Operation Christmas Child - 2020

To say that we were excited Sunday morning as we made our way to church would be an understatement! This was the day we would see the results of a project that is so dear to friends and family in North America. Sunday was Samaritan's Purse - Operation Christmas Child day at Son Rise. It's the first time this has happened here. Our kids at Son Rise were to receive love, prayers and gifts from people they didn't even know cared about them. 

Our two pastoras (pastor's wives) really pulled the day together. Pastora Carolina organized a really excellent morning with songs, prayers, gospel teaching, and ..... ta-dah ..... the distribution of the shoe boxes. Pastora Dunia began her morning at 5:00 decorating - oh, they love their balloons! - and food preparation because a fiesta needs food!

Pastora Carolina (top left), and Pastora Dunia (bottom right)

Larry and I were invited to join the team with distributing the shoeboxes and assuring the kids that these gifts represented Jesus' love shared from children and adults from other countries. And oh my!!! The kids loved receiving their gifts!! (For the full effect - check out the video blog - with noise - lots of noise.)

For us, this was an opportunity to see the process through to completion. We have participated with our church family in preparing shoe boxes and praying for each recipient. When they were younger, we helped our kids plan their shoeboxes. Our grandchildren now participate in preparing a shoebox.  

Pictures from Emmanuel, 2018,
when Eliana participated in shoebox prep.

Now we have been able to feel the excitement from the other end where we helped with the distribution of the boxes! Wow! Such joy!  

I think the biggest worry for all of us on the team was what would we do if we ran out of shoeboxes? What if all the children in the Colonia arrived?!! What if we didn't have enough boxes for each of the three age groups - boy and girl?  Evidence that this day was all in God's hands? We had shoeboxes for each child, and sufficient for each of the six groups. Six or seven boxes remain and these will be presented to children who were absent.

There are those who say that you should not participate in the shoebox program. (as there are those who say you should not do lots of really great things!) From what we saw, it was good, good, good! The distribution was conducted from a Christian church with Christian leaders prepared to pray with the kids and to encourage them to return for each Sunday for the next 12 weeks to continue La Gran Adventura, the study that accompanies the shoe boxes. 

It was happy kids enjoying their food, and greeting their parents when the morning ended. We are looking forward to seeing kids with their new stuffies, hair bands, bouncy balls, toy cars, slinkies  ....... when they return over the next weeks to continue their Gran Adventura.