Meeting Night

I chose this picture because I could use some laughs tonight.  Some days are just like that.

This afternoon found me teaching my second-worst-ever puberty class to fifth grade boys.  Talk about laughing.  They could not control themselves.   You'd enjoy hearing some of the questions they asked, but they're not exactly blog appropriate.

Thankfully, after school I got to switch gears and put on my Operation Christmas Child hat to get ready for tonight's team meeting.   It was good to have nine of our team members there to discuss how we can inspire our area to greater involvement.

We went through the "Discovering the Heart of OCC" training program and shared some highlights from the Global Connect Conference.

We discussed potential new contacts in our community.  Well...okay...truthfully it wasn't as much of a discussion as I'd hoped...but we tried.   And we shared prayer requests.  I think we're better at praying than discussing.

I guess that's okay.

Manna Musings

I love seeing how God provides for us in such a unique manner.  Like that creative manna He sent to nourish the Israelites while they wandered in the desert, God is always up to showing His provision in rare and wonderful ways.

This weekend I was praying for 300 stuffed animals for our Operation Christmas Child shoebox packing party.   I know God can and will provide all we need by the end of September.  Still, we're behind where we were last year at this time, and as I read through blogs from 2012 I am reminded of how much prayer and hustling went into getting enough for last year's packing party.  We certainly need to be praying and searching.

I thought it was a longshot that we'd reach 300 this weekend.  I was only able to get to one church rummage sale (44 animals) and one thrift store (86 animals).  But a box arrived last week from a friend in Bradford, PA and today there were two bags left at the church.  Also at the church I found a box of adorable animals (some of them are pictured above) that was mailed from Cheryl Lawrence in Indiana.  I couldn't make contact with her via e-mail or Facebook, so if you're reading this, Cheryl, thank you for blessing me in a week I really needed it.

So the weekend animal count stands at 214 but I've heard of another bag dropped off at church after I left and I need to meet someone to get three more bags tomorrow night.  The manna is still falling--just on time.

Not only did God provide the manna in the wilderness but He made sure His people's clothing and shoes did not wear out.  I was just noticing the other day that my gray dress pants are looking a little old...but guess what I found at the church rummage sale on Saturday?

A like-new pair of GAP gray dress pants that fit perfectly.  At the 'bag sale' for 50 cents I got 4 new clothing items for shoeboxes, 3 sweatshirts for the kids at school to wear, and these pants.  Another great provision!

And though I haven't seen any manna on the front lawn this week I did receive some coupons from the newly-expanded food department at our Target store.  Using the coupons I spent less than $3.00 and got enough items to make four meals.

I love seeing more and more manna.

4788 Water Bottles on the Wall

When I got home from the Operation Christmas Child Global Connect Conference last Sunday there was a surprise waiting for me--fifteen cartons full of water bottles.

I've been praying, as always, for God to provide nice clothing or accessory items to put into each of the shoe boxes at our community-wide packing party in September.

A few weeks ago I contacted a vendor who sold me three pallets of visors two years ago and was blessed to find out he had more for sale.  They are good quality sturdy cloth visors and I was able to buy 9,072 from him (all he had).  The last shipment of them were delivered two days before I left for the conference.

Then a friend gave me a tip about the water bottles.  I received those 15 cartons and another 17 cartons are on their way for a total of 4, 788.

This means God's provided almost 14,000 major items in a period of a few weeks.  The total stands at 21,733--so close to the goal of 22,000.

Now on to praying for 20,000 stuffed animals and waiting for God to fill the ark.

OCC 100 Millionth Shoe Box Celebration Video

When I watched this video I realized there wasn't really anything I could write that would explain as well this evening of celebrating 100 million shoe boxes.  So watch and enjoy....

Okay-- maybe there are a view details I'd like to add.  One is the enjoyment of watching Mary Damron tell the story of her involvement with Operation Christmas Child alongside Franklin Graham.  Franklin talked of a song Mary'd taught them to sing and Mary started singing boldly--

The God of the mountain
Is the God of the valley,
The God of the day
Is the God of the night.

I have been joining a crowd of OCC friends in praying for Mary over the past months as she's battled cancer.  We prayed fervently for God to allow her to be at this celebration and it was a blessing to see Him answer those prayers.  Mary was sick through the week but made it through by God's grace.  After Mary sang, Franklin led the crowd of 10,000 in praying for her.  Please join in continuing to pray that God will be glorified in Mary's life and bring her healing.

And in case you don't catch it, here's what I think is the best quote from Franklin Graham of the evening, "Every shoe box is an opportunity for Jesus Christ to wrap His arms around a child."

Clobbering the Big 'Q'

If you've read this blog for very long you probably realize that I'm pretty transparent about this Operation Christmas Child journey.  Maybe too transparent--but you'll have to judge that for yourself.

So even though I still have a few other blogs I want to complete about my experience at the OCC Global Connect Conference, I want to tell you about a battle I fought even as we celebrated 100 million boxes this weekend.

