While in the US this last Christmas I attended a few churches collecting boxes for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse(see below). The video shown in the churches showed families collecting items to fill a shoe box for children in developing countries as a way to share God's love for them, as well as the children opening the boxes on the other side of the world amazed that the shoes in the box were just what they had been praying for.


Today those very boxes were distributed in Hlalane to the kids at our soup kitchen.





After a time of games and singing, a wonderful presentation of the "Greatest Gift... Jesus" by Sunshine (YFC staff) in their native Xhosa language held the attention of all ages.

Bringing smiles to the kids, each one came forward with enthusiasm to accept a Christmas box packed with care by Christians in Germany. German toys, chocolates & suckers, crayons & pencils, color books, hats & mittens, toothbrushes & toothpaste were common items in most boxes. Some had other articles of clothing, dolls, sling shots, marbles, etc.



Most of these children have never owned their own box of crayons and color book... and even more exciting to us was the 38 page color booklet explaining "The Greatest Gift Of All" in the Xhosa language that went home for the parents to read (most of our children are age 6 and under).











I can only imagine that I am one of very few people that have witnessed both sides of this project from the collecting to the distribution... Doesn't God allow us wonderful privileges!



border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452532090995654274" />

Operation Christmas Child is a 'global Christmas gift exchange' project operated by Samaritan's Purse. Each November it opens thousands of locations, typically at churches or schools, to collect shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, personal items, and other gifts. These are then distributed as Christmas gifts to millions of children each year. Gift boxes are collected in North America, Europe, and Australia. From 1993 through 2008, some 69 million gift boxes have been handed out in more than 130 countries.