31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 29

Today will you join all of Operation Christmas Child Prayer Warriors in praying for an effective logistics plan and for the safety of the truck drivers as they transport gifts to the Processing Center locations. I am so thankful for the promises in God's Word..."For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 27 & 28

Sorry I am a day behind, so today I will combine yesterday's and today's prayer requests for 31 days of prayer for OCC.

Yesterday we were asking everyone to pray for the new Prayer Mobilization efforts in the Processing Centers including the Prayer Walk Ministry and the Prayer Wall. Also today's request is to pray for the successful worldwide implementation of the discipleship program, The Greatest Journey! You can sign up for the Operation Christmas Child Call to Prayer at: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/call-to-prayer/ 
We need more people to commit to prayer times next week during National Collection Week, Nov. 16-23rd.

Come on Arkansas....lets cover OCC in Prayer...we can do better than this!!!

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 26

Tonight pray for safety for the more than 110,000 volunteers as they travel to the Processing Centers, many from great distances.

An exciting way for groups and individuals to serve the Lord through Operation Christmas Child is to volunteer at one of our collection sites. Opportunities to volunteer are available during National Collection Week, the third week of November. Contact your regional office to learn more about these opportunities.

To serve as a Connect Volunteer with Operation Christmas Child, fill out the Year-Round Volunteer Interest Form

Pray for Ukraine this week. Their specific requests are: 

1. Pray for the opportunity to reach children in areas of war and near the borders.

2. Pray God’s hand will be in all of the OCC trainings for the Ministry Partners and teachers.

3. Pray for the preparation of the documents needed to receive a shipment. Pray the process goes well and moves quickly.

Thanks for your faithfulness.

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 25

Today let us pray for the ongoing and effective ministries of local churches where Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts will be distributed.

The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

PREPARING TO RECEIVE SHOEBOXES--Even before you have thought about your shoebox, we and our volunteer teams are busy preparing to receive your box through: Prayer, Promotion in sending countries, and Training in receiving countries. 
PACKING SHOEBOXES--You and millions of other people engage in this fun activity. Individuals, Families, Local Churches and other groups, including schools and workplaces all pack these Gospel Opportunity Shoeboxes.
COLLECTING SHOEBOXES--Now bring your box to us so that we can send it on to a needy child.
Drop-off locations Don’t forget your donation – with your shoebox or processed online (you can donate online here to follow your box). Boxes are taken from drop-off/collection points to Processing Centers.  
PROCESSING SHOEBOXES--Each shoebox is checked to make sure all contents are appropriate for children. At Processing Centers, each shoebox is inspected by volunteers. Boxes must meet the receiving country’s customs requirements. Consolidation and preparation for shipment takes place then the boxes are shipped!
SHIPPING SHOEBOXES--Hundreds of trucks/lorries and sea containers are now ready to transport your box and millions like it. Transit to receiving country takes place and Customs clearance happens, then the shoeboxes are delivered to local churches and ministry partners.
DISTRIBUTING SHOEBOXES--Finally, your shoebox gets into the hands of a child! A lively, fun distribution event for children happens! Creative Gospel presentation by local churches and ministry partners happen. Where appropriate Shoeboxes are given to children unconditionally. Wherever appropriate, children are offered a copy of The Greatest Gift of All booklet in their own language by local churches and ministry partners. Soon after an OCC distribution event, the local churches and ministry partners may offer The Greatest Journey (TGJ) to the children participating in OCC in many of their communities. You can read more about this program here on our web site.
THE GREATEST JOURNEY--This exciting discipleship program teaches children to become faithful followers of Jesus Christ. After the OCC distribution event, where appropriate, children who received shoe boxes are invited to participate in TGJ by the local churches and ministry partners.
TGJ is a 12-lesson discipleship program, in the local language, from Samaritan’s Purse. It is utilized by the Operation Christmas Child project and is implemented by local churches and ministry partners. Children join with other children from their community to participate. Volunteers are trained to lead children through the lessons. Children who complete TGJ are awarded a personal certificate and many receive a copy of the New Testament in their local language.

