Shoeboxes
Children
Decisions
Informe especial
Special Report
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
Informe especial
Special Report
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
God continues to be faithful to use Operation Christmas Child and The Greatest Journey to open doors for Gospel outreach in places that have never heard about the eternal hope of Christ. Boys and girls worldwide are coming to faith in Jesus and sharing the Good News with family and friends. As they do, communities are being transformed by God's love, and churches are being started.
“What a blessing it is when people come to Christ as children. But how can they hear this message without someone to tell them?”
Shoeboxes
Children
Decisions
Honduras
Middle East
Philippines
Ukraine
Benin
Suriname
Liberia
Palau
Benin
Faithful to Share
Shoeboxes
and territories since 1993
Faithful to Share
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
Over the past 30 years, the Lord has used Samaritan's Purse to deliver more than 220 million shoebox gifts. When Franklin Graham agreed to fill shoeboxes for children in war-torn Bosnia in 1993, he had no idea how God would grow the project. These last three decades are a testimony to His faithfulness and the commitment of our church and volunteer network in the United States and around the world.
God is using Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to create opportunities for a Gospel witness in Kazakh communities in Mongolia. The Kazakh minority group is about 20 percent of the country's population and most have not heard about Jesus.
Serik* is a Kazakh pastor who has seen how shoebox gift outreach events equip his congregation to reach their community in ways that are having a lasting effect for Christ's Kingdom. Parents often want to know why someone would give their child such a special present—and church members then tell them about God's love.
+
“Shoebox gifts are a Gospel opportunity.”
In a remote region of southern Madagascar, parents are giving their children wooden rifles to play with and training them at a young age to perpetuate the hostility that has raged for generations.
+
Pastor Soja is a local Christian leader who is working with Operation Christmas Child ministry partners in the area to introduce the eternal hope of the Gospel. During one outreach event, many in the crowd—which included parents—raised their hands indicating that they wanted to receive Christ as their Savior. Pastor Soja is now helping to start new churches in several villages that were once hostile to the Gospel.
Middle East
Philippines
Ukraine
Saipan
Romania
Benin
Liberia
Philippines
Suriname
Faithful to Disciple
Participating
Available
Faithful to Disciple
“Make disciples of all the nations.”
Anne had never worked with children, and she wondered why God had called her to teach The Greatest Journey in a slum community of the Philippines. But she received training from our local Operation Christmas Child team, and as the weeks went on, she came to treasure her time teaching the boys and girls.
Anne and members of her church had wanted to reach the slum area for a while but they weren't sure where to start. Operation Christmas Child and The Greatest Journey provided the pathway they needed.
The children enjoyed The Greatest Journey so much that Anne and the other teachers started a weekly worship and Bible study for them in the pastor's home. Even children who didn't participate in The Greatest Journey are coming to the weekly gathering.
“The children will be the future pastors and teachers.”
More than 50 million boys and girls have been discipled since 1993. Many of these young disciples are now adults who are Bible teachers in their communities.
Lashon, 21, came to faith during The Greatest Journey when she was 14. She now teaches Sunday School and The Greatest Journey and helps lead outreach events at her church in a remote village in Honduras. Lashon has seen the Gospel transform the lives of children and teenagers in her community. While they were once focused on drinking and partying, many are now active in church because they accepted Christ during The Greatest Journey.
“God is my everything.”
Faithful to Pray
Faithful to Pray
“Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.”
Elena and her daughter fled to Poland to escape the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Elena was scared, but she trusted God and prayed that He would provide for them. One of the ways God answered her prayer was through an Operation Christmas Child outreach event. Her daughter not only received a box full of special gifts but she also enrolled in The Greatest Journey. Elena was grateful for the love shown to her daughter and for the joy she experienced during a difficult time.
“I prayed every day.”
God is answering the prayers of adults and children worldwide through Operation Christmas Child and The Greatest Journey.
A Perfect Fit
A 13-year-old in South Africa desperately needed new clothes. He was so excited to find an outfit just his size in his shoebox gift. Touched by God's provision, his mother accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior, and they are attending the church that hosted the Operation Christmas Child outreach event.
In Namibia, Sukie, age 8, had been playing soccer with bare feet until she received a shoebox gift that included shoes just the right size—and perfect for playing soccer. “God is so good,” she said.
Praying for School Supplies
Two friends cried for joy when they opened their shoebox gifts and saw lots of school supplies. They had been praying that God would provide these items, since their families couldn't afford to buy them. Their parents thanked God, and prayed with the team in the Philippines who had organized the outreach event. Both families are now attending church and learning more about the Lord and His Word.
Special Treasures
A 7-year-old refugee in South Asia had wanted a football and a spinning top toy for a long time but he knew his parents couldn't afford them. His family struggled to have enough money to buy food. He was thrilled to find both items in his shoebox. “What I saw in that box meant that God cares and answers prayers,” he said.
In eastern Europe, a young boy had also been longing for specific items—a soccer ball and jersey. When he opened his shoebox gift, he started jumping for joy because his box contained, among many special things, those exact items.
United States
Australia
United States
Germany
United States
South Korea
United States
United Kingdom
Canada
Faithful to Pack
Faithful to Pack
“Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Shoebox packers are helping to deliver great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ to boys and girls around the world. Every shoebox gift lovingly packed in Jesus' Name is a tangible expression of His love to a child in desperate need.
After the basketball and volleyball teams at Orange Lutheran High School in California started packing shoeboxes together, other smaller groups on campus joined in. But teacher Kimberly Hahn had a bigger vision that involved getting the entire school involved with packing boxes. The school's leadership decided to make it the focus of their annual service day and invited the community to join.
Excited about what God was doing at their school, Kimberly pitched the idea to other principals in Orange County. Before long, the wave of involvement stretched to Christian schools throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada.
“Operation Christmas Child brought kids together to serve other kids. Everyone comes together as the body of Christ in unity.”
Operation Christmas Child would not be possible without the volunteers who prepare shoeboxes for international shipment at our processing centers.
+
Tom and Leslie Sawyer are from Tennessee and have served as processing center volunteers for 10 years. In 2023, they brought more than 20 members of their church's senior adult ministry with them to volunteer. The group handcrafts shoebox gift items all year, including high-quality crochet and woodworking items.
Leslie is the church's Operation Christmas Child project leader. She said this ministry is her passion because it creates opportunities to share the Gospel with children, telling boys and girls that God loves them. “There's a lot of joy involved when I think of the kids who are going to get these shoebox gifts,” she said. “But the greatest joy is that they get to know the Lord.”
Many shoebox recipients are hearing about God's love for the first time and their lives are being transformed.
“These shoeboxes bring the joy and peace of the Lord.”
