BY JACKY GRAHAM
For the Kent Reporter

Shoeboxes are now being heard around the world.

When Zarina Jensen was a young girl in a central Asian orphanage, it was the shoebox that brought her hope for her future

The Valley View Christian Church hosted an Operation Christmas Child leader workshop last Saturday to hear the journey of the young woman, who shared her experience of receiving a shoebox when she was 8 years old. People who coordinate the shoebox collection in their churches and communities attended.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of the Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization. For more than 21 years, volunteers have been filling shoeboxes to send to boys and girls in more than 130 countries.

Many who give to the shoebox collection do not know how much a shoebox could mean to a child in need. For a child, it could mean their very prized possession.

Jensen says that in an orphanage without a lot of money everyone has to share everything.

“When we received a box, it was receiving something that I could keep for myself, and that alone was something incredible to experience at that time,” she said. “I remember holding a stuffed bumble and it was so soft and it reminded me of my birth mother that maybe she was coming back for me.”

The shoebox was filled with supplies, toys and more, all of which brought hope, even when she learned the box was not from her birth mother.

“It was the first time I felt hope for the future and something to look forward as an earliest memory. It really changes kids’ lives, and I want people to know that when they are involved in making shoeboxes,” Jensen said.

Jensen, now 20, moved to the United States not long after receiving the shoebox, and was adopted by her parents through an organization called Orphans Overseas. She came in contact with the organization after her adoptive family participated in the shoebox program.

Michael Ishmael serves as a regional director with Operation Christmas Child with Samaritan’s Purse in the Northwest, and also creates shoeboxes with his family.

“Zarina bonded with her adoptive parents because they shared the bond of both receiving and giving boxes. She approached us and told us about her story, and we wanted others to know how the shoebox really changes lives,” Ishmael said.

Reaching millions

So far, Operation Christmas Child has delivered 113 million shoeboxes during the past 20 years. Other children who received boxes as a child and also have been adopted and are living in the U.S. contact the organization to speak about their own experiences as well.

“I became a speaker because I just want people that pack shoeboxes to know what an impact they have on children around the world, and, yes, their box does reach and touch a child in many ways,” Jensen said.

For those who do send a shoebox, operationchristmaschild.org has a barcode-tracking feature that allows you to see which country your box was sent to.

“A lot of times we hear about major problems in the world today and we want to help, but are not sure where our donations go,” Ishmael said. “Packing a shoebox is a tangible way to directly help, and you are guaranteed your box will get to a child in need.”

Nhung Hurst was a working for a nonprofit organization for child welfare in Memphis, Tenn., and went on an international mission trip to northern Iraq that opened her eyes to hopelessness that children face.

She is now a Northwest regional manager at Samaritan’s Purse with Operation Christmas Child and also participates in giving shoeboxes in her own time.

“The great thing about giving shoeboxes is the entire spectrum from ages 2 to a 104-year-old woman still making shoeboxes to help children,” Hurst said.

Anyone who has a heart for children and wants to make a direct impact on a child can be in the project – every single shoebox reaches a child who is need and is a way to make a difference.

“Zarina’s story allows the individuals that came today see that what they are doing is a feel-good service. Her story can inspire them to learn ideas and take them back to their communities,” Hurst said.

Hurst explained that national collection week is always the third week of November. The collection sites are at 200-plus locations throughout the Northwest. In a few weeks, Valley View Christian Church will have a packing party and everyone in the community is welcome to join.

With the last word of the event, Jensen said: “Pack a shoebox – one box equals one life!”

For more information on how to create a shoebox and become a part of Operation Christmas Child, visit www.samaritanspurse.org.

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PHOTO BELOW: Coordinators of shoebox collection efforts gather at Valley View Christian Church to listen to Zarina Jensen, who shared the story of how a shoebox gift changed her life. Photo by Jacky Graham