After weeks of planning, organizing, packing and labeling, today I’ll be taking the 22 OCC boxes collected by our church to a drop off location nearby. Twenty-two! Our church is very small and this was our first time to do this so I’m really pleased with the way people responded and showed their generosity. I’ve mentioned how much I love our little church family, and this is one of the reasons why – that they are open to what God puts on one family member’s heart and that they respond to it. I’ve seen it happen several times. It’s wonderful to see God work through us that way.
My question this morning is, what has God put on YOUR heart? If He has moved you at all to get involved with Operation Christmas Child, this is the week, and the week is only half over. There is still time to pack a box and find a drop off location nearby. If there isn’t a drop off location nearby, you can mail it in. And if you choose, you can even purchase and build a shoebox ONLINE!
Operation Christmas Child, through Samaritan’s Purse, takes these donations all over the world, sharing not only the gift boxes but also the gift of Jesus.
Did you know:
- You can track your shoebox if you donate online instead of sending a check?
- There are drop off locations all over the nation, find one near you.
- Samaritan’s Purse does so much more than just the OCC boxes – in fact Samaritan’s Purse is in the northeast right now responding to the needs in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
This is such a simple and easy way to make a difference. And it DOES make a difference. If you follow OCC on Facebook then you’ve been blessed to read the stories of how God has used this ministry to touch the lives of children all over the world. Let me share a few of my favorite stories, the ones I tell again and again in testimony that God really does get the right boxes to the right kids.
- Read about the paralyzed boy who declared “Now I know God sent this especially for me.”
- Read about the orphan girl who was adopted by an American Family and recognized the OCC boxes in a promotional video.
- Read about the girl who really needed white socks, and got them.
- Read about boy and girl who traded boxes and God met an unusual need.
- Possibly my favorite, read about the boy who just wanted a hot wheel car…
- Or maybe this is my favorite, read about the boy in the cancer ward with the amputated leg..
Every time I read these they bring tears to my eyes. We don’t know where our shoe box will go, it could go anywhere in the world! But I know that if we trust the spirit to lead us as we pack the shoe boxes, whether we feel led to include scarves or flip flips, and umbrella or a backpack.. if we listen to God’s leading and trust Him to take care of the rest, I KNOW that God will get the right boxes to the right kids.
So again, my question today is “What is God putting on YOUR heart?” If you feel led to pack a shoe box, you still can. Actually, OCC accepts donations all year round! There have been times that I felt pretty certain we were mailing our boxes in too late for that particular Christmas holiday, but I knew that whenever and wherever that box was delivered, God would use it for His glory!
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Writing about your Operation Christmas Child Boxes? Link up your post below. Note: All the linkups on all my OCC posts use the same code, it’s the same list. You only have to add one post on one post, you don’t have to go back to the old posts. You can link up as many OCC posts as you write! And if you Tweet, remember to use the hashtag #OCCboxes! Thanks!
Official wordage: As a member of iHomeschool Network’s Samaritan’s Purse Blogger Team, I 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. I am not an employee, agent, or contractor of Samaritan’s Purse.
