Christmas Child

So I’ve mentioned once or twice that I was working on shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Well, their official collection week started last Monday, and DH and I dropped ours off Wednesday. I took a quick picture before we took them out to the car.

Operation Christmas Child is sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse. Each year, they collect shoe boxes full of toys, hygiene items, and school supplies to give to children overseas. The children also receive information about God in their own language. So not only does Operation Christmas Child provide a child with a gift, they also provide them with information about the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. I haven’t participated in Operation Christmas Child for a few years, so I was very excited to work on boxes this year! I ended up doing seven, which is the most I’ve ever done. I’m hoping to do 10 next year.

Packing shoe boxes doesn’t have to be expensive! I don’t know exactly how much I spent, but by my rough calculations, the entire project cost less than $10 a box, including the suggested donation of $7 a box for shipping. Most of the items in the boxes I got for free! I did splurge on the plastic shoe boxes (for $1 each). I figure it would be nice for the kids to have a little place to keep things where they’ll stay dry. There was some variety, but here’s a sample of what each box contained:

Yo-yo
toy car
slinky
stuffed animal
blo-pops
pencils
pens
hi-lighters
pencil box
erasers
ruler
pencil sharpener
scissors
glue
soap
toothpaste
toothbrush
tissues

I think that’s about it. I made all my boxes for 10-14 year old boys, as that is the age group that they collect the fewest boxes for. I will probably do at least one box for a girl next year. I like buying the little hair clips!

So now my boxes will be driven across the state to a larger collection area, then they’ll be shipped across the ocean! It’s very exciting! I encourage you to consider taking part in Operation Christmas Child. It’s very rewarding, and it doesn’t have to be expensive!