{"id":78641,"date":"2017-07-03T08:40:34","date_gmt":"2017-07-03T12:40:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/?p=78641"},"modified":"2017-07-21T10:26:51","modified_gmt":"2017-07-21T14:26:51","slug":"shoeboxstories-jaki-and-a-toothbrush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samaritanspurse.org\/es\/operation-christmas-child\/shoeboxstories-jaki-and-a-toothbrush\/","title":{"rendered":"#ShoeboxStories: Jaki and A Toothbrush"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n<\/g>\r\n\r\n\t\r\n<\/g>\r\n<\/svg>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n<\/g>\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n<\/g>\r\n<\/svg>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n<\/g>\r\n<\/svg>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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CAJAS DE REGALOS<\/h2>
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Historias<\/h3><\/a>\r\n\t

#shoeboxstories compila continuamente historias de beneficiarios que comparten el impacto eterno de una simple caja de regalos.<\/h4>\r\n<\/header>\r\n\r\n
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Jaki<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

y<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

A Toothbrush<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n
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I can attest to the need to put toothbrushes in shoebox gifts\u2014I shared one with nine other girls in a Guatemalan orphanage.\r\n \r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n
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I\u2019ve never met my birth mother. People at the orphanage told me that she brought me there when I was a few months old.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

At the orphanage in Guatemala, the caretakers provided for our basic needs. They taught us, fed us, and clothed us, but their limited resources meant that we ate a steady diet of rice and beans and wore whatever clothes were available, no matter what the size. Sometimes, the girls wore boy clothes because that\u2019s what the orphanage had on hand. I don\u2019t remember us having any combs or brushes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

We did have a toothbrush\u2014one toothbrush for 10 girls. We shared it, like we shared everything else. That\u2019s why I was so excited when we each received our own Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u201cI pack at least four toothbrushes so children can give them to friends or family.\u201d
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My favorite thing I received in my box was a toothbrush of my very own. I got a lot of use out of it. It was a prized possession. To this day when I pack shoebox gifts, I don\u2019t just include one toothbrush\u2014I pack at least four of them in each box! That way, the children can use them for a long time, or have enough of them to give to their friends or family members.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

I also received a stuffed animal. I was 5 years old, so I loved to hug it. I was delighted to receive crayons and coloring books. When the girls and I colored, there was no white space left on the pieces of paper. We filled every available space with color.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

We received our gifts in plastic containers, so we kept our larger gifts in them. The possessions we really cherished we kept underneath our mattresses. I didn\u2019t receive a photo in my shoebox, but some of the other girls did. They kept the photos underneath their mattresses so they could pull them out to look at them then tuck them away again for safekeeping. I always include a photo and a letter in the shoeboxes I pack because I remember how much the girls treasured them. Even if they couldn\u2019t read the writing, it meant something to them that they were from those who had given them the gifts.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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\"Jaki<\/div>\r\n\t\t
\"Jaki<\/div>\t\t\r\n <\/div>\r\n
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\"Jaki<\/div>\r\n
\"Jaki<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

I had heard about Jesus at the orphanage. When we had received our shoeboxes, we learned the song, \u201cJesus loves me.\u201d But it wasn\u2019t until later that I truly knew who He is and that Jesus really does love me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

A year after I received my shoebox, I was adopted by a couple from the U.S. My parents took me to church and, within the year, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

I still love the song, \u201cJesus loves me.\u201d I love to sing\u2014I\u2019m on the worship team at church. I\u2019m also a nanny, so I get to teach the song to the kids. Many of the children are from my church, which has packed shoeboxes for many years\u2014long before I became a part of the congregation and began sharing my story.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\u201cI remember how much a photo and a letter were treasured.\u201d
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I get to help the children pack shoeboxes. I tell them that I received a shoebox gift and answer their questions about what to put in the boxes. I explain how important basic items like paper and pencils are to a child who doesn\u2019t have them. They\u2019re amazed that I had to share a toothbrush\u2014they couldn\u2019t imagine having to share things like that. But they grasp at an early age what it is to give to others.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

I hope that my story will make a difference in other children\u2019s lives\u2014both those who pack shoeboxes and those who receive them. I\u2019m so thankful that someone took the time to pack one for me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t

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