Doing it with your friends.

A world-wide outreach of Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Christmas Child distributes shoeboxes full of necessities and toys to children across the globe. Each year, thousands of families wrap shoeboxes and fill them with items such as socks, toothbrushes, dolls, t-shirts, and toy cars, and bring the finished boxes to their church to be sent to Samaritan’s Purse’s processing center.

While we found packing shoeboxes as a family to be fun, we wanted a way to include our friends.

Now for the second year we are packing the shoeboxes as a Bible study. How do we do it?

Step 1: Determine how many shoeboxes we will be doing, and of what age and gender.

Step 2: Write all of the needed items out on post-it notes.

Step 3: Place the post-it notes on windows. Each person or family can select what items they want to purchase and bring.

Step 4: A week before Thanksgiving, get together and eat Thanksgiving dinner. Then lay out the boxes on tables. Have a team wrap them, and the rest of the group can fill them. You can have teams in charge of each age group, or a person in charge of each item. You can get your children involved, too – “take these washcloths and put one in each box.”

Step 5: Take the boxes to your church, or a church that is collecting them. You’re done!

For more information about Operation Christmas Child, you can visit: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/occ/

Brothers Judah, Cohen, & Jax

Judah, age 5

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“An ostrich. I would name it Happy Face.”

What chores do you have?
“Cleaning the turtles’ cage.”

If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“Maddie and Annora’s house.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Pancakes and aebleskiver and cake.“

Cohen, age 3½

If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“Maddie and Annora’s house.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A lizard. Named Cohen.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Bow-wow.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Macaroni and cheese and olives.”

Jax, age 2

What would be the coolest pet to own?
“A dog.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Candy.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Jaxie.”

Sisters Maddie & Annora

Maddie, age 6

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Crystal.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“When I picked up the elk poop.”

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“Cat in the Hat.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A poodle; I would name it Princess Rainbow.”

Annora, age 4

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Heart Crystal Dolphin.”

What is your favorite toy?
“Princesses and bad guys.”

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“A princess book.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A cat; I would name it Heart Princess Diamond.”

Eliana and her dad, Nehemiah

Eliana, age 2

What is your favorite toy?
“My bike!”

If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“Disneyland.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Pizza.”

What are you scared of?
“Spiders.”

Nehemiah

Nehemiah is Timberdoodle’s warehouse manager!

Brothers Brayden & Abram

Brayden, age 11

What book have you read recently?
“I like to read The Hardy boys and I’m reading the Narnia Series.”

What is a nickname you have?
“My nickname is Braydo Tornado.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“I would like to compete in the Olympics.”

If you could live or visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“I can’t wait to visit Germany.”

Abram, age 7

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“I would like to be an Engineer and build all kinds of robots.”

If you could live any place in the world, where would it be?
“Germany, where my aunt, uncle, and twin cousins live. I wish I could have a house right next door.”

What book have you read recently?
“I like to read Boxcar Children and I’m also reading Little House in the Big Woods.”

What is a nickname you have?
“My nickname is Abe.”

Sisters Megan, Alison, & Jenny

Megan, age 11

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Alison or Gretchen.”

If you could live or visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“India or Argentina (the latter only because I like the song “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”).”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Popcorn and caramel apples.”

What book have you read recently?
“George MacDonald’s The Princess and the Goblin.”

Alison, age 8

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A horse named Penny.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A veterinarian.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Megan.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Kayaking.”

Jenny, age 6

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A giraffe named Little Mary.”

What are you scared of?
“Scary games in the dark.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“An obstetrician.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Rosebud.”

Elisha and his uncles, Nathaniel & Darius

Elisha, age 1

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“First Hundred Words in English, I like to find the dogs.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Eggs and cheese.”

What is your favorite toy?
“I like balls and trucks.”

What are you scared of?
“Anything too loud – like blowers or blenders.”

Nathaniel, age 7

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A police officer.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Quiche.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Bubba.”

What would be the coolest pet to own?
“A dinosaur.”

