OCC IDEA: Decorating Shoe Boxes w/Progams

Hello Packers!

     More likely than not you go to a church, right? In that church, a lady or one of the seating escorts will hand you a planner that has something nice to say on the front and then the program of the church service, what's going on and whose birthday it is in the inside: right? Well, I have been going to my church for a while now and they include these beautiful programs that have flowers or nature scenes and scripture. They look like this:

I don't necessarily like to keep them as they take up a lot of space and after reading them, they are unfortunately just a piece of paper with scripture that will be kept away in my Bible. So, with that being said, I thought about this a few days ago: these could look really nice on a box.

     A lot of people tend to attach drawings, scripture calendar pages and stickers to the outside of the boxes to make them look attractive and appealing to the children. I saw these and knew these would be great additions to my boxes.

They do make a perfect fit and if you aren't too fond of the logo being on every one of your boxes, this can do the trick. These can go on any box, this is just all I had available. 

The process to put these program covers on your shoe box is quite simple. You can cut, fold and tear or glue both pages together so that you have one sheet for your program.

 Next, you can tape the backside with double sided tape, a flipped tape holder, glue dots, glue or just tape it on like I did for most of them. 

In the end, VOILA! I know that it doesn't look like the greatest thing but just one simple piece of paper could bring God's grace to that child and also it adds a bit of personality to your shoe boxes. Anyway, I hope you guys liked that idea and I'll be cranking out some in the future so look forward to that. 

Happy Packing!

Christmas Wrapped 2-4 Year Old Girl Box

Hello Packers!

     Alright, so I don't really like to wrap up boxes in Christmas paper. Why? Well, most of the time that paper will be destroyed in the carrying hold and in the transportation process from the States to another country. I didn't want to do this at first but something told me that wrapping this box for this little girl would be worth it in the end. It did make an incredibly cute box but I must say that I give props to the packers out there that will wrap every single one of their boxes. I don't think I have enough patience for that. 

Now, isn't that just adorable?

     Now, I wasn't planning on packing a box today because I have work later on and a few errands to run but I just couldn't let this box go unpacked for another second. As you all know, I don't really like to do too many younger kid boxes. Why? Because in all truth, there will be more boxes donated to the younger/middle ages because they are a lot easier to pack. But, because of the things I saw the moment I walked in to my section of the garage for packing, I decided that this box will be going to the younger age of girls.

THE ITEMS:

     So, the items that I included were all based off the basic criteria of the shoe boxes according to the Operation Christmas Child packing video from their website. The categories include: TOYS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, SOMETHING TO WEAR, HYGIENE ITEMS, SOMETHING TO LOVE (Wow item).

TOYS:

     So, I know that stacking cups are a bit young for a 2-4 year old but they can also be used to play with sand or with water depending on where they live and who doesn't love something they can put something else into? Then I included three items from my Valentine's Day haul: a heart clapper (noise, the parents will love me), a light up flashlight wand and a color in tote bag. I like to include the color in stuff for the younger age because although it will be covered in scribbles, it is still a bit too small for the older age groups.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES:

     Every child deserves a coloring book so a coloring book was a must. (Unfortunately, this coloring book was too thick and didn't fit into the box, I had to use two Watermelon themed ones instead.) Of course, crayons need to go with the coloring book and more writing sets so five notebooks went inside with two erasers, a pencil sharpener, five pencils and five pens. (Someone asked me what the point of including pens was and I will say that pencils are helpful and all but nothing beats the smooth writing sensation of a pen against paper. Also, most children are able to make a pencil last for over three or so months so already that is about fifteen months of pencils right there and then pens for the opportunity to go to school longer as all they need is a writing utensil and something to write on.)

SOMETHING TO WEAR:

     Having something new to wear might not seem all that great to kids in the United States but to a child who might not have anything, it is a great blessing. Unfortunately I don't have any youth shirts for girls or gender neutral colored shirts for the girls either so this little girl gets a knit hat, socks and a pair of mittens instead. When looking for clothing, you don't have to include a shirt specifically but if you want to include a skirt, dress, or just a pair of underwear, that would make a load of difference to that little girl.

HYGIENE:

     Alright, so technically a water bottle and silverware aren't hygiene items but to fit the categories, they don't really go any where else. So here this child will be getting a set of silverware that have little hearts on them, a pack of facial tissue, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, a comb and a sippy cup. 

