Retirement eagerly waited to welcome Sallie Simmons. She’d soon turn 65 and all the years of hard work would be behind her. Yet, one day, Sallie had an encounter with God that changed the direction of her life. “I was on my way home, driving a brand-new car. But I thought, ‘I’m not doing what…
Reaching the Deaf Community in the Country of Georgia
Pastor Paata has a big goal: to reach every family that includes a deaf person in the country of Georgia with the Good News of Jesus Christ. And he’s found a great tool to start conversations with deaf children or a hearing child of deaf parents—Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Paata, who is deaf, said…
Flowers Become Blessings Through Samaritan’s Purse
Jaci Snowden loves flowers. “Flowers make me feel close to God,” Jaci said as she cut colorful zinnias in her backyard garden for a bouquet. “They are His wonderful masterpieces created in Christ Jesus for a purpose.” For 10-year-old Jaci, part of that purpose is to grow beautiful flowers, arrange them into delightful bouquets, and…
Operation Christmas Child Gifts Help Build the Church in Tanzania
The bike ride through the path of deep sand to Kitomondo takes Pastor Marco Kayumbo more than two hours to negotiate. He prays and sings to pass the time. Kitomondo is a rural community outside Tanzania’s largest city of Dar es Salaam, and it’s where Pastor Marco started a church almost two years ago. It…
Mid-Year Report
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…
Building Toy Cars to Help Build God’s Kingdom
Ken Postema lives in Western Michigan, about 15 miles east of Grand Rapids, on 10 wooded acres that he purchased 51 years ago when he was a senior in high school. Tall white pines, maples, tulip poplars, and hybrid poplars dot the lush, rolling landscape surrounding Ken’s beautifully handcrafted house, which he built himself. “Some…
God Opens Hearts Through Shoeboxes in Boise and Beyond
God has used gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to bring millions of children and adults to faith in Jesus Christ overseas. He also uses shoeboxes to draw people to Himself here in the U.S., as Manny Ma and his wife Wen Li of Boise, Idaho, can well attest. Wen accepted Christ as her Lord and…
Press Release Operation Christmas Child Feb. 1 – Over 11.3 Million Shoebox Gifts Collected
Delivering Good News, Great Joy in Peru
Lima, Peru—a city 10 million people call home—is a vibrant place of ministry for Operation Christmas Child. Decades of Samaritan’s Purse outreach events in this South American country have already enabled 5 million children to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ—and the work continues. The Peru National Leadership Team, made up of six experienced, passionate…











