Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Packing Party

If there's one thing I love more than anything else, it's probably doing service projects like this. Since my girls aren't always as enthusiastic as I am (especially around Christmastime, when there are a huge number of service options available for kids their age), it's especially fun when I can plan a service event with a big group of people so at least I'm not working alone.

Probably since this was right on the heels of several other service projects, my girls weren't all that excited to participate. Since we volunteer so often now, I don't make them help when we go. They help when they want, and hang-out when they don't, and either way is ok with me.

Packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child is something we've been doing as a family since the girls were babies. We'd buy 6 plastic tubs and each person would fill their own. Then we'd drive down to the local collection site and pray for each one before walking it inside and handing it off. Last year, for some reason, we missed packing shoeboxes entirely, so I was even more excited to do this packing party this year.

Our shoebox packing pictures from 2008

 

This one was organized for our American Heritage Girls troop, and I was glad to see the big turnout. I made a sign-up sheet and had it available at the last several meetings, asking families to bring 10-20 of a specific item (toothbrushes, combs, soap, pencils, etc), along with anything else they'd like to bring for the shoeboxes. I had quite a collection at my house of stuffed animals and small toys, as well as some clothing and shoes from the show's donated items, so that provided something fun for the kids to put in the boxes along with the practical items.

I wasn't sure how the evening was going to go, but I knew that I really wanted to get across to the girls what they were doing and why it was so important, so I showed them this video:

A Boy's Life Changed

We talked about how each box represented a child, a life, that they could make a lasting impression on forever. Not just the items in the box, but the knowledge that someone loved them, cared about them, and they were special.

After some last minute instructions, we took some time to pray for the kids we were packing for, and then I gave them some quiet time to think about who they were packing for and what they should put in the box for them.

And then, the packing began. Not in a frenzy as I had expected, but deliberately and thoughtfully. They slowly sifted through the items on the tables, looking for just the right things to put in their boxes.

A few of them gathered items from the table and then took them off to a corner to pack them in their box. A couple had to get very creative to fit all of the goodies in.

Most girls spent the entire time packing one special box, but a few went back to pack a second one. When they were done packing their boxes, we had given them instructions to head to the back table to pick up a letter, photo, and envelope to place inside. We had the letter Samaritan's Purse provides online, with places to fill in your favorite color, food, and why you love Jesus in the blanks. Many girls took the time to write little notes to the children before placing the letter inside. I had also made an abbreviated letter for the littler ones who weren't strong readers, or the kids who wanted simpler fill-ins. The photo was one I had taken at the last meeting of all of the girls together. I was hoping they'd take the time to circle themselves so the child who receives the shoebox can see the face of the child who packed it for them. The envelope was one that was addressed here to my house. I'm hoping we may hear back from a couple of the kids, so our girls can hear directly from the children who received the boxes.

After they put the papers inside, it was time to head up front and pray for their box. Our troop Shepherd volunteered to stay there and pray with the girls if they wanted, but many chose to pray over their boxes alone. It was such a sweet time to see them really think about that child and pray that they would know the love of Christ.

No one was counting or watching the boxes pile up. Everyone was thinking only about the box they were packing, which was such a wonderful thing. We were all surprised when we stacked them up at the end of the night and found that we had packed 52 boxes.

I'm so proud of these girls, and I hope we'll all continue thinking about and praying for the children who will be receiving these boxes soon.

(Actual Date: November 19)