SOMETHING TO LOVE:

     This is one of the larger stuffed animals and I know I'm a little ageist here but I like to include the larger stuffed animals for the youngest age. Along with the cute bunny, this girly will get a pack of sweet heart candies. This is the last year for us to include candy as well as toothpaste so if you guys are thinking of including them, pack as much as you can because this will be the last year to do so.

PACKING:

1. I didn't include this in the picture because I always forget about stickers but here is the box with the flattest of items: stickers. Again, just a reminder, always have the flat stuff on the bottom of the box. 

2. Then went in the notebooks, crayons and the coloring books. I feel terrible for not being able to fit that one coloring book because that would have made my day as a child but hopefully the two coloring books here will suffice.

3. I didn't realize how deep my box was until I started loading it with the goodies. As you can see, the candy and the soap are both bagged so that they don't melt, crack or spill out onto the rest of the gifts. 

4. Now doesn't that look like a happy bunny? Unfortunately because the sippy cup was smaller than the usual cups I fill, it took up all that space with nothing inside it. Thankfully the stacking cups held the socks, pencil sharpener and the erasers so that the bunny could fit in nice and snug at the top of the box's items. 

     Alright Packers, it is 6/20/2016 here in the States and that means that the first day of drop off, 11/14/2016 is 147 days away! Can you believe it? We're under the 200 day mark! I hope you all are running those brains of yours on what to include in those boxes and get your praying knees on full blast for these beautiful children.

(Box 79)

Happy Packing!

OCC FINDS: Bible-Related Items at Dollar Tree

Hello Packers!

     This came to me a few days ago as I was watching a video on youtube about a girl's packing experience (yes, that is what I do in my free time...) and she pulled out one of the Recycled Paper Bible Coloring books that I had gotten before for my boxes. I was so excited to see that but in the comments, some people were wondering where she got it and where they could order them. So that got me thinking about giving you guys a post of all the Bible-related items that I could find at Dollar Tree that could go in your boxes. I tend to buy those items because I like to include a good amount of the Holy Book as possible without overwhelming the child with too much English language, especially if it isn't their first language. With that, I hope you guys like what I found and think about using some of them for your boxes.

The first thing I saw, and have previously posted about before are these great Bible playing cards. They are mostly memory games or match games so the concept of having to know the rules is mute. I also recommend getting these because even if they don't know how to play or they don't want to play, they also have people of the Bible on there so if a girl doesn't want to play with the cards as cards, she could also use them as dolls. I know, I don't really think that is a great use of Moses and Noah as they go to the mall with Barbie and Ken but still, this could be a really nice gift for either age and gives a fun way to learn about the Bible.

Like I had said earlier about the Bible coloring book, I found one at the Dollar Tree today. These are almost always there and will hopefully be there as long as OCC continues. I like this for all ages as they get to color the characters and learn about the Bible and God along the way. I will say that the inside of this coloring book is a bit more advanced so it may be more along the lines for a 10-14 year old rather than a 2-4 year old. If you find the recycled paper brand, those coloring books are more age appropriate for any age on the spectrum. Another thing I like about this is that it includes little stories at the bottom of the pages so if the child doesn't finish the Greatest Journey or loses their Bible, there are still stories from the Bible down below that they can learn to interpret in their own language.

A teacher was filling a box and she included beginning reader books for children of the older age as they could be just learning the English language and this could be a way to help them. I love that these books come in levels 1 and 2 and they have 3 stories of the Bible in them. These are the only ones that were available but if you are packing for older boys, these would be great additions and they are thin enough to fit into the boxes.

This book is quite English language heavy so I don't recommend this entirely but it is also a nice little book full of prayers for another person in time of distress, happiness, loneliness etc. It has over 15 pages full of long prayers for another person and you know how most of us hear, "You're in our prayers" but you don't fully believe them? This could be another way to convince the children that they truly are in your prayers and these ones written down express a small part of how much you pray for them. It is a small book despite the picture and it can be a great addition for an older child, you never know, they might be really good at reading English.

Now, I don't do this but I know of some packers out there that do and they include magnets for the middle and older age groups so that they can use them at home if they have a refrigerator or use them as a decoration piece at their home. Whatever they use them for, magnets can be included in your boxes. I have collected some of these for my own home because they are true and of pretty nice quality. All of them have some form of scripture on them and could be a nice pocket reminder to the children of God's great love. 

