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Casburn spreads cheer with shoebox mission


Jennifer Fry

Staff writer

When is giving a gift an act of faith? When it comes in the form of a shoebox, packed on behalf of Samaritan’s Purse’s annual Operation Christmas Child.

This 17-year-old Colleen Casburn, of Sabinal, witnessed first-hand on a recent trip to the Philippines with the Christian relief organization. At eight days, the trip lasted just over a week.

Casburn flew out of San Antonio July 8 to meet up with the team in Los Angeles. Together, they took a trans-Pacific flight to Manila, Philippines and another, smaller flight to Cebu.

She left Texas on a Sunday and arrived at her destination on Monday evening, exhausted but enthusiastic.

“At dinner we were all falling asleep,” she said, referencing her 23 teammates. Young people from all over the United States joined Casburn on her trip – none of whom she had met before.

She began getting to know them on the initial flight from Los Angeles. “We got to keep each other company,” she said. “Luckily, I got to know everybody on the team.”

The team returned to the U.S. July 16.

Shoebox Distribution

The purpose of the trip was to participate in one of Samaritan’s Purse’s largest projects – distributing hand-packed shoeboxes full of toys and other necessities to needy children around the world. Just one box can impact as many as 10 people, including the child who received it.

Casburn herself has been on the packing end of things for some time, helping to collect and pray over them when the shoeboxes come in.

“It was really cool to watch the whole process being done,” she said.

In total, Casburn’s team of 24 participated in 11 distributions and passed out 600 shoeboxes. Six hundred thousand shoeboxes are earmarked for the Philippines annually.

“It’s such a small number,” Casburn said, referencing the percentage of boxes she helped distribute, “but a large number at the same time.”

The team was broken up into two smaller teams. Casburn herself was able to participate in six distributions.

During one particular distribution, the volunteers ran out of shoeboxes specifically for boys.

“We can’t just give them nothing,” one of them said. The decision was made to give the two boys who were left shoeboxes meant for little girls.

“There was more boy-like stuff in their boxes,” Casburn said in amazement. “It went to the perfect kid – that was so cool.”

A saying among Samaritan’s Purse workers supports that assessment. “If that’s the box they’re meant to get, that’s the box they’re meant to get,” workers say.

The boxes’ contents are as varied as the people who pack them – and workers don’t check beforehand to make sure they’re all the same or that they fit a known need.

At another distribution, a young girl prayed for flip-flops. Inside her box, at the very top, was a pair exactly her size.

“Each kid gets a perfect box,” Casburn said.

“I have a new outlook on how I pack my boxes now,” she went on. “I encourage people to pray for their boxes before they pack them. You don’t do just mass packing – pack with intention and care.”

Visiting Children

Among the places Casburn visited was an outdoor church which met underneath a tall bridge, and a school for special-needs children.

“That school was so pretty… so happy,” she said.

Of the 70 to 80 special-needs children present that day, most either suffered from autism or were deaf.

“As soon as we came in, there was instant happiness,” Casburn said of the crowd.

She sat with a small group of 5 year-olds who were deaf, and was able to communicate using a smattering of American Sign Language.

“Thankfully, ASL is pretty much universal,” she said. “I could ask them what their name was and if they were excited.

“They all talked so fast in sign language – it was so fun to watch their interactions.”

At the end of the team’s time with the children, the classes sang as one a song thanking their visitors for coming. “We will always have our arms open for you to come back,” they sang.

At the open-air church, Casburn met two little girls, Chiny and Stephanie, who instantly stole her heart. One of them, Chiny, began her interactions with Casburn through playing with Casburn’s hair.

At one point, “She leans in and whispers in my ear ‘I love you’ in English. I just looked at her and grabbed her and said, ‘I love you and so does Jesus.’ ”

The hug, said Casburn, was “the most sweetest, purest little hug that I’ve ever received.”

Saying goodbye to the two girls was among the hardest things to do on the trip. One of them, Stephanie, almost got on the bus with the team as they loaded up to leave.

Stephanie waved at the bus until she could no longer see it.

“If I could take you home right now, I would,” Casburn said to herself. “I’d take both of them!”

Gospel Presentation

In addition to a shoebox full of goodies, Samaritan’s Purse also shares the gospel message with recipients in their own language.

“Something that blew me away was how invested the teachers were in delivering the message,” Casburn said. “There was such passion.

“They have that drive – it’s something you don’t see in the States.”

Though not knowing any Tagalog, her team was able to participate in giving the gospel message through holding up signs depicting Bible stories. No matter where they went, the children seemed receptive.

“That was something that really touched my heart,” Casburn said, “that they had such love for us after having met us an hour ago.”

Casburn is set to speak about her trip at Sabinal Central Christian Church today at 11 a.m.

Colleen CasburnWith new friends Stephanie (left) and Chiny (right) in each hand, Colleen Casburn distributes shoeboxes for needy children in the Philippines. The event was part of a mission trip to the region July 7-16 organized by Samaritan’s Purse, in which Casburn participated.

Colleen CasburnWith new friends Stephanie (left) and Chiny (right) in each hand, Colleen Casburn distributes shoeboxes for needy children in the Philippines. The event was part of a mission trip to the region July 7-16 organized by Samaritan’s Purse, in which Casburn participated.

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