Family Day at Operation Christmas Child

Today our family had a wonderful opportunity to visit the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center with some of our friends. We learned a lot about some of the kids who may receive the shoeboxes that we made. Here is our day in pictures....

We had a great group of eager kids!

 

 At the first station, we learned what it is like to live in an orphanage. In some orphanages kids often sleep three or four to one twin bed. On the way home, Nate talked about how glad he is that his bed is softer than the one in that orphanage. We also learned that in many orphanages around the world, there isn't enough food or clean water. Many times kids have to share everything--even a toothbrush! We were so glad that the kids who get our shoeboxes will have their own toothbrush, cup, and washcloth! 

 

 



 

 

At our next station, we experienced what school is like for many impoverished children around the world. Our kids sat on the floor and were given stubby pencils and torn pieces of used paper. At that station, we also met Livia Satterfield. Livia lived in a Romanian orphanage for 10 years. She told us about receiving a shoebox filled with wonderful things like a toothbrush and toothpaste and what she'd always wanted--hairclips! Livia was adopted by the lady who handed her the shoebox.

 

 

 

Livia Satterfield

 

 

 

Every shoebox that is distributed contains storybooks about the Good News of Jesus in their local language. Each child is also given the opportunity to go to a discipleship program called The Greatest Journey.  When they complete the program, there is a graduation ceremony and each child receives a special New Testament. Today, our kids listened to a lesson from the Greatest Journey and made graduation hats.

 

Each kid had the opportunity to inspect a shoebox to make sure it didn't have anything that wasn't allowed in it. Some of them took this job quite seriously!



 

 

 

Our experience this afternoon will provide us with many opportunities this week to talk about gratitude and caring for the impoverished people of the world. Statistics are staggering...163,000,000 children in our world have been orphaned. That's one hundred sixty-three million children who are just like Nate and Sarah except that they happened to be born into different circumstances. Children that God loves and has special plans for. Children that we are to speak up for and defend. I don't know what this will look like for me, for our family or for our church family, but to do nothing cannot be an option. We cannot say the need is too great that we don't know where to start. We earnestly must seek God's guidance and do what we can today--and pray that He will provide a way for us to do more tomorrow. There are millions of Nates and Sarahs who are depending on us.

 



 

 

 



Shoeboxes are a really, really, really (a bazillion times really) awesome!

I always have trouble coming up with a clever title for blog posts, so Nate titled this one for me. Our family and our friends, the Dellingers, have been busy preparing our OCC Go Boxes for the past few weeks. It has been such a fun time!

Packing a shoebox is really the best way for us to share Jesus's love with people around the world at this point in our lives. We hope that there will be opportunities for our families to actually go to the ends of the earth to share Jesus, but that isn't quite feasible yet. So, how's a mama to teach her kids to impact nations? Shoeboxes! Here's our shoebox journey....

We knew we needed some money to buy stuff to go in the shoeboxes so we had yard sale and bake sale. Nate, Sarah, Dyson, and Delaney went through their rooms and found lots of toys to sell. Then we made yummy homemade desserts to sell. The sale was a success! Rooms were cleaned out, money was raised, and we had a good time!

These kids are the fastest shoppers I have ever seen! It only took them twenty minutes to fill two buggies with marbles, dolls, balls, hairbows, matchbox cars, and all kinds of other toys.

Dyson was so sweet with Sarah!  :)

Sister swap! Nate and Delaney were on a mission.

 

 

 

We were so excited about all of our shoebox treasures that we didn't notice the 20 items or less sign. Oops!

 

 

 

With all our shopping finished, we set a date to get together and pack our boxes. We chose a Friday night and called it an Eat, Pack, and Pray Party. It was hard to tell who was more excited--the mamas or the kids.

 





Dyson and Nate typed a letter to all the boys and girls who would receive one of our boxes. It said,

 

Dear Friend,

           God loves you!      We hope you like your present.    Did you know if you believe in Christ you will go to Heaven?      Jesus died for your sins.                      

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

We are praying for you. Please write us back if you can.

                                         Love,

                                         Dyson & Delaney 

                                         Nate & Sarah

 

 

We had some supper, and then we started packing.

 

 

 

We were so glad that Mrs. Mischia came to help us pack boxes!

 

Delaney was such a trooper--she packed boxes for hours!

 

 

 

After the packing was finished, it was time to pray for the boys and girls who will receive our shoeboxes. It is so cool to know that our kids touched the items in these boxes last night and in a few months boys and girls across the world will treasure those same items.

 

 

 

 

All finished! All smiles!

 

 

I have been a little obsessed with shoeboxes lately. One of the things that I love about shoeboxes is this. Samaritan's Purse says that on average 9 people hear about Jesus's love as a result of one shoebox. That means that about 900 people will hear the good news of Jesus's love as a result of last night's packing party. There's nothing extraordinary about us. It is God who gave us this opportunity and we are so grateful. He blesses us not for us, but so that we might make Him known.

 

As we put the rubberbands around the last boxes, Dawn and I began to plan for next year's boxes. It was crazy chaotic at times, but it was so worth it to be able to work alongside our kids doing something that has lasting impact.

 

Me a blogger?

It is no secret that technology is not always my friend. That seems like a perfect reason to start a blog. After all, I don't want to be one of those parents who have to wait for their kids to come over to program the remote! Of course that isn't my real motivation for blogging...

A few weeks ago, our Sunday School class began studying a book called Radical by David Platt. As a result of that study, Rick and I have really been thinking a lot about what it means for our family to share the gospel to the ends of the earth. We haven't figured it all out yet, but we know that we can't wait until it gets more convenient to be obedient. That said, my real motivation for blogging is to chronicle the journey. I am hoping that it will be a way for us to look back and see God's faithfulness, because He will certainly be faithful even if we aren't.

The first opportunity God has given us to make His name known is making Operation Christmas Child Go Boxes. More on that later--my house is a wreck and this first post has taken me so much longer than it should have!