A Simple Shoebox

Dear Aunt Alice,

Three months ago, I packed a few shoeboxes and sent them out into the great unknown, believing that they would impact the lives of a few children, but not really knowing what that could look like. This week, I got to see what a shoebox can mean to a child.

I've seen the shoeboxes making their way across this region in large brown boxes labeled, "Operation Christmas Child" and usually strapped to the back of a bicycle. And, though my church hasn't given them out just yet, others in the area have and I'm seeing the benefits already!

My students came to school today with new pencils, pencils that don't break constantly, that stay sharpened for more than a few moments. They also had pencil sharpeners that work and new erasers. These things may not sound like much, but I teach in a classroom where sharpening pencils is a constant because the quality of local pencils and pencil sharpeners leaves much to be desired. To hear one of my students joyfully exclaim how well his new pencil sharpener works and then offer to share it with a classmate was simply music to my ears!!

Later this afternoon, two of my students came by my house to show me their new toy cars. They were SO excited and spent quite some time racing them across my front porch. I wish I could bottle up all of these moments and replay them for the people at home, but the best I can do for now is to try to do them justice by writing them down.

The sad thing is, for all the boxes packed and despite the fact that hundreds of kids around here got boxes, there weren't enough for all of them to get a box. It made me wish that I had sent just one more box, so that just one more child wouldn't have to leave empty handed.