Special Report

Tears ran down Pastor Ramon's face as he watched boys and girls open their Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during an outreach event at his church in Paraguay. “I felt the presence of God,” he said.

Reaching children with the Gospel is important to Pastor Ramon. Most families in his church are impoverished and live in communities with significant drug use.

During the outreach event, Alex received many items in his shoebox—a soccer ball, coloring pencils, notebooks, and other small toys—but he said that The Greatest Gift, which is a booklet given to each child that explains the Gospel, was the most special gift. “The book is my favorite because Jesus is in it.”

Alex prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior during the outreach event. “Jesus lives inside my heart,” he said.

Operation Christmas Child is opening doors for Pastor Ramon to share God's love with Alex and other boys and girls who are desperate for hope.

Like Ramon, all of our teams and church partners around the world are working hard in Jesus' Name to bring shoebox gifts to the most hard-to-reach communities, even to those that are extremely isolated. In Lesotho, we're using donkeys to transport gift boxes to children whose families are shepherds. Sometimes it takes several weeks to reach one group of shepherds because they live in outlying areas. Their nomadic lifestyle also makes them difficult to contact, as they move their flock to different mountainous areas as the seasons change.

In two remote villages in Africa, people had little exposure to the Gospel and were initially resistant to our Operation Christmas Child teams. But God softened hearts, and nearly 1,000 boys and girls in those areas have come to faith in Jesus Christ.

In the past year, God also used Operation Christmas Child to bring great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ to boys and girls left devastated when Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico's Pacific Coast. Fernanda, age 10, lost everything in the storm, including her cherished notebooks and crayons. But when she opened her shoebox gift alongside dozens of other children, her eyes widened with delight. Inside she found a toy boat, little toy kittens, socks, and, most thrilling, notebooks, colored paper, crayons, and pencils. “I was excited because I wanted to draw many things—like flowers and cats—and a picture of how God took care of us during the storm,” she said.

Her mother, Esmeralda, said that the love shown by the local church and Operation Christmas Child encouraged her to reconnect with God and other believers. “God has shown us that even in the most difficult moments, He brings the right people. These gift boxes and the church are a blessing to us and to this whole community.”

“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.” Psalm 96:3

In a remote village in Ghana, Epiphani was delighted to receive a shoebox gift filled with special presents, but when she met a boy named Daniel who was from an even more severely impoverished family, she decided that he needed the treasures more than she did.

In the weeks following the outreach event, she joined other girls and boys in learning more about God and His Word during The Greatest Journey 12-lesson discipleship program. “Through the program, I now know who Jesus Christ is. The classes changed my life,” she said. “I put my trust in Jesus—He is the One who came and died for our sins.”

The last lesson encouraged the children to share their faith with family and friends. One day, Epiphani saw Daniel picking through trash in search of metal scraps to sell so he could have money for food. She had never met Daniel, since he had stopped going to school and wasn't interested in church. “I shared the Gospel with him, and I prayed over him and invited him to church,” she said.

Daniel was intrigued by Epiphani's thoughtfulness. He accepted her invitation to attend church and began studying the Bible. Before long, he repented of his sins and gave his life to Christ. His mother also gave her life to Christ and they enjoy going to church together. “I have peace,” Daniel said. “I tell other people about Jesus.”

In Georgia, Tiko is teaching The Greatest Journey because she wants boys and girls to experience freedom in Christ just as she did when she was a child. At age 8, Tiko joined the discipleship program after receiving a shoebox gift during an outreach event. She learned more about the Bible and God's love for her and committed her life to following Him. Now, years later, she is sharing what she learned during the discipleship program with others. She is also teaching Sunday school, helping to lead worship at her church, and is a student at a Bible college.

In Cambodia, Makara became a Christian during The Greatest Journey. He learned during the classes that he was a sinner and that only Jesus could offer forgiveness. “I know that Jesus is in my heart. He is always in my life and gives me hope,” he said. “He gives me joy, and my heart is full of peace.”