I haven't included anything too text heavy in my boxes for the sole reason that these children might not know English or don't know how to read at all for that matter because of a possible lack of education. However, I also think that basic word searches, although they are text heavy, can help a student learn some basic words and possibly open up their world to the English language which would be quite beneficial if they move to the United States or another English speaking country. I saw that a few ladies have included word searches like this before so I think this would be a great addition and as they look up basic Bible words, they recognize the Bible words and stories along the way. 

I LOVE these! These are perfectly small books and they are some of the "My First Book of..." brand books so they are perfect for young readers and it isn't too text heavy. Not only that, the books are in the shape of praying hands and they are about prayers for thank you's, friendships, bedtimes and mealtimes. I absolutely love these and recommend them hands down for any 2-4 year old boxes. Seriously, what a great find.

This was the last thing that I was able to find and I haven't done this myself but I can see how it can benefit for the older age group or for those who want to possibly get a letter sent back. This is a note card set and some people will leave a note with an envelope, sometimes addressed to their own homes, in hopes that the child will respond to them and write a letter back. Not all children do this and after three years, I can tell you that not many do but still there is that opportunity. Also, this is a perfect little card that can fit into a frame or be propped up so that they see this message every day. If not for a letter to send back to you, it could be that poster in their room or the only reminder of God's graces and good that they have. This is a nice little idea and you can get 8 for a dollar, that isn't too bad.

     Well, Packers, this was all that I could find that would be OK to put into a shoe box gift. I hope you guys take these items into consideration and put a lot of prayer into your boxes.

Happy Packing!

Three 10-14 Boys Boxes

Hello Packers!

     So, I have not been letting you guys know a lot about the shoe boxes I have been packing because I have been in a "packing high" for the last few weeks. This week I decided to slow down and take some pictures of the boxes that I packed for today. With that being said, here you go....

For starters, I decided to make some jewelry to put into the boxes this year for the children. I wasn't going to do something like this until I went to Hobby Lobby and there they were, telling me to put them in my basket to send to children around the world. They were originally set up with black string for the necklaces but the black string wouldn't go through the holes of the Jesus Fish so there was no way I was going to spend hours trying to needle the string through. Instead, I headed to my neighborhood dollar tree and found some great lacing thread. After measuring it on myself, I got to looking up Biblical colors and meanings for the necklaces. (I got 400 beads for a dollar)
White:Righteousness and Purity
Green: The earth and the fruits of God's love
Red: Jesus's blood paid for our sins
Blue: Heaven
Purple: Jesus's nobility as the King of Kings
Gold/Yellow: God's love and divinity

Pretty cool, right?

So, these are the boxes and I realized that I tend to get better boxes if I set them up in threes at times. I feel like I don't want this box to feel inadequate in front of the other boxes. 

So, pretty much all the boxes look the same with a few differences like different stuffed animal or different playing game but here is the list of basics in the box:

-Mini Erasers

-Eraser

-Deodorant

-Comb

-Jesus Necklace

-Mickey Cup

-Marble Bag

-Duct Tape Pencil Pouch

-Pencil Sharpener

-T-shirt

-Socks

-Soap

-Candy

-Coloring Book

-Toothbrush

-Toothpaste

-Mini Notebook

-Journal

-Note pad

-Coloring Pencils

-Pencils

-Pens

-Activity Pad

-Tissue Pack

(This one has a bunny stuffed animal, a card game called Spoons and a light up Bouncy Ball)

As you can see, it has the same amount of things as the last one but has a large ball and a ball-point game.

This box has an American Football, a cow plush and a deck of cards.

Something that didn't happen with the other boxes was that this box fell a little short in regards to being a fully packed shoe box. Despite having the same amount of stuff, it did not look all that full.

Thankfully I have so many filler items that this boy's box will look better than ever. Because of the box's shortage I filled it up with a pair of gloves, a light up wand, a whistle, dinosaur erasers and 6 superhero figurines. I hope he likes it!

     Alright packers, June is dwindling down faster than we had perceived so make sure you're looking for great deals and ready to start packing. 

(67,68,69)

Happy Packing!

Including Scripture in the Shoe Boxes

Hello Packers!

