The steep footpath that ran alongside the cliff had become a trail of slimy, unrelenting mud. But it was the only way to reach a Filipino community nestled in the mountain forest—a nearly 35-mile walk from the nearest town. Undaunted by the conditions, Pastor Jacob*, together with his wife, daughter, and a small ministry team,…
Operation Christmas Child ministra en Tahití
All eyes were recently on French Polynesia for the Summer 2024 Olympic surfing competition. Athletes from numerous countries, unified by the love of the sport and the spirit of competition, vied for gold, silver, and bronze medals on some of the world’s biggest waves in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. Just an hour and a half to the…
Trail Life USA & Operation Christmas Child
Gospel Light Drives Away the Darkness for a Boy and His Father in Togo
Tchao Beleyi used to be haunted by nightmares of people chasing him down to beat him. “When I would sleep, in my dreams, I would see people following me, pursuing me,” he said. His 9-year-old son Kevin was also troubled. “He used to steal money from us,” Tchao said. “If he saw money lying around,…
Dedicación de iglesias del grupo no alcanzado Himba de Namibia
Update (Sept. 8, 2021): Since this article was originally published in 2019, Samaritan’s Purse has built a second church building in the Himba community of Otutati. Dedicated on February 27, 2021, this facility is an additional outpost of hope to this unreached people group. The Gospel continues to spread among them through the oral resources…
Operation Christmas Child – Ways To Give
Andy Castillo’s Story: Rescued by God
Andy Castillo, Operation Christmas Child regional director for North and Central America, was interviewed during a recent trip to his native Honduras. He and his team took part in several festive outreach events while there. You became involved in full-time ministry, and specifically children’s ministry, in a unique way. How did that come about? Castillo:…
Franklin Graham Reflects on 25 Years of Sharing God’s Love Through Shoebox Gifts Delivered to the Ends of the Earth
Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has partnered with local churches around the world to deliver 157 million Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to children in need in 160 countries. Each one—packed full of fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items by a family or individual—is sent with prayer that the child who receives it will experience…
Operation Christmas Child bendice a los sobrevivientes del tifón en Saipán
Typhoon Yutu destroyed thousands of homes and left families without shelter, food, and water last fall on the small Pacific island of Saipan. Cornerstone Christian Church gathered together and wept during their first worship service after the storm hit. “We were broken, as individual people and as a congregation,” said Femie Rey, whose husband, Manuelito,…
Shoeboxes Open Doors and Hearts for the Gospel in Liberia
For nearly 25 years a road divided the two sides of Nyiela, a community in western Liberia that had separated itself into Muslim and Christian parts of town. The sides didn’t talk much and they didn’t cross over, not even for clean water or medical care—not even during the Ebola crisis. Tribal conflicts added to…