notes was such a big deal to them this year. They, too, heard Anabel's testimony. They were listening.
Oh, and something we added to our shoeboxes for the first time this year? Toothbrush holders!
We had another packing party at church this year. Nearly 270 boxes were packed! After they were packed, we brought them into the sanctuary and placed them on all of the pews. The next Sunday morning, each box was picked up and brought to the altar. This gave those who didn't pack a shoebox or attend the packing party an opportunity to touch a box . . . a box that will bring joy and happiness and the Good News of salvation to a child all the way across the world . . . and be involved in the ministry of Operation Christmas Child, too.
After all the boxes were placed on the pews, I stopped and stood for a minute at the back of the sanctuary just looking out over all those boxes . . . again, I just can't put words to it. I'm just so humbled, so grateful that the Lord has given us this opportunity to be His hands and feet to children so far away and yet so dear to our hearts.
Ellie woke up the morning of the party with a sore throat and low-grade fever so she stayed home with Daddy. That's why you don't see her in these pictures.
And, please note, Mason is not (YET) taller than me. He's on his tippy toes, and I'm bending down a bit!
And, just for fun, here's a look at shoeboxes past . . .
This was 2009. Hannah Kate was about to celebrate her second birthday, and Mason was four years old.
In 2010, we had moved back to Louisiana, and I hosted the first OCC packing party at church. There are so many things I love about this picture. I mean, it's the perfect representation of my Mason (mouth wide open on the front row!) and sweet little Hannah Kate with her hands folded underneath her chin. All of those precious girls on the back row graduated high school this year! There's just something about children serving others, even through as simple a gesture as a shoebox gift, that melts my heart.
We were back at it in 2011.
We packed shoeboxes in 2012, but I was apparently too preoccupied with my newborn to capture a lot of memories after Ellie was born that summer. So I have a shortage of shoebox pictures, but I did find this one of Hannah Kate working on her boxes. Ellie is in the stroller behind her. I don't even know where Mason was!
In 2013, Ellie joined in on the shoebox fun. Looking at all of those beautifully and carefully wrapped boxes makes me smile. Shoeboxes are hard to wrap, y'all! But I'm a sucker for brightly colored paper, and with each boxed we wrapped, I'd think about the child who would be receiving the box and the smile that must've lit up that face when he or she was handed a cheerily wrapped box.
It was also this year that we began using the online labels to track our boxes. They were gifted to children in Honduras and Peru.
In 2014 we had another packing party at church, complete with face painting. Our boxes were gifted to children in the African countries of Ghana and Togo this year.
In 2015 we moved on to the boxes provided by Operation Christmas Child. It's amazing just how much you can pack into these little boxes! I'm convinced the Lord just multiplies the room . . . He always does that you know . . . He can take a little and turn it into an abundance! This year our boxes were gifted to children in the Philippines and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
I really enjoyed our packing party at church this particular year. One of the dreams I'd always had was somehow helping the kids connect to the countries in which our boxes were being sent. Because our boxes were sent to Ghana and Togo the previous year, I researched the economy, education and foods of those countries.
I prepared several Ghanian dishes for the kids to taste and brought my in-laws' collection of hand-made African treasures from their mission trip to Africa years ago. It was such a sweet time, and I thought the kids did a great job trying the different foods.
In 2016 our shoeboxes were gifted to children in the Philippines and Chad.
I can hardly wait to find out where our boxes go this year! And I've already got big plans for us next year . . .
