Operation Christmas Child: It's Not Too Late!

So yesterday was the last day of National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child. If you missed the deadline, don't despair! It's not too late to participate this year. Here's how:

1. Pray. Prayer is vital to the success of Operation Christmas Child. Here are some things to consider praying for, from the OCC prayer guide:
   
   • Pray for the hurting children and their families whose lives will be impacted this year through Operation Christmas Child. Pray especially that many hearts will be opened to God's love and the Good News of Jesus Christ.
   • Pray for our ministry partners in countries around the world, especially that the shoe box gifts will be effective tools for evangelism. Pray also for their follow-up and discipleship programs.
     
   • Pray for the individuals, families, churches, and groups who will be filling shoe boxes this year, especially for the children. Pray that they will see that it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.
     
   • Pray for everyone involved in collecting processing, transporting, and delivering shoe box gifts, including the tens of thousands of volunteers. Pray especially for the timely delivery of the gifts.
     
     
2. Give. For some people, it may be easier and more convenient to participate by donating to the project. As Melissa pointed out in the comments section of a previous OCC post, folks can financially sponsor a shoe box to help cover shipping and operational costs. You can mail donations to Samaritan's Purse--or you can simply give online via the ministry's "EZ Give" feature on the OCC Web site. Super easy and convenient--not to mention, needed and appreciated.
   
   
3. Deliver. If you are close to one of the following processing centers, you still have time to fill a shoe box and drop it off. Here's the info from the Samaritan's Purse Web site:
   
   It’s not too late to pack a shoe box gift for Operation Christmas Child! Shoe boxes can be sent to our Boone Processing Center year-round at 801 Bamboo Rd., Boone, NC 28607.
   There is also time to drop off your shoe box gifts in the following cities until December 6th.
   
   Atlanta Processing Center
   3780 Southside Industrial Court
   Atlanta, GA 30354
   770-777-9342
   
   Charlotte Processing Center
   7100 Forest Point Blvd.
   Charlotte, NC 28224
   704-583-1463
   
   Denver Processing Center
   17650 E. 32nd Ave.
   Aurora, CO 80011
   303-745-9179
   
   Minneapolis Processing Center
   10779 Hampshire Ave.
   Bloomington, MN 55438
   612-359-7025
   
   Orange County Processing Center
   2803 Yale St.
   Santa Ana, CA 92704
   714-432-7030