October Family Newsletter: Giving to Others - Part 4

Why is Operation Christmas Child Good?

By Aidan Jachim

Operation Christmas Child is a worthwhile ministry to give to, because it allows poor children around the world feel that someone cares about them. First, people that they do not even know sent them things that they need and can enjoy. Second, they put money, time, and effort into sending them these things.

Most importantly, the good news of a Savior is shared with them. Each child receives a little book about Jesus in their own language and the people that give the boxes to the children pray with them. Often, they will even deliver a fun message about Jesus if there is a big group of children.

Around Christmas time, we tend to think about what we want. Acts 20:35 says, “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Operation Christmas Child provides us a good way to think of and give to others. On the first Christmas, God was thinking of others by sending his son to earth to save us from our sins. We should do the same by thinking of others. Romans 12:3 says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

WHAT WE BUY FOR SHOEBOXES

We have fun packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, and the easiest place we can find the items we need is a dollar store. We each have something we hunt down. Puzzles, games, and other toys are the gifts for which Dad and Jordan search. Mom sees how far each dollar can go on school supplies. Amara digs for the cutest, softest baby dolls.

I like finding balls and cars. I get balls with which you can bounce or play catch. The cars I choose are small ones, because they fit in shoeboxes easily. I check the cars to see if they are in good condition, that they are not scratched, cracked, or missing stickers or wheels.

When we are finished, we compare our items with each other. We make sure not to buy things that can leak or melt, such as shampoo, snow-globes, bubbles, chocolate bars, or other candy that can melt. We also avoid war-related toys because some countries have wars, so the children there would not like to be reminded of them. Once we finish inspecting, we buy everything in our cart and take it to our car. We are excited about packing our treasures in shoeboxes for others when we get home.