The battle in my mind started on Friday evening and intensified on Saturday--fueled by fatigue (why can't I fall asleep at night?) and the overstimulation that I get from large crowds of people (even really sweet fellow believers).

This conference was so well-done.  Every detail was attended to with excellence.  Nevertheless, we were very busy.  In between all these wonderful general sessions I've been blogging about were training sessions and workshops.
These were wonderful, too, but I could feel my crankiness bubbling under the surface.

On Friday afternoon I attended a 3.5 hour workshop on High Impact Leadership.  I believe in this leadership model.  And the activity we were to participate in as a group at this workshop was well-crafted.  But I was tired and all I could think was--hey, I get it.  I know what you're trying to teach me here.  Could you just let me sit this one out?

After another night with four hours of sleep, Saturday brought a lunch meeting where I discussed packing parties with a few friends followed by an Area Coordinator Roundtable.  I was fading.  The discussion activities were good but Satan was waging war in my mind.

As I tried to focus on how to plan for multiplying my team to birth even more teams all I could think of was that I still need coordinators for the team I've been trying to build for six years now.  Yes, SIX YEARS.

Just to show you how the downward spiral works--I sat there happily cooperating with my fellow-area coordinators while the 'Q' word just kept repeating itself in my mind.  Like this--

You've been trying to do this for so long and you're not getting it right.  (and the whisper came--quit)  You don't even have a team how can you plan for more teams (a little louder--quit)  You know it's just too hard (the voice in my head ramped up another notch--QUIT)

I obediently turned over my worksheet page and tried to follow the instructions to write 6 goals to complete in 6 weeks.  Where to begin?  I thought of the litany that ran through my head when I tried to sleep last night--plans to travel to another school to do health screenings on Monday, my mother's upcoming 100th birthday party, my daughter's upcoming wedding, ideas, random thoughts but not goals.

I jotted down a few ideas and then turned to the friend next to me.  Wait, do these have to be SMART goals?  She shrugged.  My brain fogged.

And the voice said--QUIT.

But here's the good thing.  I'm learning to talk back to those voices.  I'm learning to plug my ears when Satan shouts those condemnations into my sleep-deprived psyche.

So I took a deep breath and quit--I mean I quit trying to think of goals.  I just stopped.  Sometimes it's okay to quit on the little things so you don't give up on the main goal all together.

I decided to listen to God's promises and I quoted a few to myself.  And I resolved to wait for the goal-setting until I'd had at least one good night of sleep.

And I aimed to pay attention to God's voice in the encouraging people around me.   And one of those agents of God's voice came as our shuttle van pulled up at the airport terminal this morning.  As she left the van, that sweet OCC friend from Texas whose name I don't even remember looked back at me and said, "Now remember Hebrews 10:39 'But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.'"

Not quitting.

Will Graham--OCC Global Connect 4/7/13

It's hard to believe we're already at the end of this 2013 Operation Christmas Child Global Connect Conference--this God-appointed celebration of our first 100 million shoe boxes.

Former shoe box recipient Izabella McMillen has done a phenomenal job as 'master of ceremonies' for these sessions.  Her energy and stage presence coupled with her radiant smile have brought a special spark to this conference.

And then, of course, there's the Tommy Coomes Band leading worship.  I guess the TCB is to Franklin Graham as George Beverly Shea is to Billy Graham--longstanding partners in ministry.  We enjoyed worshipping for the last time with our brothers and sisters from 102 other countries and singing some of "Blessed Be Your Name" in French was so meaningful.

Then Will Graham came to lead us in devotions on the topic of 'authority'--

You and I are under authority—in our work lives and our personal lives.

As an example Will shared a story of his father, Franklin Graham, who was at a board meeting with a man named Frank Coy.  The man was older than Franklin and he’d been taught by his parents not to address his elders by their first names, so Franklin called him Mr. Coy.  The gentleman went to Franklin and said that since they were equals at board meetings he wanted Franklin to call him my his first name—Frank.  At the next board meeting Franklin did this and his father, Billy Graham, became very upset.  Franklin said, “He told me to call him Frank.  What am I supposed to do?”  Billy replied, “I’m your father.  Do as I tell you.”

How much more does our heavenly Father have authority?

In Matthew 28 Jesus told His disciples, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”  God’s authority is behind evangelism.  Nothing belongs to us.  It all belongs to God.

We hang onto our wallets like they belong to us.  But they don’t.  Time is a precious resource, but you don’t own it.  God owns it. 

All authority was given by God to Jesus (not by the Democrats or the Republicans.)  We’re His ambassadors and we represent Him.  It all has to do with Jesus. 

Only Jesus can change a person because He has authority to do it.  A shoebox can’t change a life.  Christ changes hearts.  The shoebox is merely a tool.  People can receive all the shoeboxes in the world and still go to hell.

Jesus has used His authority to give us three commands:

1)  The command to LEAVE

--in order to fish you have to go where the fish are.  You can’t stay where you are.  You have to GO in His authority.

