For the past couple of years we have tried to volunteer with Samaritan's Purse (Operation Christmas Child). This is the organization which provides shoe boxes full of trinkets, toys and hygiene items to children all over the world. This box may be the only gift a child receives in his or her lifetime. In case you are not familiar with Operation Christmas Child...churches and other organizations pass out boxes in early fall which people then take home and fill up with toys, candy, clothes, toothbrushes, etc. They then bring them back to church and Samaritan's Purse picks them up and delivers them to the numerous distributions centers across the country...one being in Charlotte. Volunteer registration beings in August and usually fills up by September...it is incredible!
We were lucky enough to get 10 spots for December 6th and went with our Life Group. We had an amazing time! Its hard not to be touched by what you are doing and where your boxes are going and thinking about the child that will open that box. They place groups of 12 at stations in a huge warehouse...a couple people pre-sort (take out donations and any money as children are often killed for American money), a couple people sort (take out any liquids, camo/war related items, chocolate, etc), a couple people add items to boxes which were either not full enough or had items taken out of it, a few people tape up the boxes and the rest "cartonize" or pack large boxes as full as possible to make the trip by plane, boat, truck and even camel!!
Every night they stop about mid-way through each four hour volunteer shift and pray. We pray for the children and their families receiving the boxes and for the plan God has already put in place for the boxes. They ask everyone to lay hands on boxes near them. It is such a powerful thing! We also find out where our boxes are going...which in our case was India. It is also a wonderful opportunity for our Life Group to have fellowship and bond with each other while serving our community and world.
- T -
Ephesians 6:7
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men
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