Hello All,
I hope that you are well, safe, contented and warm. Usually, I live in a bit of a news/media bubble- I don't have a TV, I don't read the newspaper or internet news, listen to radio news or really know what is going on in the world. I prefer it this way. Yet, of course, I know about the atrocious events of Friday in France. CBC told me as he was reading the news. And another attempt to frighten, intimidate, threaten, maim, hurt, terrorize and try to spread dischord, fear, xenophobia and hate.
Our reaction has to be loving, kind, reaching out, doing what we can, trying to keep to the things we do whilst acknowledging, sympathising and doing what we can.
Thus, on Saturday morning, I headed off to the church hall where it was time for 'Operation Christmas Child'shoebox packing. If you don't know the premise of this, Samaritan's Purse, a charity, organises the transportation of filled shoe boxes, full of presents to children in poor countries who might otherwise not know love and receive a gift at Christmas. I came across this many years ago through My Weekly magazine and took great delight in sending off a shoebox, decorated in cheerful wrapping paper filled with gifts for a child which was then sent to Romania, to children in orphanages.
It is the custom of the church I go to, to offer people the opportunity to contribute individual gifts as well as or a filled shoe box. I've been having fun over the last month or so, buying little bits and dropping them off in the boxes at church- a cuddly unicorn, a pack of rubbers, a box of African toy animals, a pack of toothbrushes, bright soaps, necklaces, pencils, colouring pencils, toothpaste and the suchlike.
I turned up to the hall on Saturday (late!) to see a hive of activity. Gifts had been organised into tables. (these photos were taken an hour in)
Toiletries and hygiene essentials:
Toys:
Stationery:
Sweets:
Hats, scarves,gloves:
And then there was a production line of wrappers of shoeboxes.
An amazing collection of shoeboxes was piled up in the corner and sheets of wrapping paper, scissors and sellotape were laid out.
I decided to join the production line of box wrappers and left the filling of boxes to the kids.
My first box was rather ramshackle, particularly as the paper was too small and I had to do an extensive patchwork job.
Today's service was led by the Youth-worker Liz. The bible reading was on Psalm 37:
By the waters of Babylon,there we sat down and wept,when we remembered Zion.2 On the willows therewe hung up our lyres.3For there our captorsrequired of us songs,and our tormentors, mirth, saying,“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
I am grateful for being safe today, and I hope and pray that we can continue to do something good if we cannot know what to do to help. One small bit of good done by many people makes the world better somewhere, even just for a moment.
xxx