Shoebox Shindig

The handsome family to your right were members of the church I served before launching
One Man Show Ministries. Last night they hosted an Operation Christmas Child party, a November event they have been throwing for years in their home. They invite their neighbors to fill shoeboxes with small toys, candy, socks and hygiene items and bring their gifts to the get-together. These simple presents, under the auspices of Samaritan's Purse, are then shipped to Third World nations to bring joy and news of God's love to children all over the globe.

My wife, who works for OCC, was invited to the party and she let me tag along. Our friends had to host the party in a next-door neighbor's house because theirs was being remodeled. Another church family was there from our past, and their teenage daughter gave a glowing report of shoebox distribution in Ecuador this past August. The young lady was selected among other youth from across the U.S. to represent Operation Christmas Child. The distribution was not a mechanical affair, but a party with clowns, music and puppetry. The Ecuadorians even brought out their speciality dish, cuy, for everyone to, er, enjoy. The young woman made a face when she told us that cuy is whole roasted guinea pig. Yum?

When my wife and I left the party, 70 shoeboxes had already been collected. My heart was warmed when I savored the thought that two of those boxes, coming from the Winter household, would bless children and perhaps entire families and villages.

I think I'll pack a few more. You can, too. Just go to this WEBSITE to get the details.