A Dream Come True - Handing Out OCC Shoeboxes

For many years it has been my joy and privilege to serve as a volunteer with Operation Christmas Child (OCC) -- to pack shoeboxes of toys, toiletries, and other items, to organize church shoebox collections, to work at a processing center (Orlando Magic hanger), and to participate in several packing parties...including helping disabled folks pack boxes via Giveback, a program of Lift Disability Network and an annual event which  empowers the Disability Family to move from a role of recipient to contributor.

The Operation Christmas Child program that shares Christ's love in a tangible way and His message in the native tongue of the receivers is dear to my heart. I have long dreamed of being able to help hand shoeboxes to children in person. That dream came true on Sunday, March 26 in San Jose, Philippines on the island of Mindoro.

Pastor Reynaldo and Grace Flores of Bethany Evangelical Missionary Church, where I did children's ministry presentation, invited me to go with them to a shoebox distribution at the church of Grace's sister...after Grace heard of my past OCC volunteer work and excitement about the program. In fact she invited my teaching colleague friend Ruth Graybill and I (in San Jose, Mindoro on a spring break mission trip) to hand the boxes to the children. What a thrill for me to help out on this end of the awesome OCC ministry program!

The Gospel was presented visually and orally before shoebox
 distribution by Grace's sister.

Ruth and I took turns receiving shoeboxes from local OCC volunteers with a gender and age category label plus a colorful Gospel message cartoon booklet in the children's heart language...and handing each box to a child as their name was called.  I lovingly said, "God Bless you" to each child to whom I handed a box. Most could not understand my words, but I trust they understood the love from Christ in my voice and eyes.                                                                                                 

It was such a great privilege and an honor to hand out shoeboxes to these precious children on behalf of Operation Christmas Child's many volunteers  - sharing Christ's love...a dream come true.