--you have to GO and make disciples; Jesus told us to tell others He is alive and make disciples

2)  The command to WIN OTHERS

--I want to encourage you to be a soul winner

--you can pack a lot of shoe boxes and never tell anyone about Jesus

--you represent the King.  Don’t shrink back!

3)  The command to FELLOWSHIP

--Samaritan’s Purse is not your church

--Jesus died for His bride, The Church--not for Samaritan’s Purse

--Never let Samaritan’s Purse be an excuse to neglect church involvement.

Jesus said “Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  ALL things—not just some of them.

The great promise of evangelism is one of the greatest promises of the Bible--"I will be with you always."  

Emmanuel='God with us'--The creator came down and has given the Holy Spirit to guide us.

The King is with you.  The King changes everything.  We've got God in our plan.  Who could be against us?  That's what sent missionaries all around the world.  

What next?  What do we do?  Hebrews 6:3 "This we will do.  If God permits."

--Keep telling people about Christ

--Keep moving forward with the gospel

--We have to be dependent upon God

--It's going to cost us to be a Christian.  Jesus said, "If they hate me, they'll hate you."

--Everyone gets excited until the cross comes in.  It's going to take everything you have to move forward but He is always with you.

Revelation (the end of the story) is there.  The King of Kings is coming for His bride.  And, Will said, "I hope it's a shoe box that brings that last one into the fold."

After a moving communion service, Will reminded us, "It's a victory meal.  Jesus is coming again."

--The Greatest Invitation is:  Come, follow Me.

--The Greatest Promise is:  I am with you always.

Worship started again, but unfortunately I had to leave in the middle of it to catch a shuttle to the airport.  A whirlwind of connections made and yet, sadly, still there were friends I missed seeing.  

There were friends who have encouraged me via Facebook and e-mail--from Iowa and Kansas and Hawaii and California.  It's unlikely I'll see most of them face to face again until we pack the next 100 million boxes and can celebrate again.

So....let's get packing!

Glory to God--Jim Harrelson at OCC Global Connect Conference

There is something very energizing about being in the presence of a true servant leader like Jim Harrelson.  One proof of the fact that Jim is such a humble leader is that even though he runs the ministry of Operation Christmas Child I can never remember his exact title.

My husband and I first met Jim at the Operation Christmas Child processing center in Boone in 2006.   He was working beside us on the line inspecting shoeboxes.  When my husband asked him what his job was, Jim told him, "Oh, I just work downstairs."  I'll bet he would have washed our feet if we'd been wearing sandals.

Jim shared with us from his heart this Saturday morning about all God has done in the first twenty years of OCC.

He started by reminding us, "It's so amazing that God Almighty would choose to work through His children and allow us to participate in this."    Everything we do culminates at the foot of the cross.

Jim said, "When all is said and done our relationship with Jesus is all we have left.  The time for sharing Him will be over.  We have this opportunity to mobilize the Body of Christ through the powerful High Impact model."

He read from Philippians 2:1-11 and commented, "This is the Jesus we serve--the gospel we serve--the model of selfless humility."

He spoke of this Global Connect Conference as a time of sweet, sweet, sweet fellowship and pointed us to John 4 where the Bible speaks of sowers and reapers rejoicing together.  He said being face to face and heart to heart will strengthen us and only heaven can replace this experience of being together and talked of the incredible teamwork required to bring the conference together and recognized the staff responsible for it all.

Jim reminded us that this ministry is our opportunity and privilege and turned us to the verse in Rev. 7:9 with a picture of all nations praising God together.
We want, however, immeasurably more--more volunteers--more children--more and more around the throne of the Lamb.

Every gift has a huge potential and the power of prayer is crucial as we face opposition from Satan who vehemently opposes us.  But we are victors.  Jesus has overcome sin and death.  We need to share fearlessly and with boldness.  The Lord is accomplishing His redemptive plan in His will.  Every act of service He will use.

OCC is strategically positioned for worldwide evangelization.  He recounts how when Franklin Graham was preaching recently in Bolivia people began running to the stage halfway through the sermon.  God is preparing hearts to receive Him.

The High Impact process allows us to recruit, select, train and develop volunteers.  God has His people everywhere and will lead you to the right people to serve.

We need to be prepared; we need to know our enemy; we need to pray and to put on the armor of God.   Prayer is our chief weapon and is vital as the battle will be intensifying.

Romans 1:16 reminds us the gospel is the power of God while I Peter 3 tells us that with God one day is as a thousand years.

Matthew 18 tells us that we need to become like children to enter the Kingdom of God but children have the benefit of already being childlike.  According to Matthew 28:20 and Acts 1:8 children can go and make disciples.

In Luke 10:2 Jesus tells us to pray for laborers for the harvest.  We need to concentrate prayer for this.

We are in a spiritual war.  We need to focus on unity and be spiritually prepared.

Jim closed with a benediction "May the Lord bless you and protect you..." and left us with the encouraging reminder that "His Kingdom is being added to every day."