Shoebox Blessings

In seven weeks, I witnessed firsthand how God worked in His amazing and mighty ways through Operation Christmas Child (see background here).

I thought I would pack a couple of shoeboxes this year; but I was also curious to see if a few others might want to be involved. However, since I was still relatively new to the town where we now lived, I was content with the idea of having a few people involved and perhaps packing a couple dozen shoeboxes.

It turned out my ladies' Bible study leader at church had wanted to involve the group in something and she had heard of OCC. So I had a group of ladies with whom to work! A few of them then got their Sunday School classes and the school where they worked involved. One of them also received donations in large quantities from her dentist, hairdresser and neighbors! My own neighbors also generously donated shoeboxes from their closets, and a local shoe store saved 30 boxes for the project!

While all this was unfolding, I learned that another lady from Bible study happened to be on the Missions Committee at church and she suggested linking OCC to the church-wide missions event which would happen to take place right before National Collection Week in November. We were able to set up a shoebox packing party, and the Missions Committee included OCC as one of the many exhibitors of the Ministry Fair (see pictures below). During the church-wide event, we had a booth that attracted a good number of visitors who expressed great interests in packing shoeboxes. I gave away all the brochures!

Despite the short time frame, over 100 shoeboxes were packed/collected and nearly $500 were donated through the ladies at Bible study. That was much bigger than the two shoeboxes I was going to pack. We even received help to drop off the shoeboxes at the collection point during National Collection Week.

While the results are great and well beyond my expectations, I am thankful to those, many of them children themselves, who participated in the project. Whatever they donated - empty shoeboxes, filler items, money, time - I see their beautiful hearts for others as many went out of their way to help. To think that many children around the world will be receiving Christmas presents and hearing the true meaning of Christmas as a result is, of course, even greater.

This project is not about me or what I wanted to do; I am simply thankful to God for allowing me to be a part of His awesome work.

This was the booth at the Ministry Fair at church. On display were some of the packed shoeboxes.

More boxes (but not all)!

Sitting Down and Being Still

I am home much less often now because of work, and Hanes, the wise cat in residence, thus has been having very limited human contact and options to decide when to play or cuddle the way she used to. Nonetheless, she has been teaching me yet another good lesson.

In the mornings when I am getting ready for work, I rarely sit down. One time, however, I sat on the couch to put on my socks. In those five seconds, Hanes jumped on my lap and began purring right away. I, while wanting to get going, could not move without interrupting her. So there I was, sitting on the couch for about five minutes with the cat, enjoying a few minutes of stillness.

This past Monday night, I was home for about an hour and a half between work and tennis. When I got home, Hanes was at the door to greet me. I acknowledged her at the door and literally one second later, I went straight to the kitchen to cook and do other housework I did not finish over the weekend when I was mostly wonderfully preoccupied with Operation Christmas Child (more on that later!). After doing a few things and changing clothes, I sat down to eat. With no lapse of time in between, Hanes was on my lap.

Then I realized it was the first time I sat down in an hour and actually be still for more than a second. With Hanes firmly planting herself on my lap as soon as I sat down, I had to stay where I was. I could not even reach my mail to read while eating, or do anything else at the same time.

Then I looked at Hanes. She was perfectly still and happy, purring away. While I was doing various things earlier, she never whined the way she would in the mornings when she tries to wake us up. She had simply been waiting, waiting for the moment for me to be still and be with her.

She waited for an hour.

I wonder if this is how God waits for me with such incredible patience like this every day. Sure, I have my quiet time in the mornings, but how often am I being still to listen to Him rather than just trying to get my Bible study lessons done? How still and focused am I during prayer time? I am thankful for my God who is ever patient, even more so than the little wise cat. She is on my lap right now, so I'd better go and be still for a while.

Premature Patience

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1: 2-4, NIV

James’s exhortation was part of the Scripture I read one morning six weeks ago. A big part of my problem in the past weeks before that day had been not letting go completely to let God lead in the road ahead, career-wise. Thankfully, I received my MA in August but I had been unsure about whether to pursue a career in academe (PhD and beyond) or in other fields. I had my ideas, my desires, my timing, and thus, unfortunately, my worries. After the lessons I learned through Hanes a while back, I slowly came to my senses and decided it would be much better to be still and wait for Him. Stiff-necked I had been.

When I read the verse that morning, I was still unsure about what I should be doing. But I could not forget verse 4 which said “perseverance (patience) must finish its work.” Later on, I read Psalm 27 about “waiting in hope.” This hopeful, positive kind of waiting had been lacking in me. Undoubtedly, I was waiting, but I was “waiting in worry.” So God reminded me that I needed an attitude adjustment.

Shortly afterwards, I received my fourth reject letter (actually, email), but I was not dejected. Quite remarkably, I was perfectly fine with it. I was thinking about the verse all morning. I looked up various versions of James 1: 4 and found the Message translation very encouraging and uplifting -

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

“So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely” - had I not been doing just the opposite? I had been trying to get out of waiting. How foolish.

When the time matured and the waiting was through, God moved so swiftly that it could only be Him. Two days after reading this verse, I went to a job interview at the university. A few days later, I was offered the position to coordinate a graduate program. This position incorporated both my previous experience in administration and as a graduate student. I have been working for almost a month now and I enjoy my job very much (this new endeavor has kept me busy the past few weeks, thus the lack of posts recently :).

I am still praying to discern whether pursuing a PhD is God’s plan for me in the future. Yet, I know I am where I am supposed to be right now. I have peace and I will remember that I should not get out of anything prematurely, for patience must finish its work.