This past weekend, 12/7 and 12/8, I went with my youth group to Atlanta, Georgia to the Operation Christmas Child processing Center, where they collect all of the boxes sent in from the entire Southeast and sort through them and stuff. We went to help with the process and ended up working for eight straight hours. There were several different jobs, several of which I ended up doing, but I mainly unpacked the shoe boxes out of the bigger boxes (the workers called them cartons). I would take out the boxes, open them, and check for any money placed in the box for shipping purposes. As a result, I was able to see the letters and notes from the people who packed the boxes. Almost every box that came in had a note. We had one carton that was completely filled with boxes from one elderly lady. In the last shoe box, though, she had put a check for shipping, and it was for 39 boxes. Thirty-nine. That's a lot of boxes, not to mention $273 to be paid in shipping.
I didn't keep track of how many boxes I looked through, but I think I unpacked somewhere around 20 cartons or so. So, let's think about this mathematically. If there were an average of 26 shoe boxes in a carton, then:
20 x 26 = 520 shoe boxes,
520 shoe boxes = 520 children,
all who are going to be given the hope of Jesus. And if the children subsequently share the Good News with their family, specifically their parents, that's:
520 x 3, child, mother, father.
That's potentially 1,560 people reached through theses shoe boxes. And that's just the boxes I unpacked for my group. There were at least 20 other stations going through cartons, if they went through 20 cartons each as well,
20 x 20 = 400,
400 x 26 = 10,400 shoe boxes,
10,400 shoe boxes = 10,400 children
10,400 x 3 = 31,200 people who could potentially hear the Gospel.
That's only in the eight hours we worked on Friday. They have been sorting boxes for several weeks before and will be sorting until Dec 17. That's a giant amount of boxes from the Atlanta center. if I remember correctly, there are five (six?) other processing centers in the country. That equals a whole bunch of boxes which equals an even bigger bunch of people.
What I'm trying to say, is even if you don't feel called to go on a mission trip to another country, there is always something you can do to help grow the Kingdom of God.These shoe boxes you make in your own home go all around the world to give a child a Hope they have never known before. One day, someone is going to come up to you and say, "You packed a shoe box, and I was given that box. Through your gift, I accepted Jesus. Thank you." That makes it so worth it. If you feel that you can't help spread the Gospel where you are, think again. There is always something you can do.
Serving as He calls me,
Emily E.
I didn't keep track of how many boxes I looked through, but I think I unpacked somewhere around 20 cartons or so. So, let's think about this mathematically. If there were an average of 26 shoe boxes in a carton, then:
20 x 26 = 520 shoe boxes,
520 shoe boxes = 520 children,
all who are going to be given the hope of Jesus. And if the children subsequently share the Good News with their family, specifically their parents, that's:
520 x 3, child, mother, father.
That's potentially 1,560 people reached through theses shoe boxes. And that's just the boxes I unpacked for my group. There were at least 20 other stations going through cartons, if they went through 20 cartons each as well,
20 x 20 = 400,
400 x 26 = 10,400 shoe boxes,
10,400 shoe boxes = 10,400 children
10,400 x 3 = 31,200 people who could potentially hear the Gospel.
That's only in the eight hours we worked on Friday. They have been sorting boxes for several weeks before and will be sorting until Dec 17. That's a giant amount of boxes from the Atlanta center. if I remember correctly, there are five (six?) other processing centers in the country. That equals a whole bunch of boxes which equals an even bigger bunch of people.
What I'm trying to say, is even if you don't feel called to go on a mission trip to another country, there is always something you can do to help grow the Kingdom of God.These shoe boxes you make in your own home go all around the world to give a child a Hope they have never known before. One day, someone is going to come up to you and say, "You packed a shoe box, and I was given that box. Through your gift, I accepted Jesus. Thank you." That makes it so worth it. If you feel that you can't help spread the Gospel where you are, think again. There is always something you can do.
Serving as He calls me,
Emily E.
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