Students from Wheaton College traveled to Ecuador in December with Operation Christmas Child, coming alongside the local church to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and joining in the joy as children pealed open their one-of-a-kind shoebox gifts.
Wheaton College students participated in the evangelism efforts of Operation Christmas Child in Ecuador during their Christmas break.
Samaritan’s Purse has long worked in Ecuador, first delivering gift-filled shoeboxes there in 1997 and in 2009 launching The Greatest Journey, our follow-up discipleship program for shoebox recipients, for the first time ever in this nation.
The group of 20 Wheaton College students attended several Operation Christmas Child outreach events across Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. They also celebrated graduates from The Greatest Journey in a joyous ceremony for the boys and girls who completed the 12-week discipleship course.
The Wheaton College students joined in the fun as children opened their shoebox gifts.
“It was the best experience,” said student volunteer Brittany Funk. “We gave the kids their shoeboxes. During the Gospel presentation, they had asked the kids if they wanted to receive Jesus into their heart. And just seeing them all raise their hands…it just brought such joy to my heart. Definitely, keep packing those boxes. It is making such a huge impact.”
A Legacy of Faithfulness
Edward Graham spoke in chapel at Wheaton College in early December 2024, exhorting the students to stand boldly for their faith as they fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and highlighting the significance of the college in his family’s life. Over 80 years ago, the late Reverend Billy Graham graduated from Wheaton College before starting his global ministry that reached millions with the Gospel. Today, a primary academic hall at the college is named after Rev. Graham as an example of his lasting legacy.
“The greatest gift my grandfather gave me is the lesson and knowledge that every word in the Bible is true and that you have to accept it by faith,” said Edward Graham to the Wheaton College student body at chapel Dec. 4. “If you want to change the world, then you go preach the Gospel … and Jesus will go with you to the very end of the age.”
That message resonated with Ecuador trip participant and Wheaton College senior Josh Winnes. “It was cool to meet Edward Graham. He said anybody can be an evangelist. That’s a message we need to hear. All of us have a testimony. All of us have a story.”
Alex Ramirez, student leader for the Ecuador trip, joins in prayer with Edward Graham at Wheaton College chapel Dec. 4.
Wheaton College has educated thousands of young people “for Christ and His Kingdom” since its inception in 1860, and has partnered with Samaritan’s Purse in many ways to help the hurting around the world in Jesus’ Name.
“I love everything Samaritan’s Purse does, especially the simplicity of Operation Christmas Child,” said Dr. Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College. “It’s just so simple. It’s just one box. It’s something that a child of any age can grab hold of, and it comes with the gift of God’s Word.”
Part of the college’s legacy of faith includes Edward McCully and James Elliot, two graduates who were killed for their faith in 1956 by a remote tribe in Ecuador. McCully and Elliot, along with three other missionary colleagues (including Nate Saint, who also attended the college), attempted to reach the tribe with the Gospel of Jesus Christ but were tragically slain upon making contact. Their surviving family members continued the ministry and now the tribe has a thriving church. Their boldness to help fulfill the Great Commission and zeal to bring the Gospel to all peoples shines as a reminder for each Wheaton College student—including the 20 who traveled to Ecuador this past December—to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).
