Operation Christmas Child 2017

Every Christmas, I love the opportunity to follow Jesus' command to go into all the world in an additional way than my normal ministry in Honduras and Guatemala.  Without wandering far from home, people across the United States have the opportunity to participate in Operation Christmas Child.  Shoe box gifts are collected each November and sent all around the world, to share the love of Christ with children in impoverished countries.  National Collection Week is November 13-20!  Click here to find your nearest drop off location.

You start by choosing an age and gender, and filling a decorated shoe box with both fun and useful items for a child.  You bring the gift to the drop off location in your area; and from there, they are sent all over the world.  The boxes are given to children at Christmas events where the gospel is presented in the form of a message called "The Greatest Gift".  After the gift distribution, the recipients are invited to partake in a 12-week discipleship course through a local church in their area.  Items that are not allowed in the boxes include liquids/lotions, toothpaste, candy/food, seeds, medication/vitamins, and war-related items such as fake weapons and camouflage shirts.

The ministry strongly encourages you to make a $9 donation to cover the cost of shipping your gift overseas.  If you choose to donate online, you can print a tracking label to find out where in the world your box is sent.

Here are the items I included in my shoe box this year.  I packed for a girl age 5-9.  I like to include things that would be useful, appropriate, and understood anywhere in the world; but also things that children in impoverished places are not likely to already have easy access to.  In this box, I included a hat, gloves, socks, a tiara headband, a journal, a doll, a toothbrush in a plastic holder, soap, a wash cloth, crayons, a multi-color stamp pen, pencils (I added more pencils after taking this photo), a cross necklace, a plastic phone cord bracelet, 2 sets of play jewelry, a Christmas card, a coloring book, princess stickers, 2 pencil sharpeners, a plastic glow-in-the-dark star, and a deflated beach ball.  Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Some packing tips:

• A doll or stuffed toy is my top must-have item in every box.  This year, I chose this Aurora World Doll, because it was soft and cuddly, but also had normal doll hair rather than yarn.  I chose to avoid stuffed animals, as many countries have cultural meanings behind certain animals.  Please note that stuffed animals are allowed and even encouraged by the ministry; and God will get your box to the right child who will enjoy it.  I just felt the need to make my box universal to wherever it may go this year.  If you choose to pack with this in mind, there are many options for stuffed toys that don't mimic actual animals- snow men, minions, monsters (think Elmo), Shopkins plush toys, etc.

• After a doll or stuffed toy, the next item that I always include is a cross necklace or bracelet.  If the child accepts Jesus at the gift distribution, I want them to have a special memento of their new life as a child of God.  I got this necklace from christianbook.com, where they also have many options for boys.  If you are packing many boxes, Oriental Trading sells crosses and other fun items in bulk.

• With the same idea of making the box universal to anywhere, I typically avoid weather-specific clothing and accessories.  However, this year I felt led to include the knit hat and gloves.  I'm sure God knows why.  If nothing else, they're super pretty!  

• I always include white socks.  This is partially to protect their feet and keep them warm, and partially because white socks are part of school uniforms in many parts of the world.

• I like to pack princess-y hair accessories for the girls and hats for the boys.  I tend to choose headbands over hair ties or clips, in case it goes to a country where girls don't have long hair.

• Basic school supplies are a must!  Journals and/or notebooks, pencils, sharpeners, and crayons or colored pencils go in my boxes every year.  I prefer colored pencils over crayons, because they are less likely to break or melt.  This year, though, I went with the princess crayons to match the color scheme of the box.  In many countries, having these basic supplies is the determining factor as to whether or not a child will get an education.

• My basic hygiene items for my boxes each year include a toothbrush, wash cloth, and soap.  Not only are these essential items for anyone, but the soap makes the box smell nice.  I put the soap in a baggie with the wash cloth, in case it were to melt.  I also think grouping the soap together with the wash cloth makes it more likely that the child will know what it is if they don't normally have access to it.

• Because this is a Christmas gift, I like to include at least one Christmas-related item.  This year, that was the nativity Christmas card, which can stand up and double as a decoration.  

• Besides the doll or stuffed toy, I like to include at least one craft and one active toy that can be shared with friends.  This year, that was the coloring book and the beach ball.