     So, I did a little bit of reflection on my boxes and I will admit, I don't believe that my boxes truly reflect the goal of this ministry and that is to help children come to Jesus Christ and accept them as their Lord and Savior. I mean, I write in the letters about how much God loves them and that no one can take that love away but still something was eating at me recently that I just had to take to my boxes.

     When you guys saw my box for the red and girl 10-14 box, I wrote scripture in the ceiling of the box and it is so incredibly easy to include scripture in your box by just writing it on the top of the box. I love that idea and I decided that from now on, I will be doing that with my boxes to send some inspirational scripture to the children that receive my boxes. Saying that, I didn't suddenly pack tons of shoe boxes but I took my unfolded boxes from OCC and attached photos and scripture to the ceiling so that when I do use the boxes, they will be ready to get filled up.

I have five boxes with this scripture. I included this scripture because it gives some inspiration and encouragement to the children over in impoverished countries. I think this is also a nice little reminder that we need to trust in God and give our lives to God because any follower of God know that life is so much more uplifting when we have God as our Shepherd.
(PSALM 37:4)

I also have five boxes with this scripture and I included this because when we accept God into our lives and reach out to Him, we feel an overwhelming wave of peace and contentment with all the things going on in our lives because we know God is leading the way and God planned this life out for us.

(ROMANS 15:13)

Five boxes with this scripture and I included this scripture because yes, things might be bad right now and things might not seem the brightest but God is good all the time. Bad things might happen but God is still good. There will never be a bad God and especially for children in war-torn and possibly violent situations that question God's kindness, it is a small reminder that God is good and this is in his plan. (PSALM 107:1)

Five boxes with this scripture and I included this scripture because I pray that the children when they are weak or they feel hopeless that they know that I'm hoping that they are gaining strength from the Lord and that they have patience with His plans.

(COLOSSIANS 1:11)

Five boxes with this scripture and I included this for the self-explanatory meaning of God's plan for all the children of the world. I like this scripture a lot because it is just so simple but packs such a big punch of "Wow, I really do matter" that these children might have never heard in their life before.

(EPHESIANS 2:10)

Five boxes with this scripture. I included this scripture because a single quote from a girl at the distribution hit me. "That was the first time I ever heard 'I love you'." We love them and would do many things for these children but what an amazing blessing to hear that someone loved them so much that they died so they would even get to know them.

(ROMANS 5:8)

Five boxes with this scripture. I included this because if you saw Alex's story (Go to Samaritan's Purse if you haven't.) he forgave the man that murdered his entire family. God wants us to forgive others for He forgave us for ALL of our sins and in a time where mean people are killing friends and family members, although it is unfortunate, it makes a truly strong follower of Christ to forgive those that make life miserable.
(EPHESIANS 4:32)

Five boxes with this scripture. I included this with those in war-torn situations in mind. I use this scripture just for my anxiety but imagine the fear in some children in war-torn situations or in poverty situations where they have no idea when they will get their next meal. I love this scripture because it gives a nice reminder that you are loved by God and He will never ever leave you.
(Joshua 1:9)


 So, that is a set of a few examples of scripture to include in your boxes and I love this scripture so much and hope that it can lighten the day of a child or invite them to learn more about the great Lord and how they can become Christ-like.

Happy Packing!

OCC: Boyfriend Experiment

Hello Packers!

     So, like my experiment with my brother on how well he could pack a shoe box, I decided to take my boyfriend to the Dollar Tree and 99 Cent Store to pack his own shoe box for a 10-14 year old boy. This was a really fun experience for my boyfriend as he found it surprisingly easy to pack for an older boy when he had to think that this was their only Christmas gift.

     I am incredibly happy with how his box turned out because he was a bit more child-oriented in his box but also had the child's more likely than not poverty life in mind. The box was cram-packed with tons of toys, school supplies, hygiene items and sweets.

SHOPPING:

First stop: Toys! He was a bit concerned with the age group as a lot of the toys at the Dollar Tree are for younger children and might not be the best of quality. However, he was able to find some great balls and a deck of cards for the child.

Next stop was down the aisles to hygiene and tote bags. He didn't hesitate in grabbing the largest tube of toothpaste and a set of four toothbrushes for the boy. My brother and him think alike in that sense.

Finding a bag that was the best size but also not too girly was a bit of a dilemma for my man but he pulled through with a bag that has two handles and is made of very sturdy material to hold all of the boy's gifts.

