I’m home from New York! And oh, what an amazing experience it was! I gave the full rundown on my personal blog if you wanna see me in a shoebox costume a few dozen times.
me & my roomie, Jessica from Muthering Heights. photo by Jessica.
Operation Christmas Child did an amazing job of planning this Shoebox Blitz. There were over 100 volunteers canvasing New York City–not with fliers and door-pounding, but with fun buzz! We were screaming at the Today Show, there were shoebox break-dancers in Times Square and shoeboxes posing with all of New York’s famous sites! It was so incredibly fun! {Make sure you check out Shoebox Blitz to see every single bit of what we did!}
Jenny from Southern Savers packing boxes. photo by me.
The day ended with a giant packing party at Madison Square Garden! We packed over 4200 shoeboxes that night! And as I watched all the people race through the room filling boxes (it kind of felt like a race!), I got tears in my eyes thinking about all the kids these boxes represented.
photo by me
A shoebox full of dollar store items might not seem like a big deal to us. It might feel like there are more important things to do or better places to put our money. But these boxes are more than just a Christmas present. They are conduits of God’s love.
me & livia. via my phone.
I really learned this when I met Livia Satterfield during our wait at the Today Show. She’s a 24 year old Romanian woman who received a shoebox as a child. I got tears in my eyes when she told me the 2 minute abbreviation of her story. Later, at the Packing Party, Clair from Mummy Deals interviewed her and I want to share that interview with you today:
The other awesome part of her story is, of course, that she was adopted because of that shoebox! But I heard a little more of her story than what was in the video and she said she got to go back to Romania and found her biological mother and brother and share God’s love with them. WOW. Look what God can do with a little obedience. The people that packed the box had no idea those clips would change a little girl’s life. Connie, the lady who handed out the boxes on that missions trip had no idea she’d come home with a daughter. But look what God does!
I love how He uses the small and little things to do BIG things in our lives and in the lives of others. National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child begins tomorrow. I encourage you to pull your kids around the computer and show them some videos on Samaritan’s Purse YouTube page (maybe start off with the Dancing Shoeboxes, just for fun!) Talk about how these boxes aren’t just little gifts, but BIG presents in the life of a needy child. And when you’ve finished packing your boxes, pray over them. Lay your hands right on those shoeboxes and pray that God will use the small gifts to do big things.
These are the small activities you and your children can do together that will cement God’s love in their hearts. This is the kind of activity that will tether their little hearts and minds to the things of God. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make a real and incredible difference this Christmas!
Resources for you:
How To Pack a Box from Samaritan’s Purse
Pack a Shoebox on a Budget from Mummy Deals
Clip with Purpose Jessica, one of the bloggers on this trip, writes this blog to help you pack boxes with sales year round!
Deals for Donating from Southern Savers
I am a member of the 2011 Operation Christmas Child Blogger Panel and write about the ministry on a volunteer basis. All posts are my own thoughts and do not necessarily reflect the views of Samaritan’s Purse. As part of the blogger panel, Operation Christmas child covered my expenses to participate in trip to New York for a social media campaign. I am not an employee, agent, or contractor of Samaritan’s Purse.
I LOVE this. Thank you for sharing. About a month ago our small church family handed out the OCC boxes and my kids brought home 4 – for 2 girls & 2 boys. They wanted to put in some of their own stuff. After the initial flurry, I weeded some of it out and put them up on the shelf. A week ago, they participated in a fun run and part of the “prize pack” was new toothbrushes and toothpaste – they wanted to add them to the boxes. On Sat. we went to Walmart to finish getting the stuff for the boxes. It was a blessed time for all of us and we were all excited to deliver them to church so they can be sent out. The funny thing is, last night a friend brought us dinner AND new toothbrushes and toothpaste for everyone. (9 in our family) God returns everything with interest. He is so good! Next year, we’ll plan ahead so we can pack even more.