Operation Christmas Child

Growing up in my church back in the States, every year around November-ish we would participate in Operation Christmas Child (a ministry of the organization Samaritan's Purse). We would pack up this little red & green shoe box with toys and goodies for kids around the world. Then we would drop it off back at church and usually never hear about it again. But now I've finally gotten to see what happens to those boxes on the other end!

One of our SIM team members is a local coordinator for distributing these boxes through schools and churches around her community. The first stage is gathering principals and pastors to explain the program. Then those key leaders will send their religious education teachers or Sunday school teachers to a training. For two Saturdays they spend about 5-6 hours learning how to use the OCC curriculum for a 12-week course teaching the children about the gospel. Then somewhere in Feb/Mar, eleven shipping containers of about 7,200 boxes each arrive in port in Namibia to go out to each different region. When the boxes arrive, a whole team of local volunteers come together to take the boxes out to the schools and churches.

It was my joy to participate in some of those distribution events this past week. We visited two schools and one rural San community out in the bush. We started with a little assembly to reinforce the message that the real gift is Jesus, and you receive salvation like a gift, you don't work for it, or earn it. Then kids took their closed boxes back to their classrooms to open them together. Their joy was uncontainable as they shrieked and shouted, danced and smiled. I got many little-kid hugs of gratitude around my knees. One teacher said, "Some of these kids never even get a toy." One student commented, "This is the best day of my life." After this kickoff event, they will now continue with their 12-week lessons to help them discover the true gift of the good news of Jesus.

Distributing the boxes at a school

Opening their Christmas boxes

I was intrigued by one person's question that came up while discussing this program, asking if this doesn't reinforce a 'white saviorism' mentality. But the mission worker replied, "Not at all, because it's not really about the box. From beginning to end, this program is about sharing the gospel with the kids. Whether they are rich or poor, everyone needs a relationship with Jesus." So next time you are packing one of these boxes, may it be a reminder to you that Jesus alone is the Savior, and His gift of salvation is the real message. This box is an opportunity for a child somewhere in the world to receive that most beautiful gift of all!