Morning Thought
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Good morning. Believe it or not it is time to think about Christmas
shoeboxes again. Today and tomorrow in morning thought, I am focussing on
Christmas shoeboxes for children. Each year a couple of thousand
I think back to my first ever Christmas shoebox distribution – that
trip had a profound effect on me. Although it was over 12 years ago I still remember
2 specific children to whom we gave shoeboxes – one who was over-joyed, one was
disappointed.
Inside the Romanian orphanage the children initially found it hard to
realise they could open the colourful boxes they had been given and then to
realise the contents were for them to keep, but slowly they got the idea. One
dark haired dark eyed girl, maybe aged 8, began screaming with joy and ran off
to show the carers what she had found in her box. She was jumping for joy and
shouting – what was it that gave her such joy? It was a new toothbrush. Yes a
new toothbrush. But to that girl a new toothbrush was terribly important and
the most exciting item in her box of goodies.
It was in a school on another day and we were distributing again. It
was in the days when we packed boy boxes and girl boxes. And as always we ran
out of boy boxes – in fact we had twice as many boxes for girls as we had for
boys. So inevitably boys were given girls boxes, in fact approximately a third
of the boys received a girl’s box. At times the boys seemed quite pleased but
not one little chap, probably aged 7 or 8. Inevitable he was given a girl’s box
- it was a lovely box as I recall, but only suitable if for a girl with long
hair who liked dressing dolls. He eagerly took out all the contents then as the
box was empty there was a howl followed by the most heart rending sobs. We
managed to understand that the problem was that there was no machina or no car
in his box. He was devastated – he knew it was his only Christmas gift that
year, his only chance of getting the toy car he longed for. But he was given a
girl’s box with no car.
That is the main reason why now in Mustard Seed we make sure every box
has a toy car and why we focus on packing unisex boxes, because we want to stop
children being disappointed. For many of the children receiving our shoeboxes
it will still be their only Christmas gift so it needs to be the best possible
box with a range of fun items suitable for either a boy or a girl, as well as
pencils, pens, writing and drawing books to use in school, a toothbrush and
toothpaste, a warm hat or socks, with a teddy to cuddle for the younger
children.
I hope you will pack a Christmas shoebox for a needy child this year.
Mustard Seed has information sheets at the Parish Halls, so please pick one up
and follow our guide-lines. We do ask for £2 donation with each box – that
money is to cover transport and distribution costs and to buy sweets to give to
each child receiving a Christmas shoebox. You can be certain that if he or she
needs a Christmas shoebox then that child is in need of some help 52 weeks of
the year. I hope also that as well as packing that box you will pray for the
child receiving the box, maybe along the lines of “Lord God thank you for all
the benefits we enjoy. I pray now for the child who will receive this shoebox
that I have packed, I ask that this box will bring real joy, that the contents
will be just right for the child who receives it. I pray the child will have
enough food to eat today and will find love and peace in You”.