A reprint of a blog post about my visit to the Operation Christmas Child operation center near Atlanta, GA, on 12/2/2010.
I was given an opportunity that was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I, along with 42 other members of Crosshaven Baptist Church, served for 4 hours at the processing plant of Operation Christmas Child near Atlanta, Georgia. You cannot begin to imagine what an immense undertaking it is to gather all of these shoe boxes together to send around the world to children who may never receive another gift.
We began by watching a brief film about the impact of this ministry. The smiles on the faces of the children are humbling; It would bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened person. Next there is a short demonstration on the proper way to go through the boxes to prepare them to be shipped. This is just to give the volunteers an overview of the things they will do. Although I was one of those selected to take place in the demo, I actually did none of the jobs we were shown. More on that later.
First thing is to remove any money. Not only are the funds to be used for shipping, but a child could be put in danger from someone wanting that cash. So, even toy money is not advised as a gift. After money is placed in a safe location, the box is turned over to inspectors. These are the volunteers who sort through the box to remove any items that cannot be shipped. Liquids are banned, and after seeing a couple of examples where the liquids spilled, that is totally understandable. Any type toy or clothing that would remind one of war is also removed. Breakable items, food, used items....these are among those that cannot be left in the box. They are placed in separate containers and each item is replaced with an appropriate substitute.
We had been told that while some items may seem odd, especially for a child, to leave them unless they were on the banned list. One story was one I found very poignant: In one box, someone had placed a hammer and chisel. The child who received that box immediately grabbed the tools and raced for home, absolutely overjoyed. His father had been offered a job....just as soon as he was able to get a hammer & chisel! What would seem like foolishness to us was God's provision for that family!!
The next person in line is the taper. I think that job description is rather self-explanatory. The taper then hands off to a person who packs it into a box labeled with the appropriate gender/age group. If a person has chosen to follow the contents of their box, it does pass through the hands of the person who has the scanner. This enables Samaritan's Purse to update the donor on which country their box went to, making this an even more personal experience.
A job that was not explained to us, but was the one I ended up doing, is called the runner. Those who know me know that not only do I not run, but due to a car accident 16 years ago, I even often have trouble walking. Less than 4 months ago, I walked unaided for a mile for the first time in 16 years and have tried to keep that up and add a little to it. One of the runners kept the bins of extra gifts filled (to replace the removed banned items.) For 4 hours, I walked back and forth, emptying trash cans and taking the banned items to their location.
As a side note, if the thought of these banned items going to waste has crossed your mind...nothing is wasted! There are other ministries that can accept these items to hand out to those in need. Volunteers also man this area to sort the banned items to be easily handed off to the appropriate charities. Something has to be completely inappropriate to be considered unusable.
Near the end of our shift, I sent a message to a good friend; "PRAY! I don't think I have the strength to get back on the bus!" I seriously wondered if I was going to have to live in Atlanta if I was unable to climb the steps aboard the bus. I just kept going while praying, "I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me." ~ Philippians 4:13. I also would periodically remind myself that they do have volunteer jobs available for those who need to sit, but I just had to get keep going!
After 4 hours, I was exhausted, in great physical pain, and filthy.....but I was also so very blessed to have been a part of such a glorious ministry. The 2 times we stopped to pray, especially for a box that each person chose to cradle in their arms as though it were the actual child, truly strengthened me!!! So, if you are ever given the opportunity to help with the Shoebox Ministry....DO IT!!!!!www.facebook.com/OCCshoeboxes
