Taste{full} Tips: Give Back → Operation Christmas Child
4:46 PM
Operation Christmas Child is an incredibly practical outreach that allows local churches to bless kids in war torn communities. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is "to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ."
It's one thing to SAY "God loves you" to a kid; it's a different story entirely to show them God's love through toys and basic necessities that we may take for granted. While a $150 iPod might be only one of many Christmas gifts to the average kid you may know, these kids often have nothing. To fill a shoebox with toys and necessities can make a world of difference this Christmas.
One thing I often cringe at is commercials that are intended to guilt us into giving. We don't have to feel guilty for being blessed with spiritual or material wealth. However I believe we do have a responsibility to share that blessing with others. The great part is giving FEELS GOOD! There are some schools of thought that it's 'bad' to give to feel good (I hope that sentence makes sense!). But I don't agree. I think it's okay, actually more than okay, I think it's right to feel good about making a kid smile, helping the helpless, or defending the defenseless. We do what makes us feel good. And I just had an absolute blast buying random girly presents for a total stranger. I imagined her eyes lighting up as she put on her sparkly barrettes. I imagined her sharing a game of travel checkers with her best friend. It felt really good! And I can't wait to do it again next year.
So go grab a shoebox and fill it with goodies! I spent less than $30 on tons of fun stuff I would have loved getting when I was a little girl. $30 isn't going to break me, but it is going to make a kid's day. It's really easy and although the collection week ended today (I'm a terrible procrastinator!), you can mail your shoe box year round to a central location. Check out this link for more details such as what to include in a box, how to donate cash rather than sending a box, and where to mail your box. See the video below to see the look on the kids' faces when they open their shoe boxes and the impact its made to the community. Now that is priceless.
2 comments
this was such a fun mother-daughter shopping trip for Lily and I. She picked out tons of things she thought a little girl her age would like. I had fun watching how excited it made her to share christmas with a stranger.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome...and a great lesson to teach her.
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