A simple drive through the countryside can become something special. Yusif*, a volunteer leader in Central Asia with Operation Christmas Child, was traveling with several team members to a ministry meeting when he spotted two shepherd boys tending their flock near the highway. Remembering that he had some gift-filled shoeboxes as well as copies of…
Operation Christmas Child
Elizabeth and a Stuffed Animal
Elizabeth and a Stuffed Animal An illustration of Jesus Christ with outstretched arms made a lasting impression on me. My two younger sisters and I were removed from our home in Latvia when I was 7. Someone at school had noticed that we weren’t being taken care of by our parents. It was because they…
Operation Christmas Child
From One Child to Another
Operation Christmas Child is a project for all ages! You can get the boys and girls in your family and at your church involved in so many ways… 1. Collect Items & Write Shoebox Notes Helping a child select items for a shoebox gift can teach money management, as well as a greater awareness of…
Operation Christmas Child
Five Creative Ways to Pack Shoeboxes During COVID-19
A global pandemic isn’t stopping Operation Christmas Child from delivering gift-filled shoeboxes to boys and girls in the far corners of the world. Children need hope now more than ever in such uncertain times, and these tangible expressions of God’s love can be a great encouragement. Most important, children need to hear the Good News…
Our Ministry
Pushing Themselves to the Limit—For a Good Cause
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…
Veterans Day: Celebrating God’s Work in Military Families
In 2014, Army Staff Sergeant Petey Beam and his wife, Kyra, arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska for Operation Heal Our Patriots with their marriage in shambles. Their week got off to a rough start the first morning during kayaking class. “We were the only couple sitting in our kayak screaming at each other,” Kyra said.…
Operation Christmas Child
A Father in Heaven
Claudia Molina has helped pack hundreds of shoebox gifts in her time as a project leader for Operation Christmas Child, and with each box, her prayer remains the same: that God would use each gift to touch a child’s heart, just as He did hers. As a little girl in the central neighborhood of San…
Health & Medical Ministries
Sight Restored for Hundreds During South Sudan Cataract Campaign
Cataract surgery—a simple enough procedure in Western countries—is nearly impossible to access in South Sudan. When people’s eyes begin to cloud with cataracts, it is typically only a matter of time before they reach complete blindness. To help meet the great needs of this East African nation, Samaritan’s Purse sent a medical team to Tonj,…
Operation Christmas Child
Printable Resources
Printable Resources Print Items Shoebox Labels Logos Print Items Click Images to Enlarge Gift Suggestions 8.5" x 11" (2 pages) A detailed list of recommended items for shoebox gifts, based on gender. ⇣ Download PDF (457 kb) Promotional Insert 5.5" x 7.5" A description of how to pack a box and the journey of a shoebox for…
Operation Christmas Child
A Gift of Forgiveness in Rwanda
Finding Forgiveness in Rwanda One man’s journey of survival and redemption “Mommy, where can we run to?” These heart-wrenching words greet visitors to the children’s exhibit at Kigali Genocide Memorial Center. The child who uttered them before falling victim to one of the bloodiest three months in history is now just a memory enshrined in…