Darius, age 5

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A tiger named Sebastian.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Pizza.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A firefighter.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Probably Sebastian.”

Brothers Caleb, Scion, Conner, and Calum

Caleb, age 11

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A chicken farmer.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“An elephant named Hannibal.”

What are you scared of?
“Everything at night since I read The Hound of the Baskervilles.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Crashed a motorbike.”

Scion, age 9

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A monkey. I would name it George.”

What book have you read recently?
“Martin Rattler.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Went on a Ferris Wheel.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Landscaping.”

Conner, age 5

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Richard, my dad’s middle name.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Put my head in the salt water.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Being a mountain climber at Mt. Ranier.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Rice Krispies, chocolate chip cookies, and vanilla cupcakes.”

Calum, age 1

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“An earwig named Squishy.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Either a rockstar drummer or an entomologist.”

What is your favorite toy?
“My mom’s Tupperware.”

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“My favorite book right now is Please Say Please.”

Siblings Zachariah, Julianna, Jonathan, & Benjamin

Zachariah, age 10

What are you scared of?
“My brother hiding behind the door.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A dolphin named Echo.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A dolphin trainer.”

What chores do you have?
“Feeding my chickens and rabbits.”

Julianna, age 9

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Grace, which is my middle name and what my first name means.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Goulash.“

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A cat named Tiger.”

What are some nicknames you have?
“Juls and Baby Girl.”

Jonathan, age 7

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Own a candy store.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A Gardner snake named Freaky.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Bob.”

What is your favorite toy?
“Legos.”

Benjamin, age 4

What is your favorite toy?
“Cars.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Benjamin Bunny.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Spaghetti.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Thomas the Train.”

Siblings Ben, Frank, & Lizzie

Ben, age 14

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Animator at Pixar.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“William.”

What is your favorite toy?
“Legos.”

What book have you read recently?
“It Happened in Washington.”

Frank, age 13

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Pork & chicken & broccoli.”

If you could live or visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“Italy.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Riding the roller coaster at Silverwood.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Astronaut.”

Lizzie, age 7

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Rosie.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Macaroni & cheese.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Bethany.”

What are you scared of? Why?
“Lions and bears, because they are scary.”

Cousins Danielle & Joshua

Danielle, age 1

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“The Very Busy Spider, I love the animals.”

What are some of your favorite toys?
“My rubber duck, teapot & teacup, and books.”

What are you scared of?
“Swings.”

What are some nicknames you have?
“Dani and Scooter.”

Joshua, age 11 months

What is your favorite toy?
“Daddy’s boots, or anything with strings.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Chocolate!”

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“Stop, Train, Stop! A Thomas the Tank Engine Story.”

What are you scared of?
“Being left behind.”

Sisters Laila & Lydia

Laila, age 7

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Someone who rescues animals.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Jumped off a dock at the lake.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Grilled cheese sandwiches.”

What would be the coolest pet to own?
“A turtle.”

Lydia, age 2

What would be the coolest pet to own?
“A duck.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Boo boo.”

What are you scared of?
“Loud Noises.”

What is your favorite toy?
“Baby dolls.”

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and for many of us, the holidays are a wonderful time to celebrate with our family and friends. But for those who have been through a heartbreaking year, the holidays are often just a reminder of what they have lost. If you or loved ones are having a difficult time seeing how God is good during the hard times, then we recommend If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil.
We have followed with interest the ministry of Randy Alcorn for many years, so when he first came out with If God Is Good, it was a natural for Mom to order a copy to read. After reading it through, she really felt it was something we would all benefit from reading. We ordered more copies of it, one for each of us, and began to study it as a family. We would read about two chapters a week individually, meeting during our Monday morning family devotion time to talk through what we had read.
If you wonder how a good God could allow evil and suffering, or if you are not sure how to answer the questions your friends and family have about good and evil, then If God Is Good will be of substantial assistance. To enter to win a copy, leave a comment on  Facebook. Winner will be announced on Monday.

Have you tried Sumoku yet? What do you think? Read more or buy now here!