Just outside of a major tourist city in Cambodia, people struggle to make ends meet. Makara* and her family live in a one-room house, on a tract of land shared by many other members of their family who work in the nearby fields. Makara was hard at work last year when her daughter, Tola*, attended…
Operation Christmas Child
A Young Girl in Ecuador Shares Her Amazing Testimony
Iglesia Nueva Generación in Cutuglagua, Ecuador, was predominantly a congregation of adults until they got involved with Operation Christmas Child. But when they coordinated an outreach event for children in June 2021, they were glad to see youngsters coming to the church, said volunteer Maria Yucailla. The event was successful and followed local health guidelines…
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
Ohio Farmers Influence their Community and the World by Packing Shoeboxes
Drive down River Styx Road just outside Wadsworth, Ohio, and you’ll come across the “Styx and Stones Farm” sign. Pull in the driveway on any given Saturday morning in the fall, and it will be tough to find a spot to park. On one edge of the driveway sits a barn that’s at least 175…
Our Ministry
Franklin Graham Hands Out Shoebox Gifts, Meets Children’s Heart Project Families in Mongolia
Franklin Graham spent a whirlwind weekend in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as he met with children and families who have benefited from Samaritan’s Purse Children’s Heart Project and later gave out Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. On Friday, he enjoyed song and dance performances by Mongolian girls and boys who have received critically needed cardiac surgery through…
Operation Christmas Child
The Power of a Shoebox Packed with Love and Prayer
Ivanna Ramos was looking for a miracle. Ivanna, 12, lives with her single mother and three siblings down a dusty dirt road on the island of Roatán, Honduras. Her father left the family years ago, after lots of “arguments and fighting,” she said. “We always had problems for no reason.” The conflicts and her dad’s…
Operation Christmas Child
Island with No Power, No Airport Receives Shoebox Gifts
The small island of Enubirr has no electrical power and no airport. Located in the central Pacific between the Philippines and Hawaii, Enubirr is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and home to just over 1,000 people. Most residents work on the neighboring island of Roi-Namur, which is leased to the U.S. government…
Operation Christmas Child
Bringing Good News and Great Joy to Grenada
Saint Andrew in Grenada is locally known as the “Big Parish” because it is the largest of the six parishes on the West Indies island and is the only one that shares a border with the other five. It is also called the nation’s breadbasket, due to its rich agricultural history. Most of the island’s…
Operation Christmas Child
Amid Noise and Silence, the Gospel Is Going Forward in Gabon
Joy interrupted life in Owendo one Friday afternoon. A church in that neighborhood hosted an Operation Christmas Child outreach event for children in the community. Through singing, games, and interactions with every child, the church laid a foundation for the extraordinary. “Very quickly, what was intended to be a simple gathering transformed into a vibrant…
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…
