Constitution Club

My children’s school is participating in Operation Christmas Child which last year used shoe boxes of gifts to give hope to some eight million hurting children worldwide. This year their school hopes to raise 500 boxes for the largest Christian Christmas charity in the world. We are putting together one for each of my two children that are currently in school and have enlisted the children of our church to pull together to make a couple more. I admit I have a little ‘pull’ with the pastor’s wife to make things happen on occasion (ok, so she’s my mother). Operation Christmas Child is part of the wider charity organization Samaritan’s Purse operating under the direction of Billy Grahams son, Franklin Graham.

We spent a couple of hours last Sunday putting one of them together. It was actually quite fun and helps develop and reinforce the all important concepts of giving, generousity, sacrifice, empathy, charity and caring into my children. American society does not usually install these values into your children on a regular basis. In fact, it is often quite the opposite. The concept of caring for others while at the same time recognizing how fortunate we are to live in the USA and to be thankful for what we do have are lessons we should all take to heart as well.

It is amazing how many colorful pencils, notepads, pencil toppers, bouncy balls, pieces of candy, toothbrush and toothpaste, pencil sharpeners, small stuffed animals etc. you can stuff into a shoe box. After we were finished, my oldest daughter told me that this was a gift she would like to receive. So I know we did a good job and we hope that we bring a small bit of joy and happiness to a child or two that sincerely needs it.