{"id":223383,"date":"2022-06-01T14:20:58","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T18:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/?p=223383"},"modified":"2022-11-22T15:55:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T20:55:52","slug":"alina-and-a-music-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/operation-christmas-child\/alina-and-a-music-box\/","title":{"rendered":"Alina and a Music Box"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Alina and a Music Box<\/h1>\r\n\r\n                <div class=\"video1\" id=\"video1\" style=\"position: relative; display: block;\">\r\n                    <div style=\"padding-top: 56.25%;\">\r\n                        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/players.sardius.media\/82aD088d0aAbEF4\/dotorg\/asset\/6065633154001\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"encrypted-media\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%;border:0;\"><\/iframe>\r\n                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n                <noscript>\r\n                        <div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video<\/div>\r\n                <\/noscript>\r\n \r\n<div class=\"flex-container\">\r\n\r\n    <div class=\"text\">\r\n        <br>\r\n\r\n        <p><em>Alina received her shoebox at an orphanage in Romania at age 12.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>When I was just over a year old, doctors told my mother that I would never be able to walk. Not knowing how to care for me, my mother left me in a hospital. Thanks to doctors and nurses who did not give up on me, I began to walk and was placed in an orphanage when I was 3 years old.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>On a cold day nine years later, I noticed other kids in the orphanage carrying shoeboxes. I was very curious what was inside them! So I got in the back of a long line and could hardly wait my turn. I was one of the last ones to receive a shoebox.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>When I finally had one in my hands, my teacher told us that we had to wait to open them until we were back in our classroom. That meant a seven-minute walk up five flights of stairs. I couldn\u2019t wait that long! I tried to peak inside my box, but my teacher said, \u201cNope! Close it! We all need to go to the class.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>When I finally got there and opened it, the first thing I saw was a little round, white music box that played Christmas music. I liked it because I could put it in my hat, hiding it from the other orphans who beat kids and checked their pockets in order to take things from them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <aside class=\"pquote\">\r\n           <blockquote> \r\n            <p>\"Look, you can take whatever you want from my shoebox, but don\u2019t take this away from me.\"<\/p>\r\n           <\/blockquote>\r\n        <\/aside>\r\n\r\n        <p>When I tucked the music box in the fold of my winter hat, it played music in my ear. I remember kids watching me while I bounced along to the music. They heard the noise, but didn\u2019t see me carrying anything.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>Eventually, though, I became careless and an older girl heard the music. She asked what it was and I had to show her. I begged, \u201cLook, you can take whatever you want from my shoebox, but don\u2019t take this away from me.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>But she took it, stepped on it, and broke it. I was so mad at her for ruining my new happiness\u2014 the music box was mine for two days at the most.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>The other thing in my box that I especially liked was a Lego man. I liked him because he also was little and I could hide him. I tried not to play with him except when I was by myself, so people wouldn\u2019t see him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>But when I took the Lego man out to play with another orphan, an older girl saw it. The next thing I knew, five older girls ganged up on me and took him. I cried because he was my imaginary person. I had him for about a month.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>Even though I no longer had these toys, my shoebox gift meant I was special. I was loved. It meant someone cared for me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>That same year, I attended a camp where they talked about Jesus. I had heard about God, but didn\u2019t really know who He is. I imagined a huge man with a white beard sitting in a big arm chair looking down at people as little ants.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <aside class=\"pquote\">\r\n           <blockquote> \r\n            <p>\"My shoebox gift meant I was special. I was loved. It meant someone cared for me.\"<\/p>\r\n           <\/blockquote>\r\n        <\/aside>\r\n\r\n        <p>But a woman gave me a New Testament and explained that I could ask Jesus into my heart. She said I could talk to Him at any time. This meant a lot to me because I talked to myself often\u2014not aloud, but in my thoughts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>Now I knew someone would hear me whether I was sad, happy, or even had questions. The woman told me that God could be my best friend, brother, and even my parent. I thought, Now I can have a best friend with me no matter what!<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>When I got back to the orphanage, people saw a change in me. I had Jesus in my heart. No one could take that away from me!<\/p>\r\n\r\n        <p>Years later, I had an opportunity to come to the United States to do some translation work for missionaries who had served in Romania. I met my husband and now we have a baby girl. I can\u2019t wait to pack shoeboxes with her one day.<\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\r\n    <div class=\"flex-container-column\">\r\n        \r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spweb-uploads.s3.theark.cloud\/2016\/06\/childhood-3-small.jpg\" alt=\"Alina\" style=\"width:100% !important;\">\r\n        \r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spweb-uploads.s3.theark.cloud\/2016\/05\/shoebox-stories-index-alina-music-box.jpg\" alt=\"Alina and her music box\" style=\"width:100% !important;\"> \r\n        \r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spweb-uploads.s3.theark.cloud\/2016\/06\/3.jpg\" alt=\"Alina with boxes\" style=\"width:100% !important;\"> \r\n        \r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spweb-uploads.s3.theark.cloud\/2016\/06\/Alina-and-her-family-2.jpg\" alt=\"Alina with family\" style=\"width:100% !important;\">\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"category\">\r\n    <div class=\"category-inner\">\r\n        <h2 style=\"margin: 0 auto!important;text-align: center;\">Shoebox Adventure Quiz!<\/h2>\r\n        <a class=\"take-quiz-again\" href=\"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/operation-christmas-child\/the-shoebox-adventure-quiz\/#refresh-container\">Toma el quiz<\/a>\r\n        <a class=\"read-more-stories\" href=\"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/operation-christmas-child\/shoeboxstories-2021\/\">Lee otras historias sobre cajas de regalos<\/a>\r\n        <br>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n<!--Multiphoto Section \r\n\r\n<div class=\"multiphoto-container\">\r\n\t<div class=\"multiphoto-content\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"multiphoto-content-left\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"multiphoto-photo1\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sp-comm-arkfiles.s3.theark.cloud\/website\/occ\/shoebox-stories\/Karabo-on-a-boat-sm.png\" alt=\"Karabo on a boat\" \/>\t\t\t\t\r\n\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n    \t<div class=\"multiphoto-content-right\">\r\n        \t<div class=\"multiphoto-photo2\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sp-comm-arkfiles.s3.theark.cloud\/website\/occ\/shoebox-stories\/Family-in-US-Karabo-In-Red-sm.png\" alt=\"Karabo with his US family\" \/>\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"multiphoto-photo3\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sp-comm-arkfiles.s3.theark.cloud\/website\/occ\/shoebox-stories\/Family--Karabo-in-Yellow-sm.png\" alt=\"Karabo's family\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n    \t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>------------------------------------->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alina and a Music Box Alina received her shoebox at an orphanage in Romania at age 12. When I was just over a year old, doctors told my mother that I would never be able to walk. Not knowing how to care for me, my mother left me in a hospital. Thanks to doctors and [&hellip","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":223393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[256],"class_list":["post-223383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-operation-christmas-child","tag-occ","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223383"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237814,"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223383\/revisions\/237814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}