As back-to-school items are placed front-and-center in stores this time of year, many Operation Christmas Child year-round shoppers are rolling up their sleeves to find great deals. School supplies are a fundamental component of quality shoebox gifts. In addition to capitalizing on seasonal sales and off-season clearance merchandise, shopping year-round divides shoebox purchases over several…
hasta lo último de la tierra
“Mama Gump”: Her Hugs Went a Long Way
“Brother Graham, I’m Mary. Gotcha some shoeboxes for God. Where do you want ’em?” That’s how Mary Damron introduced herself to Franklin Graham, 30 years ago. A coal-miner’s wife from West Virginia with a great heart for children, Mary became a global ambassador for Operation Christmas Child during just the second year of the project.…
Las cajas de regalos abren puertas en la Acapulco dañada por la tempestad
Children and many of their parents gathered together under the large cobertizo in La Barra de Coyuca. The young people of this small town just west of Acapulco recall, as if yesterday, the nightmare of Hurricane Otis. Even now, when it begins to rain or the winds pick up enough to shake their roofs, children…
Los niños en Madagascar escuchan el Evangelio por primera vez
Pastor Soja knew that there were two words the Bara people group never wanted to hear: “Jesus” and “prayer.” Made up of more than a million people, this ethnic group inhabits southern Madagascar, the island nation off the east coast of Africa. Cattle rustlers by trade, they marked themselves by thievery, violence, and isolation. Fifteen…
Wisconsin Shoebox Club Packs 10,000th Gift
Faith Community Church of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, included an extra-special element in a recent worship service. Nineteen-year-old Evilyn Pinnow, founder of the church’s shoebox club, returned from college in Ohio to lead the congregation in the packing of their 10,000th shoebox gift. Significant contributors in the history of the club brought toys, school supplies, and…
Missouri Volunteer Motivated by Jesus’ Last Words
Springfield area resident fulfills dream to reach children for Christ through Operation Christmas Child. Jill Cobb of Mountain View, Missouri, does what she does because she’s focused on Christ’s final words on earth, which begin: “Go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19, NKJV). She volunteers as an area coordinator for Operation Christmas…
Las cajas de regalos ayudan a las iglesias en Ucrania a compartir el Evangelio
Millions of children have fled to western Ukraine or left the country entirely since war broke out last February. Each of them has a different story of confusion, fear, and trauma. Churches across Ukraine are meeting the practical needs of the displaced in many ways, including providing shelter and food. Samaritan’s Purse alone has provided…
Los niños escuchan en Benín el Evangelio por medio de una sencilla caja de regalos
Nine-year-old Gladys flashed a big smile as she recounted the day she received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. The special items inside included a blanket folded neatly and arranged amid school supplies, a flashlight that her father needed, and other cherished items. Opening the shoebox gift was like opening up a new chapter of…













