Matt and Jessica Cook stood satisfied at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro staring out at a carpet of clouds hovering nearly two miles below them. The father-daughter duo from Cuba, Missouri, had reached Africa’s highest peak—19,341 feet above sea level—after an almost weeklong test of strength and endurance. With a love for Samaritan’s Purse and…
Operation Christmas Child
Former Gang Member in Peru Trains to Be a Missionary
Luis Trevejo Peña, 20, had a rough start. Abandoned by his father at age 5, he, his mother, Ricci, and three older brothers were left to fend for themselves in San Martin de Porres, Peru. Luis resented seeing other children with their fathers and wished he could have that sort of love, too. Perhaps as…
Operation Christmas Child
Multiplication in Peru Through The Greatest Journey
When Paola received her Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift at Cajamarca Biblical Center in the highlands of Peru, she loved the pink teddy bear she found inside. With a rainbow applique on its tummy, the 8-year-old quickly named the bear “Rainbow.” “I dream about him. I sleep with him,” Paola said. But Rainbow is more…
Operation Christmas Child
Una comunidad en las montañas de México responde al Evangelio
Note: For an exciting update to this story, see our latest article about the dedication of the first church in La Laguna. — Eusebia heard about Jesus on the radio. A couple of decades ago, that was the main way for the Mexicanero/Nahuatl people living in the mountains of northwest Mexico to hear the Gospel.…
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,…
Operation Christmas Child
Enrico and a Baseball
Enrico and a Baseball Enrico received a shoebox in Argentina at age 8. Enrico Pellini was born in Argentina, to parents who were passionate about sharing the love of Jesus to their own people. As they followed their passion to share Christ with many, Enrico’s family moved around often, willing to go wherever the Lord…
Operation Christmas Child
Hacer discípulos en Mongolia
Light, sky, land, and water appeared out of nothing. Next came vegetation, animals, and mankind. God called forth all these things simply by speaking, “Let there be…” (Genesis 1). While the story of creation may sound familiar, it is an entirely new concept for many boys and girls in Mongolia. At Living Stone Church in…
Operation Christmas Child
Emmanuel and a Harmonica
Emmanuel & a Harmonica Please enable Javascript to watch this video A musical instrument communicates to a young musician the depth of God's care for him. Emmanuel grew up in Uganda where his father led a ministry. All seemed right with the world until, on a trip to the United Kingdom, his father had visa…
Operation Christmas Child
Tesoros en el basurero
Koshe dumpsite in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, contains mountains of trash. Some families who live near it are left to scale its slopes daily in search of salvageable items to provide for their sons and daughters. What toys these precious ones have were once on the trash heap. Samaritan’s Purse recently delivered Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes…
Operation Christmas Child
Year-round Volunteer: Building Church Partners
Dally Quintana serves in church relations for Operation Christmas Child in the Chicago area. Building Church Partners Year-round volunteer builds relationships with congregations on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. Dally Quintana serves as the church relations coordinator in Chicago, where she leads a team of volunteers to promote Operation Christmas Child among their congregations. Dally…
