If you are looking for a way to teach your child about giving in a way they can easily comprehend I highly recommend an outreach of the ministry, Samaritan’s Purse, called Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse is committed to going to the poorest places in the world and providing for people’s basic needs: food, clean water, shelter and Jesus.
One of their particular ministries is Operation Christmas Child where they deliver shoeboxes full of toys, candy, school supplies and essentials to over 7 million kids all over the world in the name of Jesus at Christmas. The exciting thing is anyone can fill a box.
We are going to give three boxes this year:
1 for a 2 -4 year old girl
1 for a 5-9 year old girl
1 for a 10-14 year old boy
because we have a 2 year old girl, an 8 year old girl and a 10 year old boy. Two days ago we watched the promotional DVD that showed kids receiving their boxes as well a practical guide to filling them. It really helped to open up conversation about other children and relative luxuries. One child saw underwear listed under the suggested ingredients and wrinkled her nose. Once asked how excited she would be to get underwear if she only had one pair, she understood.
We are getting our boxes and starting to fill them. Birdie said, “I want to do this all year long.” Why not?
A lady in our community, now dead, once filled hundreds of boxes. If she saw books or small toys for a good price she would buy out the store. A friend brought her some coloring books she had gotten for ten cents each. When the lady learned the friend had bought only 20 and there had been a couple hundred available she gasped, “Why didn’t you buy them all!”
MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers, encourages their groups to do this with their children. Little kids understand this.
There are collection centers all over the U.S. As they are shipped Thanksgiving weekend, they need to be in by November 21.
Please go to www.samaritanspurse.org for more information.
I second this. We did it last year with our bible study group, and had a BLAST shopping for the kids together. Great project.
We will be filling shoe boxes this year, as well. In addition, Andy and I are going to shop for one another from the Samaritan’s Purse catalog, and encourage the kids to shop for mom and dad this way also. Goodness, we don’t “need” any more stuff, especially in light of all the real needs in storm and earthquake devastated areas around the world this year.