Praise God for More Than 10.6 Million Shoeboxes in 2018!
“Millions of children are coming to the Lord Jesus Christ through Operation Christmas Child and The Greatest Journey. These young disciples are sharing their faith, and the Gospel is transforming families and communities around the world.”
—Franklin Graham
President, Samaritan’s Purse
“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”
Psalm 96:3
Operation Christmas Child
It all starts with a shoebox gift, packed in Jesus’ Name and full of love and prayer.
Mexico: A child’s face lights up as he receives a shoebox gift. In this urban neighborhood, some children are learning about Jesus for the first time.
Togo: Local churches are sharing the Good News and great joy of the Gospel with children through shoebox events.
Latvia: New generations of children are hearing about Jesus through Operation Christmas Child.
Soccer Ball Boosts Evangelism
In Mexico, 12-year-old Ernesto still uses the soccer ball he received a few years ago in his shoebox as a tool to talk with his friends about Jesus. After a game of soccer, Ernesto invites them to church.
“Jesus is the best gift that people can get”
“Jesus is the best gift that people can get,” he said. “I can help others to grow and know about Him.”
Philippines: The Gospel is being shared in this remote village by area Christians dedicated to reaching children, families, and communities for Christ.
Dominican Republic: Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham distributed shoebox gifts to hundreds of children in the Dominican Republic.
Mongolia: These shoebox recipients were among more than 53,000 children in Mongolia to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and receive a shoebox gift in 2018.
Gospel Transforms Hearts, Communities
In one remote Mongolian village, Operation Christmas Child has helped to grow and strengthen the community’s only church.
Ten-year-old Maralgua received a shoebox gift and enjoyed the notebooks, pens, and pencils inside. But she received a greater gift during the shoebox outreach event when she accepted Jesus as her Savior.
Your Gifts Go A Long Way
2018 Collection Totals:
10,623,776 Shoebox Gifts
Sent to 112 Countries and Territories
- Albania
- Angola
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Benin
- Bolivia
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Lithuania
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Republic of the Congo
- Romania
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Slovakia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- Western U.S. (Native Americans)
- Uruguay
- Zimbabwe
- Plus 24 hard-to-reach countries (not named for security reasons)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
The Greatest Journey
Local churches invite shoebox recipients to learn more about Jesus through this 12-lesson program that God is using to share His Word and make disciples.
A record of more than
4 million
shoebox recipients participated in the follow-up discipleship program in 2018.
More than
2 million
students made decisions for Christ in 2018—the most since the program began in 2009.
New Church Rises from The Greatest Journey
In the West African nation of Togo, Bernard learned about Jesus under the shade of mango trees while a local church leader taught The Greatest Journey. During the discipleship program, Bernard received Jesus as his Savior and then became part of a new church in his village.
In 2018, over
200,000 teachers
were trained to disciple children through the 12-lesson Bible study.
More than
2.8 million
children graduated from The Greatest Journey in 2018—marking the highest yearly total to date!
Taking the Gospel to the Unreached
Alex (pictured above) is one of more than 40 children who came to faith through The Greatest Journey in a poor, remote village in the southern Philippines that lacked an evangelical witness. Alex and his parents had regularly attended local cult meetings, but now they participate in a weekly Bible study.
Alex’s village is part of the Iraya people group, one of several tribes indigenous to the southern Philippines. They are considered an unreached people group because only a tiny fraction identify as Christians.
We rejoice that the Iraya are among the dozens of unreached people groups that are hearing the Gospel through Operation Christmas Child.
“And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”
Isaiah 52:10b
Mighty Volunteers
The love and care that our shoebox packers and volunteers take to collect and process each shoebox gift can be felt every step of the way.
Volunteers: Our volunteers put love, excitement, and prayer into helping send shoebox gifts for children around the world.
Thank You, Volunteers!
Girls and boys around the world have experienced the transforming power of the Gospel because a child, family, church, or group lovingly packed a shoebox gift.
During National Collection Week, shoebox packers bring their gifts to one of nearly 5,000 drop-off locations, where volunteers organize the gifts for shipment to regional processing centers.
We then rely on nearly 90,000 volunteers at these regional warehouses to inspect and prepare the shoeboxes for international shipping.
WWII Vet Sews to Bless Theron Jennings, 98, taught himself to sew and has made more than 400 quilts to pack in Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts.
Sending Shoeboxes Full of Joy
Many shoebox packers like Alathia Purtell, 14, have a love for handmaking items for shoebox gifts. The time and care taken to craft each item is an expression of God’s love for the child who will receive it.
Alathia learned how to crochet from her grandmother Sue (both pictured above). She took that skill and turned it into a goal to give 2,000 girls a handcrafted purse as part of their shoebox gift. With the help of family and friends, she achieved that goal.
“I hope a girl’s shoebox gift is a part of her most important day,” Alathia said, “the day she follows the Lord.”
For the Sake of the Gospel
In the U.S., more than 9,000 volunteers are dedicated year-round to encouraging people in their communities to participate in Operation Christmas Child by packing shoeboxes for children around the world in Jesus’ Name.
We are grateful for the thousands of church partners worldwide who distribute these shoebox gifts in their communities and the far reaches of their countries through Gospel-focused outreach events. Many of these trained volunteers also teach children about Jesus through the The Greatest Journey discipleship lessons offered to shoebox recipients.
These volunteers share one purpose—to bring the Good News of the Gospel to children, families, and communities who don’t know the great, everlasting joy of placing their faith in Jesus Christ.
“…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15:58
Thank You!
Thank you for your faithful prayers and continued support of Operation Christmas Child. Please join us in praying for boys and girls all over the world to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and for their lives to bring Him much glory.
