Operation Christmas Child

 

 

"You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving"

Robert Louis Stevenson

 

I need to confess. I have seen over the years some of the abuses that have come from "Toys for Tots" and other Christmas charities. I know many in this country are in dire need - it pains me to know that some, not many, "game the system" to get as much as they can. Still, the vast majority that ask for help really need it.

I have thought for years that our country had a distribution problem and not a resource issue. However, there are many areas of the world where the lack of resources is the main issue. This was addressed in 1970 by Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision when Samaritan's Purse was founded. Pierce met up with Franklin Graham in the early seventies, made some trips together, and partnered in this young and developing ministry. Upon Pierce's death in the late seventies, Graham took over the organization as president. The name Samaritan's Purse, comes from the New Testament Parable telling of the Good Samaritan.

Today, Samaritan's Purse is huge, and its impact is enormous. It is there for disaster relief, hunger mitigation, medical assistance, you name it. It is a non-governmental agency which has absolute impact on those who need help the most. They shy away from nothing - no need is too great. With its headquarters in North Carolina, Samaritan's Purse works in more than one hundred countries around the world. It is truly a "hands and feet" organization.

One of the newer and more impactful ministries of Samaritan's Purse is Operation Christmas Child. It was created in 1990 by a man named Dave Cook. Every November, shoe boxes, or containers about the same size, are collected at thousands of locations, typically churches or schools. These shoe boxes are filled with items of the utmost need to children who have nothing - items such as toys, school supplies, personal items, and other gifts. Once collected, the shoe boxes are sent to North Carolina for shipment to some of the most impoverished areas of the world. This year, shoebox number 100,000,000 was expected to ship. One hundred million shoe boxes since 1990 is a jaw dropping number.

My wife and I have been interested in this charity for a few years now. It fits our belief in serving the least of us. It is something that is fun and vital to participate in. My wife, the retired teacher who knows kids well, does the work in picking out things that kids a certain age would like as well as need. She does an awesome job and each shoebox she prepares is stuffed with love and joy.

If you have never heard of, nor participated in this worthwhile charity, please consider it for next year. To give something to someone who has nothing is a blessing of the richest nature. As we bless others, the joy blesses us in return.