SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS AROUND THE WORLD (One Child at a Time)
By Vicki Marsh
groups. I have packed boxes for Opera- tion Christmas Child for many years. Operation Christmas Child (OCC) be- gan in 1993 when Franklin Graham was asked if he could provide a Christmas gift for each child in a village served by a mis- sionary friend of his. After an overwhelm- ing response, OCC was “born.” I became involved when my church in Gastonia began participating, and I took my grand- daughters with me to buy what we want- ed to put in the boxes. It became a tradi- tion for several years. As they got older, I continued to pack three boxes (since I had three granddaughters) and enjoyed think- ing about how a child would enjoy receiv- ing each box. When my great-grandson was born, I began to pack a fourth box, this one for a young boy. Since moving to Greenville, I have become more involved with the project at my church. A group of us visited the Boone distribution center, some have volunteered at the Charlotte distribution center, and this morning I was in a group
I
usually write about issues, concerns, or events in Women’s Ministries, the ARP denomination, or local circle
with a lady who is a regional volunteer with OCC. She had some great ideas, and not everything is expensive. We made teddy bears out of washcloths and rubber bands, saw how to make a jump rope out of old T-shirts (Pinterest or Google), and made journals from leftover scrapbook paper and regular copy paper. She also gave us more ideas for increasing partici- pation at our church. We have some very talented ladies at
our church, and one of them used leftover baby dolls that we found at Dollar Tree. Another found out how to make a mini sewing kit (for 10 to 14 year old girls) from medicine bottles, felt, needles, and small spools of thread.
What should go in a shoebox? I be- lieve that all children need basic items: a toothbrush, hairbrush and/or comb, and washcloth. I try to provide a T-shirt and a pair or two of socks, pencils, erasers,
glue sticks, crayons (24-pack Crayolas are great), safety scissors, a coloring book or spiral notebook or drawing pad, and some fun items such as a soccer ball and pump, water bottle, stuffed animal, or squishy. Use your experience with children of the age you are buying for. There are six categories: girls ages 2–4, boys ages 2–4, girls ages 5–9, boys ages 5–9, girls ages 10–14, and boys ages 10–14. Calculators, mini sewing kits, jewelry-making kits and mini tool kits are all good ideas for older children while baby dolls, Matchbox cars, and balls of any kind are good for young- er children. Jump ropes and drawstring backpacks are good for all ages. Why is this such an important min-
istry? A child receives a box only once. Along with the box, the child receives a pamphlet called “The Greatest Journey.” Children are also invited to a 12-week program with a trained teacher, where they learn about the GOOD NEWS that we have been told to spread throughout the world. Think of the domino effect: a child learns about and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, then keeps telling family members, neighbors, and others, and the Word spreads. The shoebox also shows each child that somewhere in the world, someone cared enough to pack a box of gifts for him or her. If your church does not participate in Operation Christmas Child, contact Samaritan’s Purse, and they can tell you where the nearest drop- off location is. Let’s pack a box and spread the Word!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
