Author | Sammi Rowell |
(Photo credits to CLI Church)
I’m sure that many of you have packed a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child---or maybe you packed even more than one, I know I have. It makes you feel good all over and warm on the inside because you feel like you are actually playing an important role in God’s plan (excuse the song reference). You feel like in a world so big with so many people in it, that maybe, just maybe, you’re actually making a difference. And you are. You are touching the heart of a child and forever changing the course of their life. You are doing your duty as a Christian and sharing the good news with all the world. Even if you yourself are unable to go out that far in the world, your shoebox will. Along with it, hope, joy, compassion from a stranger, and most importantly: hope. You are giving that child, teenager, or even toddler, hope. You probably didn’t think that hard about it last time you stuffed boxes with your Youth Group or friends, did you? Maybe you did, and if you did, I hope it makes you proud of yourself and inspires you to do more good in God’s name. For those of you who have never truly thought about the depth of the impact you are making, or if you actually have, I wanted to share some impact stories from the Operation Christmas Children who received boxes of their own.
The first story I would like to share with you is the story of Alina, who is now an adult. However, when she received her shoebox, she was a five year old and living in a Central Asian country: “My family and I had what we needed, but gifts were a luxury we didn’t always get. So when I received a shoebox gift, I stood there baffled and confused. It seemed impossible for someone overseas, for someone I didn’t know, to send me a gift for Christmas. I carefully undid the tape and unwrapped it...What caught my eye were a pair of plastic princess shoes. Those shoes were like nothing I had ever seen. They were pink, and I loved the color pink. I got so excited when I put on those shoes. They were too big, but I still wore them. I tried to wear them as much as I could. I showed them to everyone. Before I received the shoebox, I was really discouraged because of the way I was treated for my faith in Jesus. A lot of my teachers lowered my grades for no other reason than they didn’t like me. One time, my teacher grabbed my sweater and pushed me against the wall, demanding, “Where is your Jesus now?” I remember that so vividly. At that moment I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where is He? Why is He allowing this to happen?” It felt like God was very distant, very far away from me. The shoebox was a representation of His love to a five-year-old girl. I no longer felt like Jesus had abandoned me. The box was an act of kindness that represented hope, comfort, and the fact that God is watching over me. My perception of God changed. He became a personal Father to me.” -Alina, 2016
Another impactful story, as told by shoebox receiver Vladimir, is centered around a gift of dental floss: “When I was nine years old, we learned about a special event for low-income families. I’ll never forget riding the bus and the tram to this occasion. It was a harsh winter and I didn’t have warm clothes, but I didn’t feel cold at all—---only excited. As I sat looking outside the window, it was as though time stopped. When we arrived we found a lot of welcoming American smiles. They served us snacks, sang songs, and showed us a cartoon sharing the Gospel. At the end of this, they opened big boxes that contained our Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. I had never received a gift before. As my siblings and I opened our shoebox gifts, I was so excited to look at the brightly colored packages and toys—including a yo-yo! I thought this was so cool because it was bigger than the yo-yos that were popular in the Ukraine. The school supplies inside my shoebox also made me feel special because my family couldn’t afford them. For once, I had something that others in my class did not have. My favorite thing in the box, though, was dental floss. I didn’t know what it was so I licked it, thinking it was candy. Then I learned it was for brushing your teeth, so I rubbed the floss along the outside of my teeth. I thought Americans were interesting people if they brushed their teeth with a string, but decided that since they have beautiful smiles, it must work for them.....My shoebox gift gave me an example of unconditional love. No strings were attached. Bribery was commonplace in the Ukraine, so a gift was rarely a gift—---something was always expected in return. Most people looked out only for themselves, but the shoebox gifts gave us hope that people can be loving and generous. Receiving something as a free gift was new to me, and helped me better understand God’s free gift of salvation. Today, I work for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte as a web designer. I enjoy packing shoeboxes together with my wife and two boys. My favorite thing to include is a soccer ball, because it is often shared by the entire neighborhood. Playing soccer helped me avoid some of the common traps for youth in my culture, like drugs and alcohol. I pray that the Operation Christmas Child gifts we send will bless each child and help them see God’s unconditional love—---just as my shoebox blessed me.” -Vladimir, 2017
I hope this article will encourage you to start, or continue volunteering with OCC. Isn’t it funny what a big impact you can have on someone’s life and never even realize it? Even the simplest things like a case of dental floss or pink princess shoes can change someone’s life, literally. Franklin Graham once said: “I want every child to know that there is a God who loves them.” I know God feels the same way and I think we all should feel as passionate about it as He does. Operation is such a great way for us to show God’s love, as you can see from the stories, it gives the children a message of how God really is. Unconditional, free love, with no strings attached. I feel we should all strive to show that, as best as we humans can; to show others the never-ending love of God. As it is said in Mark 10:45a, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve....”
If you are interested in Operation Christmas Child, I would encourage you to volunteer through your Youth Group, our school, or even go with a group of friends.
If you would like to read more “shoebox stories”, you can find them at: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/ or by searching #shoeboxstories. Thanks for your support!
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”
-Mark 16:15 (NKJV)
Citations
Nelson, Thomas. “BibleGateway.” Acts 3:9-10 NIV - - Bible Gateway, Bible Gateway Blog, 1982, www.biblegateway.com/passage/? search=Mark%2B16%3A15%2CLuke%2B14%3A23%2C
atthew%2B28% A19-20%2CActs%2B1%3A7-8%2CMark%2B16%3A15-16&version=NKJV.
Levet, Shawna. “12 Verses to Prepare for Your Missions Trip.” Faith Ventures, Fly For
“Samaritan's Purse Home Page.” Edited by Samaritan's Purse International Relief ,
Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Graham, 2018, www.samaritanspurse.org/