Other fun ideas that didn't make it into my box this year:

• Legos, blocks, and building sets
• Bead kits
• Toy cars
• Water bottles
• Soccer balls (deflated, with a pump and needle)
• Solar lights
• Emergency mylar blankets
• Puzzles
• Clothing and shoes
• Action figures and play sets (avoid anything with weapons)
• Tote bags, purses, and backpacks
• Jump ropes
• Tools
• Picture books

Last, you can include a personal note and a photo of yourself.  If you choose to include your mailing address, the child and their family have the option to write back to you.  I do this every year and have had one child write back so far!

I ended up packing 2 more boxes at the last minute after making this post, but unfortunately only got decent pictures of this one.  Comment below with what you are including in your shoe box gift this year!  

Manna 4 Lempira Backpacks 2017

Sponsoring a child with Manna 4 Lempira means not only sending letters and financial support, but also getting to send a backpack filled with school supplies and Christmas gifts once every year (the Honduran school year starts shortly after Christmas.)  Today, I am going to be sharing what I packed for my own sponsored children, in hopes of giving ideas to others who are still packing.  You can click on any of the photos to enlarge them.  Remember, backpacks are due to Manna 4 Lempira by September 22!

This year, I packed backpacks for my seven Manna 4 Lempira children, as well as my Estefani, who is not sponsored through an organization.  I'm only going to share the contents of the Manna bags in this post, because the other doesn't follow the same packing guidelines.

The required items for each backpack are: 8 notebooks, 20 pencils, 1 sharpener, 10 pens (for children 10 and older), 24 crayons or colored pencils, 1 pair of scissors, 1 ruler, and extra erasers.  Your monthly sponsorship fees actually cover these items and the backpack itself, so you only have to pack them if you want to choose specific items and/or free up funds that can be used for an unsponsored child.  If you choose to let the ministry provide the backpack and school supplies, you can still send gifts!  Just put the gifts in a large ziplock bag, labeled with your child's name and ID number, and send it to Manna 4 Lempira.  They will add it to a backpack for you.

Each backpack needs to be labeled with your child's name, ID number, and photo.  I used the app Pic Collage to make these bag tags for my kids.  I printed them on photo paper and used regular curling ribbon to tie them to the zippers of the bags.  I also placed an address label with their name and ID number on the straps and taped around it, just in case the tags rip off.  Each bag also has a letter inside with their ID number on it.

While in Honduras this summer, I carried around a journal and jotted down any needs that I noticed.  This included physical needs, emotional needs, and spiritual needs- as well as wants and interests.  I came home and prayed over these lists, and shopped based on them.  Let's start with Marcos.

Marcos is my only boy.  Wow, I never thought I could have so much love and excitement in my heart choosing things for a boy.  God definitely knew what He was doing with this one.

The biggest need I wanted to fill for Marcos was clothing .  Here's what I packed.....

For school supplies, each child needs 8 notebooks.  I did a mixture of nicer decorated notebooks and plain notebooks in coordinating colors.  I also sent stickers to each child to decorate the plain ones.  Marcos likes sports, so I sent him 2 Pittsburgh Steelers notebooks (my local sports team) and 6 plain black notebooks with car stickers to decorate. He also got all of the required supplies, plus some decorative pins that he can use to decorate the outside of his backpack.

I usually buy the plain and less expensive school supplies in bulk, and then find a few decorative things like pencil cases to make them more fun.  My children each got two of these 8-packs of pencils, 4 loose pencils (because 20 are required), sharpeners, colorful pencil topper erasers, and a few fun shaped erasers.  Marcos' erasers included sports balls and stars.

I also included basic hygiene supplies for each child.  These included tooth brushes, tooth paste, soap, and wash cloths.  In addition to the school and hygiene items, Marcos is getting a Pittsburgh Steelers shirt, a red shirt for Christmas, another t shirt, a soccer ball (with a pump and needle), and a fidget spinner because I wanted to introduce him to a toy that children here in the states enjoy.  I did a storybook theme in my kids' letters this year, so they are each getting at least 1 book in their backpack.  Marcos is getting The Squire & The Scroll and The Life of Jim Elliot (for kids).  And last, he is getting a picture of he and I from our most recent visit.  

Next is Carmen.  Carmen is my heart.  She is the most loving, joyful, affectionate child I have ever met.  She writes the most amazing letters and just wants to love everyone.  

The need I wrote down for Carmen was purity-related books and gifts- not because of anything with her specifically, but because of needs in her community as a whole.  The other things that I noticed she always enjoys are jewelry and fancy dresses.

Her school supplies were the same idea, except with a little more glitter and floral print.  Flowers have a special meaning for she and I.  I also included colorful gel pens, because the last time I gave her some, she wrote about how much she loved them for months afterwards.

