Samnang* comes from a family of scavengers, also known as waste pickers—people who earn a meager living by collecting recyclable materials from garbage dumps, streets, and landfills of Cambodia. But God used the new items inside the shoebox gift she received at age 13 to help draw her to a relationship with Christ. Today, she…
Operation Christmas Child
Christian Leaders in Guam Are Excited About Operation Christmas Child
Guam, the westernmost territory of the United States, is a rich blend of various cultures. Located in the north Pacific—about 1,500 miles east of the Philippines—Guam’s 168,000 citizens include the island’s native Chamorros, along with a melting-pot population from the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, the mainland U.S., Europe, and various other Micronesian islands.…
Operation Christmas Child
Nanor and a Doll
Nanor and a Doll "God planted a seed of faith in my heart when I received my shoebox." Nanor received a shoebox in the Middle East as a child. I will never forget the day that I received my shoebox. I still remember every gift in it. I’ve kept the box to this day. It…
Operation Christmas Child
Alina and a Music Box
Alina and a Music Box Alina received her shoebox at an orphanage in Romania at age 12. When I was just over a year old, doctors told my mother that I would never be able to walk. Not knowing how to care for me, my mother left me in a hospital. Thanks to doctors and…
Operation Christmas Child
Franklin Graham Dedicates New Ministry Center in Maryland
Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham traveled to our Mid-Atlantic Ministry Center in Windsor Mill, Maryland, near Baltimore, to dedicate the new property to the Lord’s service. They encouraged staff and volunteers there who are busy processing Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts for distribution to children in need around the world. Samaritan’s Purse has been processing…
Operation Christmas Child
‘The Lord Loves Even His Enemies’
In a small town on the plains of Central Asia, most people are hostile to the small group of Christians living among them. Though these courageous believers are continually harassed, they faithfully persevere. Two Christian women named Aigul* and Dinara* were meeting regularly to pray for their town. Persecution flared up when Aigul’s mother died.…
Operation Christmas Child
Opening Eyes and Ears in Ecuador
Nestled in the mountains of the Pichincha province of Ecuador, Pastor Segundo Santacruz leads a large church that meets in a very small building. “Amor a la Vida” (Love for Life), as the congregation is called, reaches out to the Quechua community around them in a variety of creative ways. They provide food for their…
Operation Christmas Child
God Used a Mess to Be His Message
When Sovann* was a child there was nothing but hopelessness in her life. She made a promise to herself that when she grew up, she would be a person who would listen to young people, and be a mentor. That passion and promise has led her to where she is today as a team coordinator…
Operation Christmas Child
Children in Madagascar Hear the Gospel for the First Time
Pastor Soja knew that there were two words the Bara people group never wanted to hear: “Jesus” and “prayer.” Made up of more than a million people, this ethnic group inhabits southern Madagascar, the island nation off the east coast of Africa. Cattle rustlers by trade, they marked themselves by thievery, violence, and isolation. Fifteen…
Discipleship, Education & Training
The Heart of a Chaplain
In 2009, the Rev. Mark Sukulao lay in a hospital bed in Zimbabwe, very ill, discouraged, and in almost constant pain. This hospital was the third one he had been admitted to in less than two months, and now he was facing another surgery. Many anxious thoughts churned through the pastor’s mind. What was God’s…
