Gifts of Food and Clothing - African Boxes of Love
The Box of Love project began as a holiday tradition at First Presbyterian Church of Norfolk, Virginia. A lighted Christmas tree is placed in the Commons area of the Church. The tree is covered with brightly colored ornaments each bearing the picture of a child in Kenya. Each child is either a student at the school on the grounds of Nazareth Hospital or an HIV patient at the Holy Family Centre. The children range in age from pre-school to 14 years old. These children have been affected by the AIDS epidemic, either by the loss of one or both parents or by having the disease themselves. Their sweet faces shine from the tree bringing a deeper meaning to the celebration of Christmas at FPC.
The ornaments are for sale at $60 each. We are amazed at how much 60 U.S. dollars can buy. Each child receives a pair of shoes and socks, a sweatshirt, a blanket, a back pack, a dozen ruled notebooks, a lunch box and toys. They also receive for their families, four bars of soap, 2 kg of rice, 2 kg of wheat flower, 2 kg of maize flower, 3 kg of black beans and 4 kg of cooking fat. This food pack can feed a family of four for one month.
Many FPC families buy an ornament for each family member as their gift to Jesus. FPC children flock around the tree to choose a special friend. These ornaments are taken home and hung on family trees to remember the face of the child they have gifted. After Christmas many keep these ornaments in their devotionals and Bibles to remember to pray all year long for “their child.” The only problems with this project are the traffic jams around the tree and the swift emptying of the tree. It’s not unusual for all of the ornaments to be claimed before all the Sunday services of the Christmas season are over. They are restocked several times during Advent.
The tangible gifts sent to these children brighten their lives, give them dignity and bless the lives of their whole family. However, the greatest gift our $60 gives these worthy children is the fact of their Savior’s love for them. It teaches them about the universal Body of Christ and the truth that we are all brothers and sisters. Our prayer is that each box will not only meet a physical need but will fuel the hope that God hides in the hearts of all His children.
