So a couple of weeks ago we had our Operation Christmas Child kick-off at church for sending Shoeboxes away to children in places like Haiti, Nicaragua and Costa Rica just to name a few.  I have always heard of doing this but I wasn't entirely sure how to go about it until this year.  So we went and took 6 shoeboxes (one for each member of our family) and committed to filling them within 3 weeks to send out.  Since then we have seen a couple of videos with testimonies from a couple of people who received a shoebox when they were younger and the impact that it had on their lives.  They are stories that tug on your heartstrings for sure but I find myself wondering if these stories are an exception to the norm.  Do most kids view it and experience it as an exciting event that puts a big smile on their face (like our Christmas)? or do many of the kids have life changing moments because of what they received?  Either way I truly believe that the six children receiving our boxes have already been chosen and there's a part of me that wishes I (and my boys) could be there the moment they receive their box.  I would love to see the excitement and the smiles that it might bring.  While I know I won't be able to be there I just continue to think about what we have done on our end - and as we finish filling our boxes (with nothing that I myself view as anything spectacular), and placing a photo of our family along inside, I just hope that when that child opens their box there is something in there that they've been waiting and praying for that changes their lives in a special way.

Here's the start of our boxes!