S1:E20 Little Gifts with Big Impact: Connecting Across the Globe with Operation Christmas Child

We love to talk about community around the table, about fostering
connection with people on our streets and in our neighborhoods.
But we get really inspired when we see people take their
Turquoise Table gatherings to the next level by getting together
to create connection beyond their neighborhoods. That’s why we’re
excited this week to share an opportunity with you on how you can
easily organize a gathering that brightens the lives of children
in other countries by packing simple shoeboxes full of toys and
goodies. Each year, Operation Christmas Child
delivers hundreds of thousands of these shoeboxes, filled by
volunteers, to kids all over the world, spreading a message of
love in the process. And to tell us how meaningful this little
gift can be, we’re thrilled to have Yuliya Shubina and
Gracie O’Laughlin from Operation Christmas Child on the
show to tell us all about the program and how we can participate.
Just wait until you hear Yuliya’s story—when she was 9 years old,
she received a shoebox that changed her life forever. Her story
shows us how a simple act of love can have a huge impact. And
stay around until the end of the episode, when Kristin shares a
delicious sweet-and-salty snack you can make for your own shoebox
packing party!



Show Summary:Our guests
today are going to help us get ready for the holidays in the best
way: they're preparing our hearts for giving to little ones in
need.


Gracie O'Laughlin and Yuliya Shubina work for Operation Christmas
Child, an international relief organization that shares God's
love with children around the world in the form of a shoebox.


At some point, maybe your family has packed a shoebox gift,
whether through your school, church, or neighborhood. Today,
Gracie and Yuliya are going to walk us through how to pack those
shoeboxes, what to put inside, how to host a packing party at
your Turquoise Table, and when and where to drop off those boxes.


And just wait, y'all, until you hear Yuliya's story. When she was
nine years old, Yuliya was living in Central Asia and actually
received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift with a letter
from the young girl who packed the box. These shoeboxes of love
really do make an impact, and Yuliya is living testament to that.
I cannot wait for you to hear her story.


The Turquoise Table has been an Operation Christmas Child partner
for a few years now, and it's one of our favorite things to do
every year to kick off the holiday season. I am thrilled to have
Gracie and Yuliya on the show today to share this wonderful work.
And stick around for a super yummy Heavenly Harvest Chex Mix
recipe that’s a snap to whip up for your shoebox packing
party!




 


Links, Products, and Recipes We Mentioned:


Operation Christmas Child Gift Suggestions (and what not to pack)


Turquoise Table Blog Post: “How to Host a Shoebox Packing Party”


Need help from an Operation Christmas Child volunteer?


Recipe: Heavenly Harvest Chex Mix






Interview Quotes:“God, we
know, doesn't waste any seasons in any of our lives ”


– Yuliya Shubina, Operation Christmas Child


 


“I remember [my stuffed puppy dog in my OCC shoebox] was the
nicest toy that my sister and I have ever owned. And so even
though I didn't want to, I had to share this puppy dog with my
sister, also with my cousins. This puppy would travel to their
house, stay with them a week or two at a time. They would play
with it, and then we would get it back—not to mention, all of the
neighbor kids who also got their turn playing and petting this
puppy dog.”


– Yuliya Shubina, Operation Christmas Child


 


“The most important item [in my shoebox], actually, wasn't a
puppy dog. It was the letter from the girl who packed it for me.
. . . She wrote, ‘I am praying for you. God loves you.’ And I
remember reading and translating that very simple letter, and
getting to these last two sentences and just wondering why would
a stranger, who has never met me, who lives all the way across
the world from me, who doesn't know me, would not only bless me
with a beautiful shoebox gift that is packed with so many
wonderful items, but also tells me there is God out there who
loves and cares for me and that she is praying to this God on my
behalf. ”


– Yuliya Shubina, Operation Christmas Child


 


“I will never forget the feelings that those words left in my
heart. I remember carrying that sentence with me for years and
continuing to wonder, Who is this God that she's praying to. And
once again, why would a stranger do something like that?”


– Yuliya Shubina, Operation Christmas Child


 


“There's just something so approachable about the simplicity of
this. . . . When we just show up and do something so simple, it
allows God to do what only God can do. That's the beauty of it.”


– Kristin Schell


 


“It's fun to pack fun items such as toys, school supplies,
hygiene items in the shoeboxes, but that's not the most important
part about this ministry. The most important part is prayer that
we packed the shoeboxes with.”


– Yuliya Shubina, Operation Christmas Child


 


“There are millions of stories that we have heard. The most
surprising for me is when a child has been praying for a very
specific item, a child or a family praying for a very specific
item, and then that item shows up in a shoebox. ”


– Gracie O’Laughlin, Operation Christmas Child


 


Connect with Operation Christmas Child:


Website


Facebook
Twitter
Instagram