This was a really special afternoon. We once again gathered at Carol's house to pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. We filled a total of 12 boxes, 6 for boys and 6 for girls between the ages of 10-14. These boxes will be shipped to needy children in some distant country, and possibly will be the only gift that child has ever received in his or her entire life. And along with the contents of the box, the child will also receive the salvation story and will learn about our wonderful savior, Jesus Christ. So a very special afternoon indeed.
Our events always seem to center around a meal, and this was no exception. First we gathered around to bless our food . . .
And then we wasted no time digging in . . .
We filled our plates and headed into the dining room . . .
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| Cheers! |
After lunch, we cleared the plates and then covered the table with all the goodies we had collected for our shoe boxes . . .
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| Looking down the table from one end |
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| And then from the other. |
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| Ready? Let the box stuffing begin . . . |
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| This was really fun! |
The boxes were filled with school supplies, personal care items, toys and games, and for the boys - useful tools like hammers, screwdrivers, pliers and measuring tapes, and for the girls - sewing supplies like scissors, needles, thread, pins and tape measures.
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| Our finished shoe boxes |
Next it was time for a gift exchange for us . . .
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| Look at these beautiful packages |
But first . . . . dessert . . .
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| Apple Dumplings and Ice Cream - Yum! |
And . . . look at the cute cookie tins, filled with chocolate chip cookies, that Shelly and Annie brought each of us . . .
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| We are spoiled, for sure! |
After our tummy's were stuffed again, it was time to play a game to exchange our gifts.
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| We each picked up the gift we had brought |
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| And Bonnie read a "Left-Right" game |
Every time she said the word "left", we passed our gift to the left, and every time she said "right", we passed our gift to the right. It got pretty crazy for awhile, but finally, we each ended up with a gift that we got to keep . . .
We took turns opening our beautiful packages . . . . And here's what we each received . . .
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| Shelly |
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| Joy |
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| Annie |
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| Debbie |
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| Marie |
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| Carol |
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| Tina |
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| Seema |
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| Merry Christmas to us! |
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| Standing - Tina, Shelly, Seema, Debbie, Carol, Marie Sitting - Joy, Bonnie, Annie |
What a fun day! Can't wait to do this one again next year!
