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I (Beckie) am leaving next Monday, 1/5, for Belize – This ‘pre trip’ is very important as we prepare for our training that we will be doing for the hospice team there at the Karl Heusner Hospital, February 22-28th. Dr. Beatriz Thompson heads up this team and has invited us to come through Tim Tam with “The Word at Work”. We are humbled to assist this team of nurses, doctors, spiritual advisors and volunteers as they strive to care for “the least of these” who are at the end of their lives. Please pray for me during this time. Sometimes differences in culture cause problems with communication – and I want our communication to be open and clear.
For those of you using Good Search – I would like to point out that you can also use Good Shop for your online shopping. If you scroll down down on the Good Search page, you will find a link to retailers who donate percentages of your purchase to your designated charity. So Good Shop for Twenty-Six: Twelve! Merry Christmas!
Emily figured that each team of 5 processed about 1000 shoeboxes a day! So that means that we touched the lives of 6000 children – and ultimately their families as we are assured that each shoebox was safe and appropriate for each child.
A sweet thing happened as we were opening one of thousands of boxes full of boxes – Annie said that there was a box from River Oaks Baptist Church. Well, that is my mom’s church in Fort Worth – and she has been actively involved in the OCC ministry for years. So I got to actually take pictures of several boxes that her friends prepared – She had paid her shipping online so we didn’t have record of which ones might be hers. But she was thrilled to hear that I got to visualize the next steps for these boxes.
We ended our week with a celebration dinner in downtown Denver where the lights, carriages and beautiful store windows reminded us again of how blessed we are to live in this amazing country – and work for our unique organization.
Here are some more photos from the week.
Denver Darlings with our crew bosses
All in all, everyone had a wonderful time. Everyone agreed that the trip was a success both because of the hard work and how much fun we had. So, from the Denver Darlings to you: Merry Christmas!
Gotta say this is such a great group of women. No complaints even with 8 hours of working very hard for two days- and pushing through at the very end. The warehouse processed 39,000 boxes yesterday – and was hoping for 40,000 today. Saturday is the last day that boxes will be processed so the staff is hoping that there will be volunteers working hard. The staff is from all over the country where OCC has regional sites. We even met a gal from Fort Worth. She works at the warehouse for one month every November and December so of course she is ready to finish this monstrous task. The shoeboxes processed at the Denver warehouse are taken by truck to Mexico and then into Central America. We saw one box today from my home church of Christ Chapel! So we looked and looked for 26:12 boxes the rest of the day but haven’t seen any yet.
Favorite box:
Strangest two items: a package of coconut in one box and then there was a box of food coloring (?) in another- Not sure why anyone would give that to a child, but . . . . . . We did have to put that in the big box of inappropriate items – those items identified as not appropriate include anything liquid. We can’t include any food items – and there are certain type toys that we can’t keep in the boxes. Toys that have anything to do with guns or violence, of course. And snakes are a no-no because of the superstitions associated with snakes in some countries. The items that can’t be kept in the boxes are given to a nearby shelter – Tomorrow is our last day to work in the processing center. Then a big treat before we leave on Saturday – shopping!
Please continue to pray for each child that receives a box that we touch – and as always we are blessed to be a part of our mission which “leaves God’s fingerprints while touching our world.”
Sore feet and aching backs but we worked and laughed all day. Our line crews said that no group worked this hard or fast – and asked that we please work with them tomorrow. After trying to find Christmas lights – and an hour of Denver traffic – we are snug in the hotel. Excited for tomorrow. The favorite box that we processed today was put together by an elderly couple that included a sweet baby blanket and every thing a little baby girl would need. The strangest item we saw was a shower cap from Comfort Suites!
The pre-trip of Emily, Annie and Beckie have arrived amidst the snow. It is absolutely beautiful. Several of the gals who will be arriving today have had illness and illness in their families. And Amy Chapman has had to drop out at the last minute due to illness – so pray for all of us to stay healthy and safe. More tomorrow after our first day in the warehouse. 
The great thing about working with our organization is that people serve without ever expecting anything in return – or any acknowledgement. In Pampa Greg Logan donated a couch from his home to one of our patients who was in great need. Jeree Woods , Jodi Allen and Greg delivered it on their day off. Selfless service! Then Greg , Rhonda Greene, and Stephanie Ashby cooked food a few days before Thanksgiving. They delivered meals to our patients in Borger who otherwise would not get a Thanksgiving dinner.
“When you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.” Proverbs 14:31
Today is the 20th anniversary of World Aids Day.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” —Ephesians 6:12
Twenty-six:Twelve is about giving hope – and this year we have the opportunity to touch the lives of children affected by this disesase when we go to Bulembu in July.
Remember that as Christians we have the hope of the world in Jesus Christ – please continue to pray for those affected by this world wide disease that affects all of us.
