Jamil and his gloves.

In Kenya post-election violence in 2008 coupled with the effects of the global financial crises has taken their effect on Kenya’s economy. Almost a quarter of the population live on less than a £1 a day and there are 1.2 million people living with HIV. 

Jamil is 6 years old and lives in the Ark children’s home as he is an orphan. Although he is well cared for and is basically healthy he does not get many presents or things which he can keep for himself. He had learned in Sunday school that if you pray for something hard enough God will provide it. What he wanted most in all the world was a pair of gloves for the cold weather. He prayed everyday for months and could not understand why they were not at the end of his bed when he woke in a morning or why they did not appear in church when he went to Sunday school. But he did not stop praying for them.

Then the shoeboxes came. As Jamil opened his box he found maroon stripped scarf and a pairs of maroon gloves. He told everyone that this was his best day in his life. Since then Jamil has been proudly wearing his scarf as he goes to church and to school too. Jamil still loves going to church and is very active in his church Sunday school – telling the other children how if they pray for something God will give it to them – but not in the way that you might expect.

 

Source OCC UK.

 

Now is a great time to buy gloves, toques and mittens all on sale!!!!

Super easy DIY bows

Source: Craftybows.blogspot.com

Can't believe how simple these are to make!  All you need is felt, needle and thread and 2 minutes. What little girl wouldn't want one of these in their hair.  Click here for instructions.

Kara's big smile

We were welcomed into the social shelter and ushered into a room where a group of 9 children awaited us.  The shelter provides a home for children who cannot remain in their homes for whatever reason but is only ever a temporary measure of up to 6 months.  They work with the children but also with the parents and the hope is always that the home situation would improve so that the children are able to return home to their families.  During 2011 they have had 46 children living there and 35 of those were able to return home while the others were put into foster families.  They love the children in their care and try to ensure that they feel part of a family there.

Kara was stood off to the side as we began giving out the boxes.  I asked one of the translators to find out her age but before the translator could answer she told me herself in English that she was 10 and smiled  a big smile at me.  She had managed to learn a good amount of English.  But her mother struggles with a drinking problem and is unable to work at the moment.  While she is getting help Kara has come to live at the shelter.  As Kara opened her box each item was the cause of great delight.  She pulled out some glittery hair accessories and with a giggle she told me that now she can be a princess.

 

Words and pictures by Faith Sprinks- OCC UK

Would you like to go on a distribution?

Are you interested in going on a distribution?

You can find out more information by checking out the Samaritans Purse site here.  2012 distributions are full.  But OCC recommends keeping an eye on the website during the summer.  Application deadline is usually in October or November.

Another option is to check out this page which lists all Samaritan's Purse Canada TEAMS trips, as some trips are not specifically Operation Christmas Child Ambassador trips, but they may still include a few shoe box distribution opportunities.  Those interested should email, info@samaritan.ca if they want more info regarding a specific trip.

Or you may find yourself in another country, and God's hand is at work and the timing is perfect that you are able to distribute boxes.  Like my cousin's story.

It’s also important to note that the shoe boxes are a way for local churches to connect with people in their own communities, so although they do send Canadians to deliver a few boxes each year

Source OCC Canada. 

Thrift Store Finds- Crayons

Thrift stores are great for picking up items for shoe boxes.

You just have to have time to look around, and not have anything specific in mind;)  I was excited to find a few packages of these brand new crayons.  And for .20 cents, the price was right.

Another amazing video - this time from Madagascar

Haiti Distribution

I was very excited to read Cissie Graham Lynch's blog and see she had been in Haiti to deliver shoe boxes.  50,000 shoe boxes from Canada are going to Haiti this year.  And 75,000 are going to be sent in 2012.  A little side note: boxes from Canada usually have the Samaritans purse tape at both ends of the box.  The US boxes usually tape in the middle.  So chances are pretty good that some of boxes shown are from Canadians!

The Greatest Journey- Mongolia

Thank you Darcy Ross for posting this video!  It definitely is a must see.

A whole country is changing!   Praise the LORD!

Impact Stories from Swaziland

I am excited to be bringing you this story!

You see, this beautiful young women, is my cousin.

And this is her story.

Being able to be a part of the Samaritans Purse - Operation Christmas Child was amazing. I have packed the boxes in the past and it was incredible to be able to see the joy that these boxes bring to so many children.
I was in Swaziland, Africa during the gift distribution. I was working with a mission’s organization called "The Luke Commission" (TLC.) TLC is an incredible organization ran by an amazing couple, Harry and Echo VanderWal who are both doctors. This couple and their team go out into rural Swazi communities doing clinics 2-3 times per week and treat 100's of people medically for no charge. Once or twice a year boxes get sent to TLC and they bring the boxes to a clinic into a community that is in great need.

