Ok fellow shoppers, since this is the time for bargains, maybe you can answer some questions for me.
About the "no liquids"-does that mean you can't put in hand lotion? What about lip gloss, etc...
I have two plastic bins full of stuff for Christmas 2010 and don't want to miss something or buy something I can't use. I assume board books with pictures are ok since you don't know if the person receiving the box speaks English. Also I have lots of card games that don't have words. I have colored pencils, crayons, a few coloring books, little Playmobil Santa sets, Trio bldg sets, Mini see n says, cootie and don't break the ice mini games, christmas tree shaped doodle pros, play doh, mini hand held games (Target 75 and 90% off), little wooden tic tac toe sets (.25), those Mega Block stocking stuffers (75%), 2 Uno card sets, Disney princess hair things, etc...
I got on the Oriental Trading post website and got some awesome after Christmas deals. I got two dozen of those soft, cute mini-footballs, 2 dozen cloth nativity bags, little squirting turles with christmas deco on them and 12 pack of those take apart crayons.
Are all these things the kind of things they want?
At Gordmans tonight (yes, I went out in a near blizzard but it was so pretty and non-busy) and got those boxed hand lotion sets of 7 different lotions, like the sets you get at Kohls, etc... and they ended up being only 1.24 for the 7 pack! I bought all 8 packs. I hope those can go in the 10-14 yr old boxes but if not I can let my friend with the 8 girls and some other friends buy them from me. So I need to know about that "liquid" issue.
Do any of you send tshirts, socks, etc... you just guess the size right?
Thanks!
Oops, answered my own question by re-reading the website where it says no liquids or lotions. Makes sense.

Hi Kathy!

Yes you are correct about the "No Liquids" policy and that does include hand lotion. (also no bubbles, shampoo, body wash, etc.) You can include lip gloss however. The no liquid policy is because of possible leakage in any travel- as well as sometimes it goes on unpressurized air cabins and can explode.)

Board books are ok--many countries do speak English (my dd traveled to Belize with Operation Christmas Child and to Mexico and Kenya with other groups and many spoke English wherever she went.) Plus board books have pictures and kids of any age love to look at pictures.

All the other items you mentioned sound wonderful.

School supplies of all sorts are vitally important. Many children are not able to attend school because they do not have the supplies (hard to believe isn't it?). I met one of the first children to have received a box back in 1993 while she lived in war-torn Bosnia. She said the entire class of 29 had only one pencil. She had the same notebook for 3 years. At the end of each year she would erase it and reuse the paper. She did not have an eraser and had to use a rubber band.

Hard candy is an impossible luxury and joy to them. A stuffed animal or a doll to hug and love gives them an outlet for emotion. I met Livia Satterfield who was an orphan in Romania. For her the hair ribbons inside gave her the most joy she had ever had in her life.

The most important thing I have found is to pray before making the box. These children have such varied and difficult lives, yet they have secret hopes, dreams and prayers only God can hear. I have learned multitudes of stories of how the box contained just the exact item they had wished for.

One story happened this summer in Panama. They had distributed the boxes but they had not yet been opened. A mother and daughter arrived late and asked if there were any more boxes. The team looked high and low but alas no more could be found. The mom asked if the daughter could sit with her twin sister (who had arrived early). So the twins sat together with the one gift box. It was finally time to open the boxes and they counted "1, 2, 3" and everyone opened their presents at once. Inside the twin girl's box was 2 of every item. The mother rushed up to the team and said "How did you know that my daughter was a twin?" The answer was "We didn't know, but God knew."

Do I pack 2 of everything? No. But some person was motivated to do just that. That girl from Bosnia received a pair of shoes in her box...her size and the very thing she needed the most. Livia wished for hair ribbons, I met others who wished for a doll.

T-shirts, hats, pants, gloves, hats, socks, flip flops, even underwear can be good gifts. There was a letter from a young man who received underwear and that was what he wanted most of all. He was in the older age (10-14) and his parents could afford the required school uniform, but underwear was an unnecessary luxury for him.
My friend delivered boxes to Berkina Faso last year and they had never seen crayons before. When he showed them how they worked, they were overjoyed. Simple items can bring joy and hope.

I am the Area Coordinator (volunteer) for Long Island for Operation Christmas Child. As you can tell I love the program, lol.

Mary

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Mary, thanks for the inspirational stories!!! I do have school supplies too and since they are a real need I will make sure they get lots!! One pencil for an entire class? Amazing. We Americans are so spoiled!

You can also add tools (screwdriver sets, hammers, etc.) and utility knives for the older boys.
I knit hats and scarves with left over yarn. My mom makes hats & gloves with left over polar fleece.
I collect all year for them. I wait for after each holiday and stock up.
Judy

I thought utility knives would be too dangerous.......I do have some of those in my "gift bins" in the garage.

I am a "friend" of Operation Christmas Child on Facebook and just saw this story on my "newsfeed"
----Blessing children in times of war. Heard from a ministry partner in Syria: Michael, a refugee child who came for the first time to Sunday School with his cousin, opened his OCC shoe box and shouted, "This is exactly the teddy bear I used to have back in Iraq but wasn't able to bring with me! I am so happy!
The motto of Operation Christmas Child (OCC) is: "The Power of a Simple Gift"....it can make the world of difference to a child in need.

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I thought the same thing about utility knives, but was told by the man who oversees my area that utility knives were o.k. He said to make sure the blade is about 3-4 inches only. I hope they were right, as I put together 2 boxes with them.
Judy

I loved reading the story about the twins. I love to collect things all year long for my shoeboxes too. I did not know that the children needed school supplies. I will be sure to include some basics like pencils, erasers, and small notebooks.

I live on Long Island and would love to do this. I am a retired senior citizen but I am sure I can get together one box with help from others. Please tell me what I have to do
4chittlins@gmail.com

Great "Jocali"!
I will send you an email!

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