"Operation Christmas Child"

"Big Smiles"

 

Operation Christmas Child only comes once a year,

And that time is coming, coming near,

Let's all pull together and do our best,

God says put your faith into action, and He'll do the rest,

Imagine blessing a child who didn't know it was coming,

As they open their eyes to find out they got something,

Jesus said, "for the least of these, you do unto Me",

The blessing may not come in this world, but eternal rewards you'll see,

The Greatest Gift has yet to be seen,

That each child has the chance to accept Jesus and be redeemed,

So now you see the importance to lend a hand,

And to make a difference for those who cannot stand."

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of being introduced to a project by Samaritan's Purse called Operation Christmas Child". Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has sent boxes to 130 countries and have provided 95 million smiles while doing it.  I was so moved by the testimony of the guest speaker, a Operation Christmas Child recipient, named Renan Perdoma from Honduras. I felt compelled to share it with everyone.

In 1993, Renan was a just a little boy and lived in a town of 800 people. He was one of the first children to receive a Christmas box from the Operation Christmas Child program. I have to tell you, tears rolled down my eyes as he told his story regarding wanting to attend school at the age of 10.
He had never stepped foot in a school before that. And the reason was, his parents couldn't afford the required pencil and notebook needed to enter the school. That's all he needed to attend school was a pencil and notebook. Doesn't seem like much does it? Well, let me give you some background on the house they lived in and how many were in it. There were 10 people living in a dirt floor house. It was a daily struggle for food. So, Renan prayed that somehow he would get to go to school and that God would provide all he needed.

To make a long story, short, he received one of the Operation Christmas Child boxes. And guess what was in it? You guessed it! There was a pencil, and notebook with some other things included.One of the neatest gifts included in the box was a book called The Greatest Journey. This book is a child's discipleship program that millions of children have come to faith in Jesus Christ. There are tens of thousands of trained volunteer teachers around the world that help guide the children as they commit their lives to Christ and learn how important it is for them to share the Good News. Once a
child completes the Greatest Journey Bible Study, they are proudly presented with a personalized certificate as well as a New Testament bible. May I also interject, that both the bible study and bible have been translated into more than 30 different languages.

Did you know love is an action word? God's love involves unselfish service to others, to show it gives evidence that you care. In Romans 12:9-12-"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." God has called all of us to have sincere love helping others to become better people. And this may demand us of our time, money and personal involvement.

Now here's how you can get involved in helping us spread Christ's love to lots of children. All you need is a shoe box, wrapped in Christmas paper. Below you will find a link for the drop-off location near you:  http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Drop_Off_Locations/

I leave you with one thought; When you send a box, you're not just blessing a child, you're also blessing the country it's going to!