Better Than Fireworks

This is a Throwback Thursday blog about a great Operation Christmas Child blessing that happened a month ago.  My Operation Christmas Child journey this year has been filled with more ups and downs than usual.

I've been reading Psalms and I can definitely identify with David who, when in the depths of despair, will suddenly burst forth in praise to God.  Highs and lows abounding.

On July 5th I had the surprise pleasure of meeting Lisa Seales from Virginia.  It seems like Operation Christmas Child shoe box packers and volunteers have a special bond.  Mary Damron, a national spokesperson for Operation Christmas Child, once said we'll know each other in heaven because we'll have little gold shoe boxes over our heads.  I'm not sure if that's true, but I do know that I just love to meet and talk with anyone who works for OCC.

Lisa was driving to my area on a family vacation so she contacted me and asked if she could bring some of her extra items to donate for our packing party.  That's an offer I'd never refuse!

I think Lisa's family thought she was more than a little crazy when they arrived to pick her up for her trip and she had a vacuum packed bag filled with 100 stuffed animals and a large box of great filler items.

This is what 100 stuffed animals looks like after an expert packer like Lisa gets done with them.

It looked like we were going to miss connecting on that Saturday afternoon, so Lisa dropped her donations off with my husband and left with her sisters for the shopping mall.  When I arrived home just minutes after she left and saw all the great items she'd sacrificed to bring, I knew we just had to meet.

I called her and we arranged to meet at the mall.  What joy it was to connect in the food court and swap stories of God's goodness to us through Operation Christmas Child.

I never tire of hearing of how God provides for each of us who packs shoe boxes, and Lisa's tales of her Target trips after Easter were classic.

In just two months, Lord willing, it will be three days past our packing party and the trucks carrying the 23,000 packed shoe boxes will be on the road.

And in those boxes will be stuffed animals and filler items that were lovingly transported from Virginia by my new friend.

This was the best part of my 4th of July weekend.  Much better than fireworks!