GIFTS

I don’t always get to see the results. For the projects I invest my time, I desperately want to see the beginning, the process, and the final result. My Western thinking wants to know I fixed a problem. There are many occasions over the past 2 years where I did not understand the problem trying to be solved, nor could I follow the steps implemented to find a solution, and I certainly could not see any expected results. God is teaching me to release the results to Him. I will do my part, but He will claim the results. It is for His glory and goodness. His plans get results here in Burundi.

One day at the Karubabi Harvest School a number of carboard boxes arrived. They were the size of a cooler. The students were called to the conference center and as they entered, they noticed the boxes stacked on the stage. Anticipation and excitement built as students found their seats. One by one, each student (ages 12-16) received a smaller gift box from within these cooler sized boxes. These smaller boxes were the size of, say, a shoebox. The logo on the side was Samaritan’s Purse. These were the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. I have no idea of the process to get these gifts here. My home church in Wichita, KS, serves as a drop-off location for thousands of these completed boxes and some of you have been involved in the creation (if you will). It was a small act of obedience and faith from many nations around the globe to commit to making a gift for a child in an unknown country. The gifter would never see the result of their loving generosity. The recipient would never know how these precious items got to Burundi.

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And there was joy! Hundreds of smiles. With wide eyes their hands quickly unpacked item after item. Shrieks of surprise bounced off the conference center walls. Thousands of people answered the call to pick up a simple supply list in the hopes of sharing joy with children all over the world. The result, the payoff, could be found in tiny Burundi. For a moment, these kids were recipients of generosity, kindness, and faithfulness. What started as a list in your hands resulted in a gift in their hands.

We don’t always know the creation, or the process, or the results, but God knows (and orchestrates) the entire plan. We have a part to play even when we don’t get to see the results. On this day, I got to see the results of your faithfulness. Thank you!