The cesarean section was almost complete when the room went dark. Dr. Claudiu Cimpean, a visiting general surgeon from North Carolina, was assisting another surgeon with the operation. It was his first week as a volunteer at Macha Mission Hospital, a remote medical post in southern Zambia. Fortunately, they had delivered the baby a few…
Operation Christmas Child
From Wyoming to the World with Love
Jana Ginter lives on the southeastern plains of Wyoming, 30 miles east of Cheyenne, a place where golden wheat fields stretch in almost every direction to the far distant horizon and where acres of sunflowers glow in the late-summer sun. Here, “next-door” neighbors live several miles apart, separated by spacious farms and cattle ranches, most…
Operation Christmas Child
She’s Got a Passion for Sharing Christ Through Shoeboxes
The first thing you notice about 24-year-old Amanda Urgolites is her smile—bright, warm, welcoming, continual. That’s not so unusual, you might say. But Amanda’s radiant smile is all the more remarkable because she has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a rare and incurable collagen deficiency disorder that causes her ligaments to stretch and malfunction. Her bones dislocate…
Operation Christmas Child
2023 Operation Christmas Child Special Report
11.3 MillionShoeboxes packed by people from 11 countries 5.1 MillionChildren participated in The Greatest Journey 2.9 MillionDecisions made for Christ Informe especial Special Report “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 Informe especial Special Report “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope…
Operation Christmas Child
Wisconsin Shoebox Club Packs 10,000th Gift
Faith Community Church of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, included an extra-special element in a recent worship service. Nineteen-year-old Evilyn Pinnow, founder of the church’s shoebox club, returned from college in Ohio to lead the congregation in the packing of their 10,000th shoebox gift. Significant contributors in the history of the club brought toys, school supplies, and…
Operation Christmas Child
Zac’s Story: Coming Full Circle from Fiji
Zac and a Jump Rope Please enable Javascript to watch this video “Somebody thought of me.” Zac and his four siblings grew up playing with sticks and stones in his home country of Fiji. They played with what was available because exchanging gifts wasn’t common in their culture. And, for the family of seven, they…
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
Operation Christmas Child Covid-19 Important Updates
Important COVID-19 Updates Page Last Updated: November 10, 2021 The COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted everyday life for millions of people around the world. Yet, Samaritan's Purse continues to share the eternal hope of the Gospel and to serve in Jesus' Name. Contents: Shoebox Packing Drop-off Locations Processing Centers We want boys and girls around…
Operation Christmas Child
Creativity for a Cause
“Get your cans and don’ts! Red hot cans and don’ts!” Suzanne Broadhurst enters the back of the sanctuary at Westside Chapel in Jacksonville, Florida, during a Sunday morning service yelling like she’s selling food at a baseball game. Her daughter, Winter, echoes, “Cans and Don’ts!” in a drawn out voice. Shoeboxes hang around their necks…
Operation Christmas Child
World War II Veteran Sews Hundreds of Quilts for Children’s Shoebox Gifts
Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Theron Jennings, 98, lives alone in a Savoy, Illinois, apartment where he sews quilts for children around the world. Since 2014, he has handmade more than 400 of these blankets, completing 160 in just the last year. Each one is lovingly packed into a shoebox gift with other toys and…
