Does anybody do the shoeboxes? My youthgroup is having a lock-in sleepover this weekend. We're all bringing supplies and then we'll make up the shoeboxes during the sleepover. It's super fun. I went to the store today and bought toothpaste and toothbrush, a comb, pony-tail holders, and some gum and tic-tacs. I was going to get a couple of small toys but I was at the store (Safeway) and they had less than a quarter of one side of an aisle with toys!!! I guess it's not close enough to Christmas yet.

I don't think I've heard of it before. What is it about?

Operation Christmas Child. (they have it on the trays at Chick-fil-a)

Oh cool!
What is Operation Christmas Child?

hehehe....for some reason it always really makes me laugh when OYIM and Rebecca ask each other questions over here.

Samaritan's Purse is my favorite mission organization and Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is one of their awesome ministries. Good enough definition? lol.

Samaritan's Purse was founded by the same guy who founded World Vision, if you're familiar with them. OCC is one of their big sub-organizations. People in the Western world (at least the U. S. and U. K.) fill shoeboxes with things for kids in third-world countries - hygiene-stuff, durable little toys, etc. The shoe boxes are usually wrapped in bright-colored wrapping paper just for fun. Each person labels his/her box for a boy or a girl and marks an age range, then the boxes are brought to an OCC collection site. OCC, then, transports them to third-world countries and distributes them with a little gospel story book to kids who have probably never gotten a Christmas gift in their life. Missionaries from Samaritan's Purse or other missionaries then follow up in the villages. It's a great thing. I love it.

We haven't filled our shoe boxes yet, but we're gonna! We've also got a bank from another orphan ministry to collect spare change for orphans in Russia and India to have Christmas gifts! I love sharing Christmas with orphans and children around the world! Maybe someday I'll actually be able to experience handing out these gifts.....just maybe.....

Well said Larissa.

here, we cant put liquids, Food, or chocolate in.. But candys and solids and past are okay for shipping... Under suggestions it says candies and Tooth paste so.

Yea, we're not allowed to send chocolate or anything that might melt. We are allowed to send hard candies if they're double bagged. We can also send toothpaste.

this is what we can't send: used or damaged items, war-related items, chocolate or food (I guess hard candies aren't food), liquids or lotions, medications or vitamins, breakable items, and aerosol cans.

I keep thinking of good ideas like.. perfume.. but then I remember I can't send liquids