Marika and Michael Chasse had unloaded a 26-foot box truck full of Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts and were headed home when Marika insisted that they make a stop. “Honey, we gotta pull over. We’ve got an empty truck—we can go buy more shoebox items,” she told her husband. This was on a Monday morning,…
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…
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…
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
Shoeboxes Launch Outreach to Children in Western Mexico
Jesús was in trouble and he was afraid. He tried to hide from the police, knowing prison—and separation from his wife and children—awaited him. When the police caught Jesús, he was sentenced to seven years in jail in Mazatlan, Mexico. “My life was sad. I felt defeated,” he said. In prison, Jesús met Pastor Carlos,…
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
Delivering Grace
“We want to help make disciples. We want kids to know that they are loved by the creator of the universe. We want kids to know that Jesus died for their sins and they did nothing to deserve it. It’s unconditional.” Kimberly Hahn, director of operations at Orange Lutheran High School in California, overflows when…
Operation Christmas Child
God Is Using a Small Texas Church to Bless Many Thousands of Children
Update (Nov. 4, 2021): Since this article was originally published, Grace Baptist Church of Wild Peach, Texas, has continued to exceed its shoebox-packing goals. In 2020, despite the global outbreak of COVID-19, the church packed 12,617 shoeboxes—117 over their goal. They also saw God’s provision regarding their $9 donation per shoebox gift that year. “We…
Operation Christmas Child
Quality Matters
Quality items in Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts can be the gifts that keep on giving, as children grow up with lasting treasures that sometimes mean even more to them over time. Here are some examples of quality items and reasons they’re important to include: Quality items can become life-long keepsakes. Some shoebox items are…
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…
