Christmas Box Time- And with USA Shipping this year!

I love October!  School is well underway, it's officially autumn, and while here in the Southern Baja desert, we don't exactly see cool days, or  brightly colored, falling leaves, just knowing that it's a new season brings much excitement around our house.  The children color paper leaves to paste to our windows, Timothy counts down the days until his birthday,  and we plan some fun evening activities, special foods, and crafts.

But one of the most exciting things is knowing that it is again time to share about the

Christmas Box Ministry!

Some of you have already written and asked about the plans for this year.  Some of you may have participated in the past.  Some of you may have wanted to participate, but were unable. And some of you may have not yet heard about this opportunity.

This post is for all of you!

For the past three Christmases, we have been able to bless a number of children in our town and the surrounding ranches with a special gift from many of you. What a joy it has been to not only give these children a shoe box or bag filled with wonderful treats, but by being a blessing in this way to their families, have an open door to share with them about the One who gave us the greatest gift of all! 

This Christmas, we would again like to reach out to the families of our town by giving their children a Christmas Box. We want to not only show them the love of the Saviour through this tangible way, but go back and tell them the wonderous gospel that so many have still never heard.

Each time we have done this, it has been a tremendous blessing to the people. We've been able to hand out between 50 and 200 boxes each year!  Every box that we receive is placed into the hands of a Mexican boy or girl. For many of them, it will be the only Christmas gift they will receive.

This year, we are so excited to be able to give you a USA address to which to ship the boxes.  Daniel's brother Philip and his wife Kayleen live just a few miles north of the Mexican border, and they are willing to receive the boxes and store them in their apartment.  We will then make a quick trip north with our covered trailer to pick them up sometime in mid December.  

I know the cost of shipping to us here in Mexico is so expensive and while we have been so blessed by the sacrifice of so many in years past to send the boxes here, we are excited to be able to offer USA shipping which may enable more to take part in giving.

Keep on reading to find the shipping address!

 We will pass out whatever boxes we receive and the more the better! And we would love to have your help! It is truly more blessed to give than receive! If this is something in which you would like to have a part, here are some guidelines:

*Boxes should be shoebox size (you could either send a real shoebox or send a plastic container with a lid that is approximately the same size; the advantage of the plastic container is that the child/family can use it for something later)

*For Shipping Purposes, some people prefer to send a bag. Each year we handed out backpacks, paper gift bags (which were protected by being wrapped in plastic wrap so they wouldn't break open in shipping), and cloth hand bags as well. When we were up north, our girls were given some cloth hand bags for their birthdays that were purchased at the dollar store.

*Some years we had  people send a large quantity of an item(s) to be handed out with or in addition to the boxes (we've received Spanish New Testaments, Spanish Christmas Coloring Books, Stuffed Animals, Blankets/quilts, hats). If you are interested in sending something like that, just email us and let us know! :)

*Boxes should be sent to:

Daniel and Jaynee Lockwood

 c/o Philip and Kayleen Lockwood

9494 Carroll Canyon Road #41

San Diego, CA  92126

*We would like to have all the boxes ready to give out a week before Christmas. Please have all boxes sent with enough time for us to pick them up by the 14th. 

*If you would like to specify "Christmas Box for a Boy" or "Christmas Box for a Girl", please mark that somewhere on the package.  We will be handing them out to children of all ages, so variety is welcome!

Now for the fun part! Ideas of what to include in the boxes!

If you are on a tight budget and would like to give, please know that anything will be appreciated.  The children here do not have much at all and even small treats mean so much.  If you have a dollar store or the like in your area, that would be a great place to go!

*Toys: a small stuffed animal, a ball, a yo-yo, whistle, picture book, a puzzle, a game, play dough, coloring book etc...

*School Supplies: pencils, pencil box, crayons, felt markers, stickers, notebook, erasers, pencil sharpener, glue etc...
*Toiletries:  soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb or brush, wash cloth, floss, etc...

*Other: American Candy, scarf, a personal letter* or picture drawn for the child, comb or brush, toothbrush, craft, stickers, etc...

Here are things to NOT include:

*Chocolate or any other food that could melt, make a mess or spoil

*Medicine

*Items that could easily break

*Books or music (other than a note book or coloring book)

*Anything liquid that could spill (bubbles, shampoo, ect...)

*Anything that could be dangerous for a small child (marbles, sharp items ect...)

*Clothing other than maybe a scarf or hat as you don’t know what size the child is that will receive your box

If you have any further questions, feel free to email us (email address at the very bottom of the right side bar). Of course, we plan on taking lots of pictures of the children opening their boxes and will post some on the blog. Wouldn’t it be fun to see a picture of a child opening the box that YOU sent? :)

*Spanish phrases that you could include in a personal note if you would like:

Dios le bendiga– God Bless you

Jesus te ama– Jesus loves you

Feliz Navidad– Merry Christmas

Dios te ama– God loves you

Estoy orando por ti– I am praying for you

Con amor de - With love from