On top of getting treated medically, about 300 kids received Samaritan's Purse boxes. Most of the kids who received the gifts were very poor and did not have a lot of material possessions. Many of them had ripped clothing and were not wearing any shoes. A lot of the kids came to the clinic with their grandmothers (gogo's as they are called in Swaziland) because their parents had both died. This is very common in Swaziland as HIV and AIDS is so prevalent. A lot of the kids who were at the clinic probably didn't have a guardian at all. We met a lot of kids who were fending for themselves, and raising their baby brothers or sisters at a very young age. So you can imagine how a box filled with clothes and toys would be an incredible blessing to so many of them.

Seeing them open their gifts was priceless. The staff at TLC had all of the kids who received a gift sit on the ground in a large group with all of their gifts still unopened.

A Swazi staff member explained to the kids into a megaphone where the gifts came from and talked to them about the love of Jesus. Most of the kids in Swaziland know about God and could understand that the Lord was the one who allowed them to be blessed with these wonderful gifts. After a few minutes, everyone counted to three together and all of them opened their gifts at the same time.

Kids were standing up, holding their favourite gifts high in the air. Kids were dancing around with enormous smiles on their faces. Kids were screaming and laughing. They were sights and sounds that I know I will not soon forget. The kids especially loved the toques/hats that were in their boxes. They were all walking around wearing them afterwards. And toques are especially nice gifts for kids living in Swaziland as it gets very cold there in the winter! They also loved the tennis balls (they use the balls a lot for different games that they play) and the teddy bears.

These boxes truly bless all of the children who receive them. It shows them that they are loved and it brings them hope and joy. I am sure that for each and every single child.. the day they received those gifts will be a day that they will never forget.

Thank you Amy for sharing your pictures and story!

Thrift Store Finds

I enjoy the hunt of searching thrift stores for OCC deals.

Today I visited our local MCC.  And these are a few of things I found.

2 waterbottles- .20 cents each

Ardene's hair elastics- .40 cents

3 pkgs of stickers for .20 cents.

For a grand total of $1.00.

Oh I forgot, I also found a package of clothes pins for .35 cents.

I'm looking forward to dividing them for this.



Wal-mart-Washcloths

I always include a wash cloth in each box.

And today I found these at wal-mart.

8 pack of washcloths for $2.97.

And I loved that they were dark colors.

This is something my mom instilled in me;)

To never buy white cloths for my boxes, darker colors don't look dirty so fast.

Magnifying Glass

Last year I found one magnifying glass on sale.  And I loved adding it to one of my boxes.  Glasses are not available to a lot of people.  And I pray that the magnifying glass can better there way of life, or even someone in their family.  And if nothing else it's fun to play with.   Today I stopped at walmart and they had them on clearance.  Regular $1.00 now on sale for .40 cents.  I scooped up all I could find. 

Have you ever added a magnifying glass to your box?
Or does anyone have a story about a child receiving a magnifying glass?

God is Able!

Hot Wheels deal at Superstore

4 Hotwheels cars for $3.00 this week at Superstore. A great time to stock up.

8.6 Million boxes packed this year!

Praise the Lord! Worldwide, 8,630,568 shoe boxes were collected in 2011! Canadians joined Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States in sending shoe box gifts that show our love and God's love to over 8.6 million children!

 

Source OCC Canada.

672,274 boxes packed in 2011

672,274

That is the number of boxes Canadians pack this year!!

An increase of 5%.  Last year we packed 640, 714.

EVERY BOX MAKES A DIFFERENCE!!

672,274 children will hear about Jesus.

Praise God!  Thank you to everyone who packed boxes.

Now let's see how many boxes we can pack in 2012!

Source: OCC Canada

DIY Projects- tote

Another great tutorial.  What child wouldn't love receiving a tote like this in their box?

Easy Drawstring Bag

I've been looking, ok I've meant to start looking, for a an easy drawstring bag pattern.
I want to include them in every box I add marbles too.
And today Clip with Purpose posted this.

Ivory Soap coupons

There are Proctor and Gamble coupons in today newspapers. 
And there are some great coupons in there.

The best one I found for shoe boxes is the Ivory Soap Coupon.
Save $3.00 when you buy any TWO 10-bar soap.
Superstore has 10 packs of Ivory Soap for $2.97 this week.
With the coupon you can buy 20 bars of soap $3.00.
That's a great deal!  Even if you're not packing 20 boxes you can always donate the other bars.

Have a great weekend!

Valentine's Day Goodies

Has anyone else checked out the Valentine's Day goodies?  They're so pretty with pink and red and all the hearts!  And so perfect to add to shoe boxes.  The pencils, erasers and notepads.  How a little girl with nothing, would think they are so beautiful.  Now I can't wait for them to go on Sale;)