Shine Fm Blog

IT'S SHOEBOX TIME!!

Although to me it seems like summer JUST ended... believe it or not we're only 2 months or so away from Christmas! That means...it's time to start thinking about (and packing!!) your Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes!

If you're not sure what to put IN the shoeboxes, here's a few ideas!

- School Supplies (Pens, Pencils, Pencil sharpener, Workbooks, Scissors etc.)

- Clothing (Shoes, Socks, shirts, hats, sunglasses etc.)

- Hygiene Items (Toothbrushes, soap, deodorant etc.)

- Toys & Personal Items (Balls, games, dolls, stuffed animals, & other fun stuff!)

If you'd like, you can also add a personal message for the child that receives your shoebox - and a photo of yourself too! If you include your return address, once in a while people will get a letter from the child that receives their shoebox!

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Nicaragua with Operation Christmas Child this past Spring to see some shoebox distributions, and witness first-hand exactly what happens to the children and communities that receive these gifts.

All I can say is that the Shoeboxes really do change lives. And not just the lives of the kids who receive them - but their parents, siblings and communities too. Kids who have never stepped foot in a church before are now attending regularly - and bringing their entire families! Kids who didn't have supplies for school - can now attend because they finally have pencils, paper and other necessities!

I even remember meeting one boy who told me that he didn't go to school because 'It was a long walk over some bad terrain, and I don't have any shoes". Well - he then received a pair of sandals in his shoebox! He ran over to me and said 'Now I can walk to school!"

The shoeboxes really do change lives all over the world!!

You can actually read more about my trip if you're interested - as I did some 'blogging' while I was in Nicaragua woth Operation Christmas Child!

Day One: http://cjsi.ca/blog/NDU/

Day Two: http://cjsi.ca/blog/NDD/

Days 3 & 4: http://cjsi.ca/blog/NDT/

Day 5: http://cjsi.ca/blog/NDQ/

If you've never packed an Operation Christmas Child shoebox before - get your family together and pack one each this year! If you DID pack one last year - pack two, three...even TEN this year!

Make sure you check out the official Operation Christmas Child video too! It even includes some footage of my trip to Nicaragua!