When Dariya, 13, of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift in February, it interrupted her life with joy. ‘They Told Us About Jesus’ Dariya lives in an apartment in the Mongolian capital with her grandmother, Bebe Bakhpit, and 10-year-old cousin, Hannah. Her parents are divorced, and her mother works in South Korea—often…
Operation Christmas Child
Texas Teen Crochets for Girls Around the World
During National Collection Week two years ago, Alathia Purtell formed what even she thought was an impossible dream—to produce 2,000 crocheted purses for Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Alathia, then 12, was visiting her maternal grandparents in Canton, Texas, when she went with her grandmother Sue to her church’s shoebox drop-off location. There, Alathia saw…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Volunteers Begin Helping California Homeowners After Devastating Fire
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER IN CALIFORNIA There wasn’t much time to flee Paradise as the Camp Fire roared across Butte County, California. Residents reported harrowing escapes with their shoes heating up under them as they abandoned cars stuck on melting tires. Before it was fully contained, the Camp Fire burned more than 14,000 homes and…
Our Ministry
Newsletter February 2026
Franklin Graham Update | February Franklin Graham Update | February Helping the Cold and Hungry in Ukraine Dear Friend, February marks the fourth anniversary of the start of the conflict in Ukraine. The people there are suffering greatly. Many are without electricity and heat for long stretches each day; some have no power at all. This year's winter has been brutal—the coldest since the…
Operation Christmas Child
God Is Transforming Families in Botswana through The Greatest Journey
In the desert village of Serinane, hours outside Botswana’s capital Gaborone, jobs are hard to come by. The little money that finds its way to the village is often spent on alcohol; many families are hurting as a result. Life is difficult for everyone here. Change will only come person by person, with God’s transforming…
Operation Christmas Child
After Overcoming Leukemia, Shoebox Recipient Disciples Others
Laying in a hospital bed in Panama City, Panama, Maykel only had a few days to live—or so the doctors told his parents when they informed them he had Stage 3 leukemia. Their precious son, only 11 years old, had recently heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ when he received a gift-filled Operation Christmas Child…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Help Arrives for Families Fleeing Conflict in Cambodia
UPDATE MONDAY, JAN. 5: As the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand holds, many displacement camps have shut down and people are beginning to return to their home villages. As a result, Samaritan’s Purse is no longer distributing relief items along the border, but is actively assessing and meeting the needs of local Cambodians through our…
Operation Christmas Child
Volunteer Perseveres in Leadership Despite Challenges
After spending 24 years as a special agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kathy Aiken found a different calling. Today, Kathy serves as an area coordinator for the Operation Christmas Child East Alabama Area Team. Based out of Talladega County, Kathy leads a team of volunteers that promote shoebox packing year-round. “I feel like…
Operation Christmas Child
Boun and Flip-Flops
Boun & Flip Flops Please enable Javascript to watch this video Boun Thorne got a glimpse of God's love when she received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift as a child. Boun Thorne grew up in a boat village in the Southeast Asian nation of Cambodia. In the aftermath of a terrible situation, she moved…
Operation Christmas Child Espanol
Volunteer at a Drop-off Location (es)
Sirve como Voluntario en un Drop-off Location Semana Nacional de Recolección En cerca de 5,000 lugares en toda la nación, hay voluntarios que dan la bienvenida y oran con las personas que entregan cajas para Operation Christmas Child. Otros voluntarios llenan contenedores y cargan camiones con las millones de cajas que, en oración, anticipamos recibir.…
