Operation Christmas Child

The kids and I put together Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes again this year. I love that Kirra and Jaret look forward to doing this each year. Although, when shopping for the gifts to put inside, I was a little concerned that perhaps Kirra didn't quite get that all of it wasn't for her, but for a little girl somewhere else in the world. In the end, she did understand, as we packed the box and she decorated it with her special artistic flair of scribbles. Jaret understood more easily since he has done this for a few years now and he is older. He would love nothing more than to know who the boy is receiving his shoe box of gifts. We took the boxes to the school to add them to the many other boxes that were collected. Kirra and I attended the Chapel that was held at the school to collect all the boxes and pray over them. It was such an awesome experience, as all 600 students gathered around the wall of boxes, joined hands, and prayed over the more than 900 boxes our school put together. Afterwards, the Grade 10 students carried the boxes to the waiting ambulances parked out front of the school. Lexi came to get Kirra and she got to carry a couple of boxes out to the ambulance. So wish I would have captured the moment as she handed the boxes to the medics who were packing the boxes into the ambulances. Her smile as she gave the boxes showed how excited she was to serve and be a part of something so much bigger. I love that my kids are learning the importance of giving to others and having a generous spirit. Below is a link that gives some great ideas of what to include when packing your shoebox. A great resource for next year. http://faithfulprovisions.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/101-Operation-Christmas-Child-Shoebox-Ideas-PRINTABLE.pdf