The Drop Box Film

On Tuesday night, I had the opportunity to go to the opening night of a special new documentary called "The Drop Box Film" that follows the amazing work of an incredibly compassionate pastor in Seoul, South Korea. First of all, I am SO sad that this will only be in theaters for one more night (tonight!), so most of you won't be able to see it, but it was such a jaw-dropping and remarkable story that I felt like I just had to share and encourage any of you who can to go see it or at least learn more about it. (Or do what we typically do and find it on Red Box/On Demand/Netflix when it comes out.)

Pastor Lee Jong-Rak is primarily known for creating a "baby box" in Seoul in order to combat the incredible amount of newborn babies that were being left abandoned to die in dumpsters, bathrooms, and the like following their birth. The majority of these babies were either unplanned pregnancies or had some sort of special need/disability, and because of the perfectionistic expectations of Korean society, these desperate mothers chose to abandon their babies in order to avoid being shunned. There is great debate out there as to whether or not these boxes actually help these mothers or whether it encourages mother to abandon their babies.

To see a very condensed glimpse into this work, check out this short news story HERE.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what I need to say here about this film other than the fact that it inspired me - as a mom, as a Christ-follower, and as a human being. This man has completely and utterly devoted every second of his life to fight for the lives of these innocent children and babies...and meanwhile, I find myself annoyed that my daughter is whining to be held (again) and begging for Cheerios because I really want to aimlessly skim through Instagram instead. Talk about skewed priorities.

The other part of this film that was so inspiring to me was the story of the director. His original intention was NOT to make a Christian film...he was actually an atheist and wanted to make a dramatic indie film that would help him make it to the Sundance Film Festival. He was looking for praise and glory...but God had other plans. During his six-month stay with Pastor Lee's family, the director became a Christian. He realized that he was just like one of those orphans - disabled in his heart and in need of a loving Father to take him in. What a testimony that director now has to share!

God is good, y'all.

I walked away from this film with my head spinning about so many things...how I can help, how amazing God is, how fortunate my kids are (even on my bad days), how troubled the world really is. It was a truly awe-inspiring two hours that is absolutely worth the price of admission. If you have any interest in learning more about the film or the work of Pastor Lee, visit the link HERE.

If you've seen the film, leave me a comment with your thoughts! I'd love to hear what others of you think. :) And hug those kiddos tight! There are THOUSANDS of babies out there that would give anything for a set of loving arms today...