Claudia had never been interested in attending church or learning about God. She did not grow up in a Christian family, and none of her friends or family members followed Jesus Christ. “I always fought with the idea of coming to church,” she said. But Claudia would do anything to help her three children, even…
Operation Christmas Child
Pointing Children to Jesus in Slovakia
Katarina Horvathova used to live a nomadic life. But while she and her son, Daniel, lived in a shelter for a number of years, Daniel had the privilege of receiving a gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. His 8-year-old heart delighted in the toy airplane he found inside because he wanted to become a pilot…
Operation Christmas Child
Shoeboxes Go to the Very Ends of the Earth
Baljinnyam’s address might as well be “the ends of the earth.” To reach the valley where his two gers are located, you must drive more than nine hours west of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to the province center of Bayankhongor. Since this is the province where Baljinnyam lives, you might think you’ve arrived, but the true journey…
Operation Christmas Child
Discipling Children in the Dumps of Cambodia
Samnang* comes from a family of scavengers, also known as waste pickers—people who earn a meager living by collecting recyclable materials from garbage dumps, streets, and landfills of Cambodia. But God used the new items inside the shoebox gift she received at age 13 to help draw her to a relationship with Christ. Today, she…
Operation Christmas Child
A Family Transformed
Carol used to sleep on the streets because she spent all her money on drugs and alcohol and couldn’t afford rent. Sometimes she didn’t have food for her children. Often, she didn’t even know where they were. Life didn’t improve after she was married. Her husband, Daniel, often came home drunk and wanted nothing to…
Operation Christmas Child
Transforming a Nation One Child at a Time
“When we need God, He always rescues us. God sent Jesus to save us from our sin and shame. What do you all see here?” Janeysi asks, directing the room full of children to an illustrated presentation of the Gospel. The children attentively watch and respond as they learn about Jesus Christ during an Operation…
Operation Christmas Child
Faith on the Mountaintop
Pastor Rick and his team knew it would be tough—physically and spiritually—to reach the remote village they had been lifting up in prayer. To share the Good News of Jesus Christ there, the group had to scale steep mountains, cross rivers full of rocks and stones, and push through dense bamboo and vegetation. Their journey…
Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child Is Bringing the Hope of the Gospel to 1,000 Pacific Islands
Rengesuul Yobech sat in the shade of a spacious open-air gymnasium at Peleliu Elementary School in Palau on a sweltering late-February afternoon earlier in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe. The school’s 76 students were assembled there, eager to receive gift-filled shoeboxes at the first Operation Christmas Child festive outreach event to take…
Operation Christmas Child
God Uses Shoebox Gifts to Grow a Church in Cambodia
Gift-filled shoeboxes are packed for children, but they influence entire families and communities. They even help start and grow churches, like Seed of Faith in Cambodia. When their Pastor Ponleu* got involved with Samaritan’s Purse and hosted Operation Christmas Child outreach events, the Good News of Jesus Christ began changing the boys and girls who…
