It’s Halloween, but I’m thinking about Christmas.
Christmas morning at our house always starts with stockings. Then the traditional Christmas breakfast of funny face chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and whatever else was on the breakfast wish list. Then it ends with opening the gifts under the tree. We are not extravagant at Christmas, but our kids certainly get enough. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. Being together, laughter, a warm fire.
But I know that not every child has that on Christmas morning. One of the things that I have done with my kids is the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. We usually fill two shoeboxes, one for a boy and one for a girl, with all kinds of goodies from pencils, crayons, markers, scissors, and toothpaste to stuffed animals, puzzles, and Hot Wheels cars. It doesn’t seem like much, but it brings so much joy to millions of children (around 8.2 million last year alone!).
This weekend I read a book by Katie Davis called Kisses from Katie. She is only 22 and has been doing mission work in Uganda since 2007 and is in the process of adopting 13 young girls. Her story and the stories of those she meets are quite amazing and heartbreaking. One of her missions is to sponsor children so that they get an education. Most parents cannot afford to send their children to school, and some children are left parentless, caring for younger siblings. She said they only need a pencil, a pen, and a notebook, but many children cannot even afford that. It made me think twice about the things I take for granted and the many ways that I could (and should) help. It made me think of the shoeboxes and the pencils, pens, erasers, etc. that we stuff in them.
Paper, crayons, erasers, a stuffed animal, and a bouncy ball. Such simple, everyday things to my kiddos (and to me). But I am hoping that those simple things will bring sweet smiles to a couple children around the globe and even help them in some small (or even big) way.
If you want more information about the shoeboxes, visit their website: www.samaritanspurse.org.
