One of my favorite non-profit organizations is Samaritan’s Purse.  Throughout the year, they provide disaster relief, food, shelter and most importantly – HOPE – to people around the world whether it’s the Earthquake victims in Japan,  refugees in South Sudan, or flood victims here in the United States.

For the past 18 years, they’ve sponsored a program called Operation Christmas Child (OCC).  OCC   distributes hundreds of thousands of shoe-box sized gift boxes to kids in underprivileged nations of the world each Christmas.  The shoe boxes are filled with toys, crayons, books, and personal hygiene items – for a boy or girl ages 2-14.

This is the second year that we have been participating in Operation Christmas Child as a family.  My soon to be 8-year old son loves to select gifts for another child his age.  He’s also included a handwritten note and a picture so that the little boy who receives the shoebox knows it came from someone his age.   OCC allows ordinary folks to express God’s love in a practical way.  I’m so glad that my son really understands that it’s much better to give than to receive and when we do give with a grateful heart, its truly a joyful experience.

Many local churches are participating in Operation Christmas Child and this coming week (November 14th-21st) is the national collection week.  Would you consider being a part of this fantastic project?  It not only brings a smile to child’s face, but the positive message of Hope as well.

For more information on Operation Christmas Child, click on the link below:

You can also track your shoebox to find out where in the world is the boy or girl who received the Christmas Gift.

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