“Mommy, do you know what I want for Christmas?” Lydia asked me the other day.
“What, baby?” Surprised that she’s thought this far in advance.
“I want one of those dolls that move and make noise and you have to take care of them. Can you get me that, pleeeeeease?
If there was one toy that I would NOT buy for my daughter, it would be the talking/moving/crying/peeing doll. I try not to even walk down that aisle at Target because when you do, they all wake up and start crying for you! *shudder*
The thing is, I could get it for her. And you know what? She probably will get it. (GAH. But not from me, that’s for sure!) And she’ll get 50 more toys. And clothes. And DVDs. And candy. And make up. And games. And and and and…
I so want to protect my kids from that GIMME syndrome that is common in our country. And it’s hard because we are rich. We can afford to give our kids good stuff. Even in this economy we are wealthy compared to the rest of the world!
One way I try to combat this is by sponsoring kids through Compassion. I can’t tell you how awesome this is. The kids we sponsor, Alizeta and David are big parts of our family. We talk about them all the time. We write to them, color pictures for them and pray for them. The other day as Lydia was dividing up some change into her banks she said, “Mommy, I want to give some to Alizeta and David.” I think it ended up being $.84 but I am totally going to send it to them! (Not to mention, in Burkina Faso, where they live most working men make $1/day!)
I want compassion and generosity to be a way of life for my children. I want them to recognize that their time and money are not their own–that they are merely managers given authority to help and serve others!
Anyway, all that verboseness is to let you know something Lydia and I will be doing this year (uh, this next week really!) to help open Lydia’s heart and eyes but also to help another little girl–a little girl we don’t even know! We are finally jumping in with Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child! I’m sure you’ve heard of this before…where you pack a shoebox full of gifts to send to a needy kid in another country? Here’s some fun info about it:
Don’t you just love that?! I cannot wait to get involved. This will be my first time actually packing a box by myself!
Sarah at Real Life blog is hosting a Operation Christmas Child carnival and contest between now and November 7. She’s asking bloggers to post about Operation Christmas Child on their blogs and to spread the word to as many people as possible. Then we’re having a wrapping party on her MomTV show! Yay!
So, Lydia and I will be making a box for a little girl her age. And we’ll make one for a little boy, too. I’m sure Asa will love to drool all over it. I’m excited that this will be our FIRST activity in the holiday season. I want it to set the tone for our family and our Christmas.
Please go over to Sarah’s blog and read more about Bloggers Care: Operation Christmas Child. She even visited the OCC distribution headquarters in her hometown—she’s got a great video with tips to stocking and wrapping your shoebox. Not to mention, if you post on your blog you are entered to win some Veggie Tales DVDs…and who doesn’t love a talking vegetable?!
I encourage YOU and your family to pack a box for Operation Christmas Child. Just one box. Just a few toys. It will be so significant for a needy child. A child you’ll never meet. A child Jesus knows and loves.
Please leave a comment and let us know if you are planning on wrapping a shoebox OR if you’ve ever done it before! We’d love to hear about it!
Leigh says
fabulous! great post! It’s so hard to combat the gimme’s – ARGH! but this is a wonderful way…
Brandi says
i’ve participated in this before and it was great! i think i may have put some flip-flops in there that i found on sale at the end of the season.. some candy.. some crayons and a little activity pad. it’s fun to shop for ‘small’ stuff to fit inside and see how much you can pack in there!
Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect says
Awesome. I’m doing this, too! 🙂
.-= Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect´s last blog ..Don’t forget! =-.
MamaHall says
We did our first Operation Christmas Child box last year and we will CERTAINLY be doing it again this year. It was such a blessing – and an eye-opener- for my 4yo to pick out gifts for another child who has nothing. Thanks for the reminder…I’m going to post about it too.
.-= MamaHall´s last blog ..Ten on Tuesday: Peek in my purse =-.
Karen says
OH. MY. GOSH! THIS. IS. AWESOME!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE OCC! LOVE! It has changed my life. I filled my first box in 1998. In 1999, I was a reporter and got to help deliver boxes with Samaritan’s Purse in Kosovo. Wrote a story about it when I got back. From there, I started volunteering in my area (in Tennessee at the time). Then I went to work for SP in Boone, NC. I eventually ended up working for OCC (part of SP) here in Atlanta. I have filled boxes every year along the way, and our play room is currently a mess of shoe boxes, wrapping paper and OCC goodies I collect year round. I could go on and on and on, but I will spare you. I will definitely be participating in this! Thanks for the info!
.-= Karen ´s last blog ..Halloween Craft: Footprint Ghosts =-.
Real Life Sarah says
Amanda, that is what I love so much about you! You incorporate the Gospel into your very lives, so it’s not just something your family talks about, but does! Thanks for so much support for the Bloggers Care project, and I am so blessed to call you friend!
.-= Real Life Sarah´s last blog ..In Which I Was Abducted by Mannequins! =-.