In a small town on the plains of Central Asia, most people are hostile to the small group of Christians living among them. Though these courageous believers are continually harassed, they faithfully persevere. Two Christian women named Aigul* and Dinara* were meeting regularly to pray for their town. Persecution flared up when Aigul’s mother died.…
Operation Christmas Child
Tennessee Teen Packs with a Purpose
Tucked in along the Tennessee River between Nashville and Memphis sits the quaint town of Clifton, Tennessee. This town of just over 2,000 people is home for Jane Marie Franks—a 16-year-old high school junior with big goals. In the last two years, she’s rallied her community to pack over 1,000 Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts…
Operation Christmas Child
‘Thank You So Much for Bringing Me to Jesus’
Millions of Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts are packed for boys and girls in need around the world each year, many of which include an email or physical address inviting the child to write back. If you have ever packed one of those boxes and wished you could hear from the child who received it,…
Operation Christmas Child
A Teenager Prays for Revival in the Country of Georgia
Almost a dozen children and teens raced down a muddy, rutted alley to attend an early evening Christian worship service. They chatted and laughed as they came, some kicking around a soccer ball before they climbed a crumbling concrete-and-metal outside staircase to the second floor of the ministry center. It’s an uncommon scene in this…
Operation Christmas Child
Twin Sisters Pack Hundreds of Shoebox Gifts
Twin sisters Leabele McLeod and Laralea McLaughlin grew up in a poor family that struggled to make ends meet. They were so thankful any time a friend or neighbor offered them food or other essentials. Now, at age 88, Leabele and Laralea are giving back to children growing up in difficult situations. The sisters have…
Operation Christmas Child
Young Central Asian Shepherds Receive Shoebox Gifts
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…
New Hearts, New Purpose in Mongolia
At first glance, Erdembayar seems like an ordinary 12-year-old boy. He enjoys participating in physical education class at school with his friends as well as riding horses and cooking Korean food, fried rice, and cakes. But up until three years ago, he didn’t have energy for any of these things. For years previously, Erdembayar had…
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
Making Disciples in the Philippines
The boys and girls knew to quickly pick up their chairs and scoot to the side, clearing the narrow alleyway anytime a bicycle or motorbike needed to squeeze through. These interruptions to the discipleship class happened often enough that they had become normal, and the children and their teachers carried on with worship and Bible…
Operation Christmas Child
From Oklahoma with Love
Doris Row started packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes on her ranch in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, in 1995 after her 13-year-old son died at Christmastime the year before. She was determined not to live in grief, but to do something good to help overcome it. She chose to begin packing shoebox gifts for children in need around…
