Last summer, Hurricane Beryl ripped through the Windward Islands as a Category 4 storm. The tiny island of Carriacou—20 miles northeast of mainland Grenada and home to nearly 10,000 people—received the brunt of Beryl’s fury. Sustained winds of 150 miles per hour thrashed its shores and whipped through its rolling hills ripping roofs off houses…
Operation Christmas Child
Lighting His Way to Jesus
Kululu Atsiaya often felt forgotten, especially at Christmas. He knew his family loved him, but life was hard for the boy growing up in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. He had heard stories of people receiving gifts, but he had never experienced it or known anyone who had. Most families in his neighborhood struggled to…
Operation Christmas Child
Dios usa cajas de regalos para empezar una iglesia en Ghana
Northern Ghana is known for its wildlife—elephants, buffalo, and leopards roam the Savannah region—but also boasts a mosque that dates back to the 1400s. This ancient building made of mud and reeds stands is a source of pride for local Muslims, including the Kamara people. They saw Christians as unwanted foreigners, that is, until a…
Operation Christmas Child
La calidad importa
Quality items in Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts can be the gifts that keep on giving, as children grow up with lasting treasures that sometimes mean even more to them over time. Here are some examples of quality items and reasons they’re important to include: Quality items can become life-long keepsakes. Some shoebox items are…
Operation Christmas Child
Las Buenas Nuevas y el Gran Gozo compartidos en Etiopía
This week Edward Graham, COO of Samaritan’s Purse, joined with a local church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to distribute hundreds of gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Before opening their presents, girls and boys listened to a child-friendly presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “I want these kids to know that they are loved and…
Operation Christmas Child
Una niña en Ecuador comparte su increíble testimonio
Iglesia Nueva Generación in Cutuglagua, Ecuador, was predominantly a congregation of adults until they got involved with Operation Christmas Child. But when they coordinated an outreach event for children in June 2021, they were glad to see youngsters coming to the church, said volunteer Maria Yucailla. The event was successful and followed local health guidelines…
Operation Christmas Child
Empacar una caja "hará que tu corazón se sienta bien"
Retirement eagerly waited to welcome Sallie Simmons. She’d soon turn 65 and all the years of hard work would be behind her. Yet, one day, Sallie had an encounter with God that changed the direction of her life. “I was on my way home, driving a brand-new car. But I thought, ‘I’m not doing what…
Operation Christmas Child
Isla sin electricidad, ni aeropuerto, recibe cajas de regalos
The small island of Enubirr has no electrical power and no airport. Located in the central Pacific between the Philippines and Hawaii, Enubirr is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and home to just over 1,000 people. Most residents work on the neighboring island of Roi-Namur, which is leased to the U.S. government…
Operation Christmas Child
Llevamos el Evangelio un poco más lejos en Camboya
Just outside of a major tourist city in Cambodia, people struggle to make ends meet. Makara* and her family live in a one-room house, on a tract of land shared by many other members of their family who work in the nearby fields. Makara was hard at work last year when her daughter, Tola*, attended…
Operation Christmas Child
Una iglesia kazaja en Mongolia alcanza a los niños con cajas de regalos
Nalaikh, Mongolia, is home to 40,000 people in the winter, but only around 30,000 each summer as herders head out to the countryside to care for their animals. A district of Ulaanbaatar located about an hour from the capital city center, Nalaikh has two mosques and 15 churches. However, only one of them is focused…