PACKING:

This is the amount of items that he was able to find for his shoe box. They are:

-Toothpaste

-Toothbrushes

-Baseball Cap

-Tote Bag

-Notebook

-Coloring Book

-Football

-Rope

-Water Bottle

-Blow Pops

-T-shirt

-Socks

-Roller Bike

-Soap

-Crayons

-Deck of Cards

-Pencils

-Pens

-Calculator

-Pencil Sharpener

Unfortunately he wasn't able to pack it as I had to head home and get ready for work so I packed it for him. Unfortunately I was unable to pack the baseball cap or the football as the box was so incredibly packed with all the other items. (He wrote a note for the child right on top.)

With a whole lot of love and a whole lot of rubber bands, I was able to finish off his shoe box and mark the age. This box was a lot of fun to put together with my boyfriend as he got to see what I really do when it comes to packing the boxes and how important it is. He really wanted to include food items like my brother had and he also wanted to include shampoo and conditioner. The boys are so sweet and thoughtful but I had to tell them no.

(Box 59)

Happy Packing!

OCC: The Brother Experiment

Hello Packers!

     So, I decided that I'm going to do something for my brother and some lucky 10-14 year old boy out there and let my sweet brother pick out items for a boys' 10-14 shoe box at the Dollar Tree. I gave my brother the categories and answered what he could and could not include in the boxes but didn't tell him exactly what to put in there. This box was made entirely with my brother's thoughts for the boy in mind.

     I will say that this was such an exciting experiment because I got to see how my brother took into consideration the boy's age and all the things that this child might be experiencing in these times. My brother took a more grown up approach to the box and that was a nice change of pace as he is right, most boys at that age have to be the man of the house or might have to take care of possibly their own children. So, with that mindset, I loved seeing how he was able to create a box with some fun but also a lot of things that he believed a boy would need.

SHOPPING:

Here is my glorious brother and his shoe box. I purchased a label of his own so that we will get an e-mail regarding his shoe box and where it will be headed. He wasn't all too happy about carrying the shoe box around at the store but when he realized that he needed to make sure things fit inside, the shoe box came in handy.

My brother's first item was a water bottle and he took a lot of consideration into the type of water bottle to include as a personal water bottle would be nice but the larger one will be more beneficial if it goes to a boy in a country where they get their water from a river or a well.

 When it came to school supplies, my brother did not hesitate in getting the pack with the most pencils which I believe was a pack of 18. He was a little upset that the pencils weren't already sharpened but a pencil sharpener was all he needed to add.

For the "Something to wear" category, my brother decided that some pairs of socks would be a great addition. He kept comparing the lengths of the ankle socks and the material.

Along the way, my brother devised a color preference of blue and green items in the box and searched for those colored items. He also asked what type of utensils these children were allowed to receive and voila, two sets of forks and spoons were placed in the box.

Picking a toothbrush was hard and my brother kept wondering if they were all the same price. He ended up choosing a pack of four toothbrushes and a child's toothpaste.

PACKING:

This is the set of items my brother chose to include:

-Mind Boggle Metal Puzzles

-Tooth brushes

-Pencils

-Water Proof Band-aids

-Thick Plastic Bowl

-Water Bottle

-Forks

-Spoons

-Thick Rope

-Towel

-Worker's Gloves

-Note Book

-Glider Plane

-Tooth paste

-Nail Clippers

-A deck of Cards

-High Ankle Socks

-Regular Ankle Socks

-Pencil Sharpener

My brother first got to put all the items that he could inside of the large water bottle as it took up a lot of space inside the box. In the water bottle is: Band-aids, forks, spoons, pencils, nail clippers, tooth brushes and the toothpaste.

He did not want me to help with the packing process so I just sat by and watched as he tried to pack all of his items into the box.

Unfortunately, it took both of us to figure out how to get all of the lovely gifts inside the shoe box. This is what the shoe box looked like after he and I got everything to fit. It is definitely a puffy box but what can I say, he likes to give like I do.

After all was packed and done, my brother wrote in a Christmas card and I wrapped his box in tons of rubber bands to keep it nice and closed. I'm super happy that my brother was willing to do this experiment with me and that he was so compassionate about what the child would like and not like. I had tons of fun with him and if you have a friend or family member that has never done something like this before, take them out and give them a dollar limit. (mine was $30) They'll really think about the child and it is such an exciting thing to see as you walk around and answer questions.

(Box 58)

Happy packing!