Yesterday the high schoolers in our homeschool group volunteered at Operation Christmas Child and I went as a chaperone. Helping at OCC is one of my favorite things in all the world to do and I haven’t done it nearly as often as I’d like.
I did four jobs. First, I bagged peppermint candy to add as fillers to the boxes. Then I was a pre-sorter looking for the donations in the boxes. Next I was a taper, winding a single strand of tape around each box. Then I was an inspector, looking for contraband items and making sure that each box had candy and was full. Finally, I went back to being a pre-sorter. My daughter was an inspector and a taper. My son was a heavy lifter, making sure the large cartons full of shoeboxes got where they needed to go in the warehouse.
As I was looking for a donation in one box, I paused for a moment to take it all in. I looked around at hundreds of people at dozens of assembly lines and scattered throughout the warehouse doing various jobs- people of every age (above 12), race, social status, education level, and culture. Some were local and some had traveled great distances to volunteer. All were united for one cause- to bring Jesus and a smile to a child somewhere in this big dark world. What a holy, humbling moment to realize that I was a part of something so much bigger than me- something that was touching the world for God.
I looked back down at that shoebox which, like all the others, had so obviously been packed with love, and I saw it differently. It was the hand of God extended. It was His gold, the currency of the kingdom- a box full of love.
To read more unwrapped moments where we notice the small, but wonderful, please visit my sweet friend Emily.
December 1, 2009
A Shoebox Full of Love
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9 comments:
What a wonderful gift! Thank you for describing your day amongst the shoe boxes--a day of seeing the hand of God.
Amazing. We do the Christmas boxes every year with our girls and they are definitely packed full of love. Our girls take great care in picking out each item that they place in the boxes. The first year we did it my middle daughter thought we got to fly the gifts to the children. (Someday she will be so excited to go on a mission trip). What an amazing experience. Thanks for sharing.
I love OCC--but haven't been to the big warehouse. Thanks for describing it for us!
A box full of love. Love it.
I've never quite thought about what happens on the other side of Christmas shoebox donations. Thanks for giving me a different perspective.
Prayers and blessings,
Rebecca
It is amazing, isn't it? We volunteer every year also in Charlotte. I went with my church Friday. If you're interested, go here to see why it's so special to us: http://itwasbroughtonbylove.blogspot.com/2009/11/recap-on-thanksgiving-and-operation.html
Full circle.
Wonderful moment in time. Thanks for sharing.
My kids love doing the shoeboxes! I have wanted to volunteer at OCC since we got to Charlotte, but have not yet had the chance. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
Wow! The magnitude of everyone working for a common purpose and being His hands and feet.
Sounds like a fulfilling day.
That is fun to hear about the showboxes on that stop on their way. We will some this year for the first time and had so much fun doing it. I can't wait to do it again next year!
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