Operation Christmas Child!!!

Hey everyone! Are you enjoying the morning today? Yes, it's a bit gloomy, but it also could give you a warm, cozy feeling. This is the kind of weather that makes me want to stay in my room, with a good cup of coffee and a very good book to read. :-)

So, you want to know what's coming up this month? I'll tell you what's coming up this month! Have you ever heard of the organization, Operation Christmas Child? It's pretty awesome. It is sponsored by Samaritan's Purse, and what Operation Christmas Child does is they basically give presents to children all around the world who are in need. These presents are created by you and are delivered in shoeboxes! All you need to do is to gather small toys and items suitable for children (no toy guns, knives, or war-like items please!), put them in the shoebox, and deliver the shoebox to your church or another drop-off location. Chick-Fil-A will be a drop-off spot for shoeboxes until November 17. And if you drop your shoebox at Chick-Fil-A you will receive a coupon for a free chicken sandwich! There are other specifics about the shoeboxes though. Here's a list for you:
TOYS
small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A Sketch®, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky®, etc.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES
pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.

HYGIENE ITEMS
toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.

OTHER
Hard candy and lollipops (please double bag all candy), mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps; sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries)

A PERSONAL NOTE
In a separate envelope, you may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. (If you include your name and address, the child may write back.)

DO NOT INCLUDE:
Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans

Plus, there's this really nifty gadget on the Operation Christmas Child website where you can track where your box goes to! All you have to do is make your $7 donation through EZ Give, you'll receive a special label in an email, and with the label is a barcode! Withthe barcode you will be able to see where your box goes! How cool is that?!

Also, and this is very important, Barlow Girl and 100.9 WAY-FM want you to experience a very special night of music and worship and learn about the power of a simple gift through Operation Christmas Child. With Special Guest..T.Culler..and introducing Seventh Day. Saturday November 20th at 630 pm at Northwood Baptist Church in North Charleston. Gen Admin Tickets are 10 and a limited amount of VIP tickets are going for 25 bucks. Tickets available online at itickets.com, Northwood Baptist Church, and Hibben United Methodist. For tickets info call 800-965-9324!

And speaking of Barlow Girl, I'm about to post their video "Beautiful Ending" in a different post, because youtube disabled the embedding code. :-) Have you seen it before? It's going to give you some chills!