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace.” Romans 10:15

Every shoebox lovingly packed in Jesus's Name makes its way to a child somewhere in the world who is in desperate need:

Fun Surprises

Luis'* mother desperately wanted to buy him a toy car as a special gift after he had surgery. She knew that her son had always wanted a toy car. But the cost of the operation and medication meant that she didn't have money to spare. Luis and his mother were thrilled to open his shoebox gift and find that a blue toy car was among the prayerfully packed items.

In Trinidad and Tobago, 5-year-old Ava-Marie prayed that a doll would be one of the gifts inside her shoebox. “I got the doll!” she shouted when she looked inside her gift box.

In Peru, Luana also prayed for God to provide something special—a box of coloring markers. She had run out of markers, and her parents couldn't afford to buy more. When Luana saw the markers in her shoebox she knew that God had answered her prayers.

*Name changed for security.

The Right Size

Dedun is 8 years old and lives with his grandmother, who has trouble walking because of pain in her legs and feet. Dedun was excited to find a pair of sandals in his shoebox and ran home to give them to his grandmother. The sandals were the perfect fit, and Dedun and his grandmother were delighted. Now that she has shoes, walking is easier, and she's doing it more often-even strolling to church with her grandson.

A Soccer Club Rejoices

A group of children in Kenya started a soccer club though they didn't have any sports gear. Their families couldn't afford to buy soccer balls, so they used whatever they could find to kick around the field. They prayed that God would provide soccer balls. During an outreach event, shouts of joy were heard, as nearly every child received a ball in their shoebox.

A Calculator for School

Life got much harder after Mikhal's dad lost his job. Mikhal was doing well in school and enjoyed learning, but he really needed a calculator to help him in his advanced studies. Although he didn't know how God would provide, Mikhal trusted that He would. His prayers were answered when he found a calculator inside his shoebox gift.

*Name changed for security.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

Jaci Snowden is 10 years old and has found a unique way of raising support for Operation Christmas Child. She grows beautiful flowers and arranges them into delightful bouquets that she sells out of the back of her grandfather's pickup truck. “We plant seeds for flowers to grow, so that we can plant seeds for the Gospel through the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. It's important for children to learn about Jesus,” she said.

Jaci's sisters, Finley and Ruthie, are also involved in the gardening effort. Dubbed the Flower Sisters by their mom, Brooke, the girls use the money they raise from selling bouquets to pack shoebox gifts.

Brooke's husband, Seth, and her father built flower boxes in the backyard, and she and Jaci studied flowers and began planting seeds. Now, just over a year later, their garden boasts nearly 30 different varieties of flowers, and it has become a sanctuary for prayer.

“Watching my kids work in this garden is very much them walking in the will of God,” Brooke said. “It's beautiful.”

“Let us love one another, for love is of God.” 1 John 4:7

Operation Christmas Child would not be possible without the volunteers who prepare shoeboxes for international shipment at our processing centers.

Ellen Enochs served at the processing center in Boone, North Carolina. Among other roles, she worked in the gifts-in-kind area and sorted donations from individuals and corporations so they could be packed as filler items when needed.

“I pray to Jesus every day that He'll let me be His hands and feet. I pray that wherever I am,” she said. “God's given me a gift of a warm heart and a smile.”

During National Collection Week, Ellen also volunteered at a drop-off location in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. In just one morning, she helped unload and organize 1,181 shoeboxes. That would be an admirable feat for any community, but this one still had no running water and some of the shoebox packers were without homes in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Ellen has been passionate about Operation Christmas Child for 29 years—ever since Pastor Chuck Smith in Fountain Valley, California, told her church that Franklin Graham and Samaritan's Purse had a new project and needed help. Her Bible study group gathered to pack school supplies, stuffed animals, toys, and clothing into shoeboxes.

“What was important was the love we put in the box,” Ellen said. And that's what continues to drive her nearly three decades later.

“I find Jesus in these boxes. When the children open the boxes, they know His love.”

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16