WHAT GOES IN THE BOX IS FUN...WHAT COMES OUT IS ETERNAL!

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 24

Today pray for the press events taking place at various Processing Centers including Orange County, Denver, Dallas, and Charlotte. Pray for wisdom with the media and clear communication of the ministry's heart.

God has entrusted us with certain resources and we want to be faithful in managing these blessings.
Praying together, let’s covenant to be good stewards of what He has given us the privilege and responsibility to oversee.

BOONE, N.C., Aug. 7, 2015 — Reaching more than 11 million children with Christmas joy takes a massive, year-round effort. That’s why, whether it’s August or December, generous volunteers across the United States are partnering with the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. Through the Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child, kids, families, churches and groups create gifts by filling shoeboxes with a “wow” item—like a doll or soccer ball—and other fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items. These gifts can make a significant difference in the lives of children in need worldwide.  “At any given time, there are more than 8,500 volunteers across the United States making important progress in our effort to collect as many gift-filled shoeboxes as possible,” said Randy Riddle, Operation Christmas Child Director in the United States. “Each shoebox gift represents one more child who will learn he or she is loved and not forgotten.”  

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 124 million children in more than 150 countries and territories. In 2015, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 11 million children.

How U.S. Residents Can Join the Effort:  PACK A SHOEBOX GIFT — Fill shoeboxes with toys, school supplies, hygiene items and notes of encouragement or visit https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/ to virtually pack a shoebox through an online tool. The shoebox gift may be the first gift a child has ever received!

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 23

Pray for the National Leadership Teams as they secure financial support to meet ministry expenses within their countries. 

Shoebox gifts collected in the United States in 2014 were delivered to 79,286 children in South Sudan. Praise God that over 351,400 children have received a shoebox since 1998, when Operation Christmas Child began distributing gifts in South Sudan. The National Leadership Team for Operation Christmas Child in South Sudan distributed shoebox gifts in Lainya, a small town close to Juba. OCC was able to partner with pastors whose churches had recently been rebuilt through the Samaritan’s Purse Church Reconstruction Project, further strengthening the impact and influence of these pastors in their communities. Lainya is actively working to develop its infrastructure after being regularly bombed during the last 20 years of civil war. In this small town, young people are rightly viewed as critical to sustain a bright future. Children who received a shoebox gift were offered evangelistic material that presents the Gospel story in ways that connect with a child. The National Team trained over 40 volunteers from local churches, many of them youth, to carry out the shoebox gift distributions.

Here Am I...Send Me!

Sometimes life seems a little crazy, I wonder if things will turn out right. I wonder if I, we, made the right decisions and ever if we are following God's Will for our lives. We may not always understand what is happening or where we are going but we just have to say "Here am I, send me" and faithfully obey, ONE step at a time. Even if we trip or stumble on those steps as long as we are faithfully pursuing God's Will for our lives it will all work out right, in HIS perfect timing.

22 years ago, today, I was sitting in my senior classes at Trumann High School giddy as could be with butterflies in my tummy! I was so nervous, it was my 1st ever blind date EVER!!! It was the 2nd blind date--2 nights in a row with 2 different girls for for my future husband, Kevin (but that's a different story). I think I may have "had Kevin at hello", but it took me a little longer to realize he was the one whom I was supposed to spend FOREVER with! Little did I know what God had planned for our lives after this Friday night 22 years ago! I probably still talk just as much and have just as big of hair as I did then and he is almost just as quiet but oh how the love has grown over the years! I thought I was marrying a farm boy 9 months after our blind date, but I sure do love that preacher man of mine! From a wheat technician to a pastor, God had it all mapped out, we just had to faithfully take those steps, one at a time! HE has a calling on each of our lives, some of us realize it sooner than others, but the question is will we say "here am I, send me"? If we faithfully step up to the plate and obey, wow, what a change we could all make in this sin-filled world. What is HE calling you to do today?

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

"My beloved is mine and I am his" Song of Solomon 2:16 #NotAllBlindDatesAreBad

Kevin and I on August 6, 1994