by Holly LeMaster
The first time I packed a shoebox was when I started working at Christ’s Church as a preschool teacher. I can still remember how much joy it placed in my heart to be giving to someone who had less than me. Serving and giving to others in need has always been a huge passion of mine. Growing up I did not come from a wealthy family, but my grandma always emphasized how wealthy we were with love and the family around us. She taught me that not everyone has a family who cares for them or who can offer them the basic needs that everyone should have. She showed me how to spread kindness and love to others. She taught me about Jesus and the kind of love and contentment only he can provide each of us.
Having learned those lessons in life, it has driven me to care for and love others with my whole heart. After learning about Samaritan’s Purse’s mission, Operation Christmas Child, I fell in love with the idea of how a simple shoebox could be filled to serve as a witnessing tool to children all around the world who need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ! Last year, Operation Christmas Child sent out 10.6 million shoeboxes filled with hope, joy, and love. These shoeboxes travel to over 170 countries and territories, where they make a huge impact for the receiving child, their family, their friends, and the community they live in. Each child is given “The Greatest Gift,” which is a gospel book that is written in the child’s native language. The children are then invited and encouraged to attend “The Greatest Journey,” which is a discipleship program that teaches children all about God’s love—which is a gift for everyone.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8, ESV).
Packing Parties
I knew that I wanted to teach others at Christ’s Church just how much a shoebox can make a difference in the world and that these shoeboxes are not just another “Christmas gift to children in need”—they spread the good news about Jesus. So, I planned for our children’s ministry to host a “packing party” for Operation Christmas Child. I wanted the kids in our church to have a hands-on experience where they could be the hands and feet of Christ. I wanted them to experience the same joy that I experienced when I packed my first shoebox. We were blessed with many donations and items where every child was given the opportunity to fill their very own shoebox. We filled over 150 shoeboxes at our children’s packing party and sent more than 600 boxes from the whole church!
As the process unfolded, I became connected with the ladies in our church who lead our Operation Christmas Child team. They refer to themselves as the “Boone Bunch” and they are some of the most amazing and inspiring ladies I get to call my friends! The last week in November we traveled together to Boone, North Carolina, to serve at the packing facility at Samaritan’s Purse headquarters for Operation Christmas Child. There I felt the Holy Spirit working all around us in many ways. As soon as you enter the facility, people are there greeting you and telling you how thankful they are to have you there. People were happy to be serving God, they had the spirit of joy in them! I loved meeting new people from all over the United States and the opportunity to hear their individual stories. There were many on our packing team who have been coming to the packing facility for more than twenty years! Jean, one of the ladies in our group, is 80 years old, and she was ready more than ever to serve God by doing whatever she could. If that is not inspiring, I don’t know what is!
I was so impressed with the ministry we observed at Samaritan’s Purse. The integrity of each shoebox is a big priority at Operation Christmas Child. Nothing is ever taken out of the box unless it is an inappropriate item (i.e., toothpaste, liquids, war-related, etc.). These items, if found, are taken out but replaced with another “filler” item that is provided by the facility. It is a strong belief in the Operation Christmas Child community that God knows what each receiving child needs and that even though each item packed may not make sense to us, he already knows the plan for it. Prayer is a huge priority in the processing center. Every so often a volunteer speaker or chaplain would get everyone’s attention and announce goals met, then take the time to pray for the boxes we were handling. One of the chaplains noted that we need to:
“Pray with confidence . . . praying for these boxes is just as important as packing a box.”
His Hands and Feet
Without prayer these boxes could not make it safely to their destinations. The shoeboxes our team packed in our three days while there are headed to Malawi, Georgia, and the Ukraine. In the Boone Processing Center, they have a goal of processing 800,000 boxes this Christmas season. While we were there, they had processed around 250,000 boxes. We viewed several videos that shed light into the mission of Operation Christmas Child. One of the videos we watched taught us that in some countries it is much harder to reach people and that the boxes being shipped to these countries must follow much more rigid rules. It saddened me to think about the children in some of these countries who can’t freely worship the same God we can worship any day of the week—and how easy it is for us to take our freedom to worship God for granted. In serving these countries, Operation Christmas Child makes sure these boxes follow all guidelines to make sure they get to the children safely.
If you didn’t get a chance to participate in filling our shoeboxes at our church, you can still do so. For $25, you can pack a box online by clicking here. This will help them continue to spread the good news about Jesus and his amazing love for all his children.
The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (ESV). By showing compassion and love to others, we embody Christ’s hands and feet, actively doing his work in our lives. Every one of us has a role to fulfill in accomplishing Christ’s mission on earth.
My trip to Boone left me with memories and friendships I will treasure for a lifetime. It has shown me how God can use many of our talents in many ways if we allow him to do so. It has helped me immerse myself in learning how I can help others and how I can make an impact with the smallest of things . . . like a filled shoebox.
Holly LeMaster is our CCKids director. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Austin, and they have two amazing kids, Owen (9), and Harper (7), as well as two dogs and five chickens. Holly loves taking frequent trips to Walt Disney World with her family.