Time to Fill Shoe Boxes!

Our family has been participating in Samaritan's Purse Shoe Box Ministry, Operation Christmas Child, for many years. We used to fill only one box but as our family has grown so has the number of boxes we fill. This year we are planning to fill 5 boxes. Each of the older children choose the age and sex of the child that they want their box to go to. I'm filling a box on behalf of Lilly and Ellie for a little girl aged 2-4 years. Throughout the year, we save items that we can use to put in the shoe boxes. The toys from Happy Meals that grandmoms buy (only those worth saving- some go straight in the trash) or other small items the children receive from parties and such that they really don't need. Then we gather together, pull out the items we saved throughout the year, and have fun filling the boxes. We usually make a trip to the Dollar Store to buy extra items like toothbrushes and toothpaste, socks, coloring books, etc. The children talk about where they hope there box might end up- maybe China or a country in Africa. This year Shelby and Katie wrote a note to their child hoping to hear back from them one day. Operation Christmas Child is a great project that families can work on together, it gives Christmas gifts to children who may otherwise receive nothing, and most importantly, Samaritan's Purse also includes literature in the child's native language about the "Good News" of Jesus Christ. Please consider joining us in this project. For further information, go to http://www.samaritanspurse.org/