I don't know why writing these Operation Christmas Child thank you notes has been such a chore for me this year. The last few years I just dived in and got them done, but this year I've had to push and coax myself--and not very effectively either.
I'm so grateful for Heather, our Church Relations Coordinator, who has been writing the bulk of them. Praise God for her tenacity!
I really am grateful to all these churches and groups. As I write each note I mentally deduct the number of boxes they contributed from our goal--thinking what it would have been without their participation.
I am also amazed anew as I write these notes that God blessed us with 47,604 boxes...because many of these churches had a total of 30 or fewer boxes.
Which makes me reflect on how God uses each of us and each particular church body in the overall work of His Kingdom. I think of how many God used to make up our total here in northwestern Pennsylvania alone and then ponder the millions that were used to bring in the harvest nationally and internationally. It's mind boggling.
God has a method for getting His work done and, by His grace and His design, it involves all of us who call Him Lord.
And it involves us working together in that unity that He so loves.
Speaking of method...and unity...I mailed 78 notes today and 21 of them went to United Methodist churches. Three of them were for First United Methodist churches in different towns. To be fair, there were several First Baptist and First Presbyterian churches, too. Guess they missed that verse that says "the first shall be last," because there weren't any Last United Methodist (or Baptist or Presbyterian) churches.
One of the things I love most about Operation Christmas Child is seeing hundreds of churches in our region working together to bring the gospel to people around the world.
After all, that's God's method. Unity.
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