One of my favorite parts of Christmas is ‘Operation Christmas Child’. This is where you take a shoebox, fill it full of toys, art supplies, balls, cloths, books, or whatever and send them to children all over the world. These shoeboxes go to kids who live in very poor areas and who probably have never received a gift before.
For the last 10 years, my little brother Daniel and I have spent a few days each November planning what we are going to put in the boxes, buying supplies, then carefully filling each one to maximize the amount of things we can jam in a shoebox. It is a tradition for us and it isn’t really Christmas until we have sent them off. I grew up doing this with my parents and it is something I hope to do with my kids.
As I was walking through the ‘red zone’ I am living in in Trujillo, Peru, I noticed a few boys playing in the dirt. They were running around, throwing an american football. I thought this was a little odd because for the last month and a half, every little boy is playing with a soccer ball. I looked a little closer and I realized it was a little nerf like football, with green and black stripes. It is one of many that Daniel and I have sent out in shoeboxes over the years. We always get the same ones and it is identical to the ones we sent out.
I went back to where I am staying and started asking around and Operation Christmas Child was in their neighborhood giving out shoeboxes last year. I find it hard to believe that a boy from a ‘red zone’ bought that ball in Peru, although I will concede that there is a small chance that he did. My hunch is that he got it from a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child. It could have come from anyone and it may not be from one of our boxes but it was a powerful reminder that we can show people love thousands of miles away without leaving the comfort of our homes.
So for all of you who take part in organizations that help people around the world, keep up the great work! Be encouraged because you are making a difference and even if you just send a child an american football, it is a chance to show them love and bring them hope.