In addition to school supplies, she is getting all of the same basic hygiene supplies as Marcos, with the addition of scented lotion (same for all of my older girls).  For additional items, I tried to make her gifts centered around The Beauty & the Beast/Belle/roses.  The Beauty & the Beast is one of the stories I shared in her letters this year, and she already loves flowers.  She is getting a floral dress, floral t shirt, another shirt that I forgot to photograph, Belle doll, floral earrings, pictures of she and I from our most recent visit, an American Girl book (my favorites as a child), and the book A Young Woman After God's Own Heart.  After taking this picture, I received a letter from Carmen asking if I could send her rain boots for when she walks to church- so I included those too.

Next are Kenia, Irma, and Yessenia.  They are family & live together in the neediest community I've ever seen.  Most people in this community are not taught to read or write and haven't heard the gospel prior to joining the program.  Despite the situations that surround them, my girls have hope for their futures.

My list of needs for this community was much longer than the others.  The list included reading materials, vocational training, clothes and shoes, hygiene supplies, things to stay busy, and things to encourage spiritual growth.

I'll start with Irma.  Irma is the child who lit up at the thought of being an artist or fashion designer.  She is the child who loves purple flowers as much as I do and who is full of love that is just waiting to be shared.  

In addition to her basic school and hygiene supplies, Irma is getting an additional sketch pad and Disney princess fashion design coloring book.  She is getting a Spanish picture dictionary that shows you things that start with each letter so you can teach yourself how the letters sound, and blank note cards for memorization.

Irma is also getting a red floral dress, an "artist" shirt, shoes, socks for school, a Disney princess puzzle, a stuffed panda, a picture of she and I, and the book Miss Rumphius (it's about flowers and has lots of pictures until she learns to read.)

Her older sister, Kenia, is getting almost identical school and hygiene supplies.  In addition, she will receive a pretty pink blouse with a glittery burgundy skirt, a pink butterfly shirt, a shirt that says "I am intelligent and beautiful" in Spanish, jelly shoes, socks for school, a For Such a Time as This picture storybook about women of the bible, a stuffed cat, embroidery floss to learn jewelry making, a bracelet set, and a photo of she and I.  The nail charm set shown here didn't end up fitting in her bag, so it was given to a friend for their sponsored child.

The youngest girl, Yessenia, is getting similar learning and hygiene supplies.  Her other items include a dress with a bow design for Christmas, a pink shirt with roses on it, jelly shoes, an Elena of Avalor doll, an Elena coloring storybook, an Elena puzzle, an Elena jewelry set, and a picture of she and I from our most recent visit.

Next is Angie.  Angie lives in a different area of Honduras and is a sweet, happy child.

  

Angie comes from a precious family who cares for her.  I didn't notice any specific needs in her life, but noticed that she loves watches and jewelry.  Over the course of our 3 days together, the only question she asked me was, "Why don't you wear watches?".  Angie also loves animals, especially rabbits, and painting.

In addition to the school and hygiene items, Angie is getting a bow dress for Christmas, a Frozen dress (I shared the story with her in a letter), a stuffed rabbit, The Chronicles of Narnia book, the same American Girl book as Carmen, a photo of she and I, a painting set, and a cosmetic bag of fun 

 girly items.  The cosmetic bag includes scented lotion, Frozen lip balm, a Frozen watch, plastic cord bracelets, 2 sets of earrings, and glitter headbands

Last, we have Amy.  Amy is my newest child who I didn't sponsor until after the trip this summer, so I didn't know much about what she liked or needed.  Her profile says that she likes dolls and art.  I sponsored Amy in honor of my sister, Amy, who passed away.  My sister's middle name was Starr, so I knew I wanted to give her as many star-themed gifts as possible.

In addition to all of the basic items, I wanted to give Amy some extra art supplies.  I included a drawing pad, 2 coloring books, colored pencils, crayons, and princess markers that can double as little dolls.

For additional items, I went with the gifts that I try to make sure all of my girls have- a bible, a doll, a cross necklace, and a tiara/headband.  I also included some play jewelry with stars on it, and a little Shopkins play set to introduce her to a popular toy from my country.  She is also getting 3 pieces of clothing with stars on them, including a skirt that matches her doll.

That's basically everything for this year's backpacks.  I hope this gave you some insight as you pack for your kids!  I can't wait to see what everyone else is packing!