#86 Wrapping Christmas presents early

Throughout the year I've been stashing various children's items away to pack this time of year for Samaritan's Purse, Operation Christmas Child. When I see an out of season pair of pants or t-shirt on sale, I buy it, or school supplies when there are sales in August. This year I purchased clear plastic shoe boxes for $1 each when they were on sale at K-Mart. It is getting hard to find a decent shoe box, and I think these will be more useful to the family. But I'm short on a few items--like hard candy and toys, so I'll make a last minute trip to the store before I start wrapping.

I've always thought our church's newest location looked a little like a warehouse--post modern, bulging sides and angles. But this week-end it will really look like a warehouse because it is a drop off location for the shoe boxes packed by hundreds of churches in this area. When I see the narthex and fellowship hall fill up with thousands of boxes, all lovingly packed and prayed over, it just takes my breath away.

Last year I went to a presentation by the organization for the reps of the various churches in our area who gather these decorated shoe boxes. The woman who spoke was very interesting--from West Virginia and I'd guess she wasn't over 35 but had lost a lot of her teeth. She travels all over the World with the Samaritan's Purse organization and has been to Africa and Kosovo. She was a very effective speaker, truly "anointed" although we don't use that term in the Lutheran church.

She told a story about being offered a place to sleep in Kosovo where the family had a 6 x 6 carton to live in. She looked at the space and figured they planned to sit outside if she took up for floor space.

Then she told us that back in W. VA. she has a trailer worth about $12,000, and she had been too embarrassed to offer her place when there were funerals. (She says there are no hotels around, so when someone dies the members of the church put up the visiting family). But after seeing how generous these people were who had nothing, she now invites people to stay with her. The last time she said she had 21 people sleeping on the floor.

Someone asked about the fact that the boxes vary so in size and content. She said that comparing the size or contents is an "American" thing and the children she sees never do that, in fact, they will try to share their candy with the volunteers.