Get your Shoebox Ready!!

Got toys?

Here are some thoughts from Kristi Mouttet about Operation Christmas Child

Lately, I’ve been nudged to consider more deeply what it means to live in this part of the country. Sermons at Restoration, the blog writings, and the approaching holidays got me thinking about why it’s so difficult for us to part with the dollars in our wallets.

And after years of counseling with families, helping them to navigate society’s pressures and thinking about how to raise unselfish children, I now look for ways to introduce those values…the values I find in Scripture, to our son in a practical, hands-on way.

So, about 3 weeks ago, Samuel (Nate’s and my 21-month-old) went shopping for toys… for another child. We decided to shop for a little boy between the ages of 2-4 yrs. We chose race cars, a stuffed animal, a puzzle, a game, and a ball. We looked for simple, battery-free toys that could be played with immediately, things that would fit within a shoe box (I chose my husband’s running shoes so it was a little larger to fit more toys). We also included a picture of our family of three. Now another little boy and family will receive gifts similar to what most kids in our church will receive from grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and parents this year.

For about $15, and an additional $7 toward the shipping and processing, another little boy or girl, somewhere in the world, will “receive Christmas” because we’ve stopped to take the time to recycle a shoebox and go on a short shopping trip for toys. What he will also get is the Gospel message about Christ’s love that will tell him that Jesus came here out of love for him.

This is Operation Christmas Child. Haven’t heard of OCC yet?  Want to know more?

Not sure how to pack the shoebox? These simple instructions will get you packing and have your box all ready for shipping.

Please, join us in this endeavor.

Get a shoebox, pick a child’s age and gender. Fill the box with toys. Drop it off at our church by next week, Nov 21.

Know that your toys and Christ’s message is going to a child…a child who will truly experience Christmas!