Operation Christmas Child & Service project

Wanted to share some photos from our time at Operation Christmas Child.  This is such a wonderful experience!  I highly recommend it to anyone able to do it.  You need to be at least 13 years old and the reservations go quickly!  We called the day that the registration opened (I think it was Aug 1st) to get our group signed on.

There are 7 facilities in different states.  We are blessed to have 2 here in NC.  We drove to the Charlotte facility to work.  Since it was soooo close ... we made a stop by Ikea on the way.  LOL  What a fun store!

 We met some friends to work with again this year.  We started out in the training area, learning about the various steps in the process.

 From inspecting boxes to packaging, each person has a different role.

 We started out in an area where there were lots of extra things donated for the boxes.  More  boxes are filled with these extra things and brought to the stations.  If there is a shoebox that has to have something removed (ex. liquid items that can't be shipped), then more things can be put into the box.  Or if a box just has room for more things, there are options here to add.

 Met my long-time FIAR friend Bo and her daughter too!  Wish we had more time to chat - we'll have to plan that better next year.  :-)

 Lots of smiles because this really is a fun place to work.  Its neat to hear the stories of how the boxes have touched and changed people's lives!  Changed lives ... all from a shoebox!  God is good!

 My girl hard at work!

 A  picture of the "lines" where the boxes are inspected and then packed to be shipped.  The large boxes are labelled for age group (2-4, 5-9, 10-14) and gender.      

 Rebecca and I in front of the filler area.

 Loved seeing this in one of the boxes!  This is a book from our homeschool curriculum and I loved thinking about a little boy or girl in another country reading this sweet story.  :-)

 After working in the filler area for awhile, we then moved to one of the lines.  We again were given different jobs.  Some inspected boxes, others helped label boxes and some helped pack boxes.  This is also the area where boxes were scanned if the person sending it asked for a notice of where the box was sent.

 There is a list of things to look for that can't be included in the box.  Things are only removed if necessary and the integrity of the box is kept intact as much as is possible.

 The goal was to get at least 15 shoeboxes into each large shipping box.  The green and red "official" boxes sure were easy to pack!  It was challenging to pack the various sizes - kind of like working a puzzle so that you could maximize the space and the number of boxes!

 This is a view from the upper level of the warehouse floor.

Just getting ready to leave.  We had a wonderful time working and look forward to going again next year.  Roger was sweet to stay home with our younger children so that Rebecca and I could enjoy this day out.

All the volunteers are given an OCC shirt.

We treated ourselves to Olive Garden on the way home.  It was a long, fun and fulfilling day spent with people I really enjoy being with.

We also did a service project with our FIAR homeschool group.  This is one we have done for a number of years and it has worked well with the age range of our group.  We make fleece blankets to donate to children in a local shelter.  

 We also make cards to go along with the blankets.

 There is something for everyone and we end with a potluck lunch.

 Having done this for a few years now, more are comfortable with cutting and making the blankets and that is fun too.

 I love seeing the variety in all that is made.  I imagine it blessing so many children.

 We pray over the blankets and the people who will be receiving them.  I'm thankful we can serve our community in this way.

 I'm thankful for friends that are willing to serve.

I would love to find more projects that we can do throughout the year that are things a wide range of ages can do.  My youngest is a little challenging in some arenas.  *grin*  Anyone have any suggestions?

Blessings

Leslie

Making blankets

I'm going to use this week to recap some of our activities this month.  With our FIAR group, we made fleece blankets to donate to a couple of local charities.  We chose 2 that also share the gospel and it is my prayer that these blankets will truly make a difference in someone's life for eternity.

We have done this project for several years now.  We like it because it is easy to involve people of all ages.  In addition to making the blankets, we make cards to go along with them. 

We ask each family to bring fleece.  Many choose patterns (girl or boy) to go along with their family members.  We also suggest various sizes for blankets from baby to teen.  Its so much fun to sit around working on the blankets. 

It's just a sweet time of fellowship and fun for all of us.  The Moms all thought it was like being at a quilting bee.  Quite fun!

Of course, there is time for goofing off and having fun too!

We enjoyed a potluck lunch together.

Gathering most of the group for a photo with the blankets.

The kids were proud of their work and I love them having as many opportunities as possible to give and serve others.

I am thankful for friends who are willing to take time during a hectic time of year to do something to bless others.  It's always a sweet time together with friends.  Praying that God would use this to bring glory to His name!

Blessings
Leslie

Operation Christmas Child

We had the wonderful opportunity to serve Operation Christmas Child this year.  We tried last year, but due to having one of the later slots in the season we weren't able to go as they had finished all of the work!  This year, we chose an earlier time slot!

We met a group of our FIAR homeschool friends.

We arrived at the warehouse and went through training to learn of the various jobs. 

I was incredibly moved to see that one of the locations for which the boxes were being packed was the Ukraine.  I have been praying for children there for years now and love knowing that some of them will be blessed by these boxes. 

After our training, we were than taking to a line to wait for our instructions.  We were split up into several groups.  I went with Rebecca and Daniel into the shoebox hospital. 

For the boxes that have been damaged, they are repacked into new boxes.  We found that there was one particular box that didn't hold up well and we repacked many of these.  The three of us worked hard with a goal of emptying a large "box" of them.  As more and more kept being added to the pile - growing from one to two - we changed our goal. 

We then just worked to fill up new "boxes" with repaired shoeboxes.

While we were at the hospital, the rest of the group had various other jobs from breaking down boxes,

to doing inventory.

 As a special treat while I was there, I ran into a long time FIAR friend - Bonita!  What fun to have a few minutes to talk and see each other.  I'm thankful for the encouragement she is to me.  What a sweet blessing to see her!  Hugs to you friend!

After finishing their jobs, our friends moved to "the line".  Here each box is inspected, filler added if needed, labelled, taped and packed.  On the day we were there, some of the boxes were being sent to a "special access" country.  We don't know which country, but items that might have been offensive to one there were removed. 

We ended up staying an extra hour to work.  When we finished, we took a look at the overall operation.

We then headed out to dinner and then home.  It was a wonderful day.  One I look forward to repeating again next year!  I highly recommend this opportunity for service if you are at all interested. 

Some of what I loved about the day was the Christian music playing in the background and the prayers said for the workers and for those who would be receiving the boxes.  The really neat part though was hearing the stories of the impact these boxes have on the lives of others.  We heard one story of an ENTIRE family coming to know the love of Jesus due to ONE shoebox!  Isn't that amazing ... and humbling?!  We prayed over the boxes as we worked.  To think that we were serving as missionaries in that spot was a blessing.  I loved the stories too of how the contents of a box specifically blessed a child.  Often there are "unusual" things or even large quantities of a specific thing.  To hear of how God hand-picked these items for the child that would receive them is incredible.

This is a great ministry and I'm thankful we had the opportunity to serve with them.

Blessings
Leslie