Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:24
Filling a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child is literally only the first step. Once the boxes are filled, they need to be taken to a Collection site that can be found on Samaritan’s Purse website. There they are placed in cartons to be taken to the Central Drop Off Center. From there they are taken to one of several Processing Centers across the country. There, each box is opened and checked for items that cannot be shipped, like candy, toothpaste, soap, etc. If one of those items are found they are removed and replaced with another item. Then and only then is an item removed and replaced our of necessity because if any of those items are found in just one box at Customs the entire shipment is rejected.
One day at the Processing Center a box was opened and inside among toys, was a shoe. Yes, just one shoe. The person inspecting the box kept its contents intact but prayed over it asking God to make sure that box got to a child who needed one shoe. Because volunteers accompany the Shoeboxes to their destination or course someone could relay the journey of the one shoe Shoebox. As so often before, God guided that box to the correct child. There was a child that had their leg amputated and was in need of a new shoe because the one they had was worn out. When they opened their box, they couldn’t believe that there was just one shoe and other things they loved.
Have you ever experienced receiving something you needed and you never told anyone? Or you had been praying for something that might have seemed foolish and didn’t tell anyone? Yet, the item showed up in a strange way. God is constantly meeting needs and answering prayers that we think are too foolish to mention to someone else. Remember, none of our needs or wants are foolish to God, He wants to hear what is on our hearts. So tell Him, but then also believe that He will answer you. Just like the Processor who prayed for that one shoe to get to a child who needed it, because nothing is impossible with God!

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