Three years ago that shoebox was taken from its place And filled with toys and goodies to brighten a child's face, My decorated shoebox would travel to foreign lands Unknown who would receive it, other than a child with eager hands.

Each year I sent out shoeboxes with a little note tucked inside Never expecting to get an answer but my hope I couldn't hide, Then one day I received a letter, the front pasted with foreign stamps My steps and heartbeat quickened as I sat and took a glance.

The letter was from Africa from a 10-year-old named Fred Thanking me for the gift I'd sent, I felt his smile as I read, God had placed my little shoebox in the hands of a special boy One who could write me letters, make me smile, and bring me joy.

But I didn't just gain a single friend, God blessed me even more There's Emma and Joel, his parents, who I‘m also thankful for, His father chose Christian ministry, his mother a nurse to others This family has given up so much to serve our sisters and brothers.

They moved from their home in Kenya with no promise of provision To spread God's word and do God's work and follow his father's vision, Many days they've gone without a meal and slept on a hard, bare floor Homework done by candlelight, nights so cold they were chilled to the core.

So many things we take for granted, never imagining we'd be without The least inconvenience unsettles us, we tend to grumble, complain or pout, But this family has endured the hardships, grown even stronger in faith and love And has taught me the value in trusting our Lord and believing in heaven above.

In one of his earliest letters, Fred closed with a special decree "May I live long to meet you; May you live long to meet me," We'd each repeated this special phrase in our letters to one another Both of us believing there would be a day when we would meet each other.

Our prayer had been that if it is God's will, then one day the path would clear But neither of us realized that it would be in his 13th year, Fred was born on the 29th of March in 1993 To his surprise his gifts this year were delivered by Linda and me.

It was just an empty shoebox yet it held the power to unite And my simple gesture of filling it brought a foreign child delight, I will be ever grateful for my new friends and for the endless joy That's been blessed to me ever since that day it was received by a special boy.