We feel Operation Christmas Child is one of the best ministry programs out there for many reasons, here's 4 of them.
BUT before you read my reasons, understand that Operation Christmas Child is a program that offers children around the world two wonderful gifts. One is a shoebox packed with toys, candy, necessities, &etc. by people around the globe and the second is a 12 lesson journey where the children who received this gift learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ! The second is the greatest gift - one that is eternal, life-changing, and offers hope when there is none.
1. It's a ministry my children love participating in and learn about the value of giving to others who are not as blessed as they are. It took many explanations that the toys Bean was picking were not for her to take home. After the 100th time stopping, as we shopped, to explain, "These toys are for other girls who do not have a playroom full of toys to play with like you do. Many of them do not have any toys. In the Bible God tells us that when He gives us much, we need to share, and sharing is one of the ways we show love to others." she finally began to open up and excitedly talk about the girls she picked items for.
2. God uses this ministry in so many different ways. There are countless stories of children, now adults, who can point back to this ministry as being God's way of bringing hope into their hopeless lives. I LOVE reading these stories of how God used Operation Christmas Child to work in their lives. One of my favorites involve a couple, now married, who met because he packed a shoebox as a child, sent it off and years later the girl who received the box wanted to meet and thank the person who packed it because it left such an impression on her life. Upon meeting they fell in love and got married. What an incredible testimony of God using this ministry to bring two people together for His glory! There are so many stories like this that I could spend an eternity reading about them! (Follow this link to read some for yourself.)
3. Discipleship. If you didn't already know, I'm a big fan of Jesus' final commandment to His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." He told us to make disciples, teaching them what Jesus taught so they can teach others who can teach others and so on and so forth. That's the beauty of Operation Christmas Child: they equip children with the knowledge of Jesus Christ so they can teach their friends.
4. Gift giving! The joy of giving to others is better than the joy of receiving, even if you do not personally know the individual receiving it. Like I said earlier, this is a two-fold gift: children receive a gift of goodies, but they receive a more precious gift: the good news of the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.
BUT before you read my reasons, understand that Operation Christmas Child is a program that offers children around the world two wonderful gifts. One is a shoebox packed with toys, candy, necessities, &etc. by people around the globe and the second is a 12 lesson journey where the children who received this gift learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ! The second is the greatest gift - one that is eternal, life-changing, and offers hope when there is none.
1. It's a ministry my children love participating in and learn about the value of giving to others who are not as blessed as they are. It took many explanations that the toys Bean was picking were not for her to take home. After the 100th time stopping, as we shopped, to explain, "These toys are for other girls who do not have a playroom full of toys to play with like you do. Many of them do not have any toys. In the Bible God tells us that when He gives us much, we need to share, and sharing is one of the ways we show love to others." she finally began to open up and excitedly talk about the girls she picked items for.
2. God uses this ministry in so many different ways. There are countless stories of children, now adults, who can point back to this ministry as being God's way of bringing hope into their hopeless lives. I LOVE reading these stories of how God used Operation Christmas Child to work in their lives. One of my favorites involve a couple, now married, who met because he packed a shoebox as a child, sent it off and years later the girl who received the box wanted to meet and thank the person who packed it because it left such an impression on her life. Upon meeting they fell in love and got married. What an incredible testimony of God using this ministry to bring two people together for His glory! There are so many stories like this that I could spend an eternity reading about them! (Follow this link to read some for yourself.)
3. Discipleship. If you didn't already know, I'm a big fan of Jesus' final commandment to His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." He told us to make disciples, teaching them what Jesus taught so they can teach others who can teach others and so on and so forth. That's the beauty of Operation Christmas Child: they equip children with the knowledge of Jesus Christ so they can teach their friends.
4. Gift giving! The joy of giving to others is better than the joy of receiving, even if you do not personally know the individual receiving it. Like I said earlier, this is a two-fold gift: children receive a gift of goodies, but they receive a more precious gift: the good news of the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.
On an average month this blog receives a little over 1,000 views. Imagine if even half of those readers filled a box, reaching out to 500 children, who learned about Jesus and shared the gospel with one of their friends...
Now imagine if you took me up on this challenge my family decided to undertake this next year: every month we plan on filling a box. That's 12 children who will receive a gift and hear the message of Jesus. If even a quarter of you decided to join us... just imagine the possibilities!
If you're interested in doing this, here's how:
- Visit Samaritan's Operation Christmas Child website for details.
- Visit one of the many drop off locations, anyone there will be able to answer any questions you might have.
- Build a shoebox online.
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