I
participated in Operation Christmas Child for the first time last year through
my local church. My family thoroughly
enjoyed giving back through this organization.
All three of my boys loved picking out items for their shoe box; they
each colored a picture and my oldest included information about himself in his
box. It was a great way for them to
actively participate in giving back.
A couple of
weeks ago I had the privilege to interview a young lady who received a shoe box
when she was only 6 or 7 years old. It
was such a pleasure to speak with her.
Zarina
Jensen’s mother gave birth to her when she was just 18 years old. Zarina was
then placed in a Central Asian orphanage until a family in Oregon adopted her
nine years later. Just before Zarina found her new family, she received a
special gift in the form of a shoe box. She was the last child to receive a
gift that day at the orphanage because she was shy and apprehensive about
taking one. When she finally opened her gift, Zarina found a small stuffed
animal that made her feel so special. Now Zarina wants to make sure other
children around the world feel as special as she did, so she packs shoe box gifts
at her home in Oregon. Zarina loves to
share the testimony of God’s faithfulness in her life.
Our
Interview:
Me: Tell me a little bit about Operation Christmas Child.
Zarina: Operation Christmas Child impacted
my life forever. It gave me hope when I
felt hopeless. Receiving my shoe box was
the first time I heard about Jesus.
Little did I know God had a plan for my life. I would be adopted, brought to America and
later receive Jesus as my Savior at 16.
Me: I understand you actually received one of these
shoe box gifts when you were a little girl. What was your life like at the time
you received the shoe box gift?
Zarina:
I remember being shy, and not too sure about receiving a box, after I
finally opened my box I was so happy.
Living in an orphanage you do not have anything to call your own, this
was the first time I had something I could call my own.
Me: Can you tell me anything you remember about the day
you received the shoe box gift?
Zarina:
I remember it was two weeks before my birthday and I thought that maybe
my mother had sent me a gift. I remember
thinking how nice it was to not be forgotten.
Me: What was the most important thing in your shoe box?
Why was that so special?
Zarina: A stuffed bumble bee, it was soft
and something I could snuggle with and most important it was my own.
Me: How did the shoe box gift made an impact on your life?
What was it about such a simple gift that made such a change in you?
Zarina: The shoe box impacted my life by
giving me my first glimpse of hope.
Receiving the shoe box brought awareness that God was orchestrating
something for my life.
Me: It is such a great testament to this project that you
are now packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. How does it feel knowing you are sending a
gift to a child that was once sent to you?
Zarina: I am humbled at how blessed I
am. I am amazed at all that God has done
for me. I have a great family, I work at
my church. I know what it is like to
have nothing and feel forgotten; now my family and I participate in Operation
Christmas Child to give back. I’ll
never forget where I came from, and the blessing Operation Christmas Child has
been to me. It feels great to be able to
give back, give hope to someone who is just as I was at one time.
Tips to get Involved:
- Save the date: National
Collection Week is November 17 – November 24, 2014
- Don’t think you can make the deadline, Operation Christmas Child accepts boxes all year long, you could pack a box if not shipped this Christmas it will be shipped!
- You can find drop off locations on their website. You can use a shoe box of your own or use a similarly sized plastic storage container with a removable lid or other similarly sized box.
- Follow your box: Make your $7 per box donation online and you will receive a special bar-code label that enables Samaritan's Purse to track each shoe box to its destination country. You will receive e-mail updates and know the shipping details of your shoe box.
- Think you don’t have time to shop or pack a shoe box, go on-line and donate to help with shipping costs of shoe boxes. Find a drop off location near you and donate towards their shoe boxes and shipping costs.
Link to a
Samaritan’s Purse Video on Zarina:
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/full-circle-zarina-psa-67-video-psa/
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/full-circle-zarina-psa-67-video-psa/
Thank you for reading if you’ve enjoyed the content you’ve
read above please share with your friends.
www.BlogAboutItAll.com.jpg){kind=small}
No comments:
Post a Comment