T Minus 6 Months

Six months from right now, Lord willing, our 4th major Community-Wide Operation Christmas Child packing party will be over.  It's scheduled for September 29th and our prayer is that God will allow us to pack 20,000 gift-filled shoeboxes for needy children around the world that weekend.  Can you save the date and join us to help make it happen?

I just mentioned the 6 month fact to my husband and he said, "Are you counting the months because you're excited for it to come or because you want it to be over?"

I guess if I'm honest I'd have to admit that I wait every year for it to be over.  On the actual day, however, the excitement builds as I see all the work and prayers culminate in that amazing time of watching God do what only He can do.

In the months leading up to it, though, it's all about walking by faith.  By God's grace He's teaching me to do that day by day but every year brings new challenges and gives new meaning to the truth that we walk by faith not by sight.

Today I was making a pest of myself to God again as I reminded Him of all that we need for these boxes--18,000 tubes of toothpaste and 18,000 stuffed animals and 6,000 toothbrushes and 20,000 bars of soap and 32 cases of paper and 40,000 pencils and enough fun fillers to bless each of the children who will receive these boxes.

I'm reminding myself of His provision year by year and I'm remembering stories of how He's provided for others' needs, too.  Here's a story I love:

In its early days, Dallas Theological Seminary was in critical need of $10,000 to keep the work going. During a prayer meeting, renowned Bible teacher Harry Ironside, a lecturer at the school, prayed, “Lord, you own the cattle on a thousand hills. Please sell some of those cattle to help us meet this need.” Shortly after the prayer meeting, a check for $10,000 arrived at the school, sent days earlier by a friend who had no idea of the urgent need or of Ironside’s prayer. The man simply said the money came from the sale of some of his cattle! Today in the Word, MBI, January, 1990, p. 36.

I know He'll provide it all.  He always does.

And six months from now I'm going to have my hands in the air singing His praises again.