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
Former Gang Member in Peru Trains to Be a Missionary
Luis Trevejo Peña, 20, had a rough start. Abandoned by his father at age 5, he, his mother, Ricci, and three older brothers were left to fend for themselves in San Martin de Porres, Peru. Luis resented seeing other children with their fathers and wished he could have that sort of love, too. Perhaps as…
Operation Christmas Child
Making Disciples in Mongolia
Light, sky, land, and water appeared out of nothing. Next came vegetation, animals, and mankind. God called forth all these things simply by speaking, “Let there be…” (Genesis 1). While the story of creation may sound familiar, it is an entirely new concept for many boys and girls in Mongolia. At Living Stone Church in…
Operation Christmas Child
Multiplication in Peru Through The Greatest Journey
When Paola received her Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift at Cajamarca Biblical Center in the highlands of Peru, she loved the pink teddy bear she found inside. With a rainbow applique on its tummy, the 8-year-old quickly named the bear “Rainbow.” “I dream about him. I sleep with him,” Paola said. But Rainbow is more…
Operation Christmas Child
A Mountain Community in Mexico Responds to the Gospel
Note: For an exciting update to this story, see our latest article about the dedication of the first church in La Laguna. — Eusebia heard about Jesus on the radio. A couple of decades ago, that was the main way for the Mexicanero/Nahuatl people living in the mountains of northwest Mexico to hear the Gospel.…
Operation Christmas Child
Gospel Light Drives Away the Darkness for a Boy and His Father in Togo
Tchao Beleyi used to be haunted by nightmares of people chasing him down to beat him. “When I would sleep, in my dreams, I would see people following me, pursuing me,” he said. His 9-year-old son Kevin was also troubled. “He used to steal money from us,” Tchao said. “If he saw money lying around,…
Operation Christmas Child
Enrico and a Baseball
Enrico and a Baseball Enrico received a shoebox in Argentina at age 8. Enrico Pellini was born in Argentina, to parents who were passionate about sharing the love of Jesus to their own people. As they followed their passion to share Christ with many, Enrico’s family moved around often, willing to go wherever the Lord…
Operation Christmas Child
Franklin Graham Encourages Volunteers at Charlotte Processing Center
As the Christmas season kicks off, Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham dropped in to greet volunteers at the Operation Christmas Child shoebox processing center in Charlotte. Watch the video above to see his visit on Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving
Operation Christmas Child
Year-round Volunteer: Building Church Partners
Dally Quintana serves in church relations for Operation Christmas Child in the Chicago area. Building Church Partners Year-round volunteer builds relationships with congregations on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. Dally Quintana serves as the church relations coordinator in Chicago, where she leads a team of volunteers to promote Operation Christmas Child among their congregations. Dally…
Operation Christmas Child
Shoeboxes Open Doors and Hearts for the Gospel in Liberia
For nearly 25 years a road divided the two sides of Nyiela, a community in western Liberia that had separated itself into Muslim and Christian parts of town. The sides didn’t talk much and they didn’t cross over, not even for clean water or medical care—not even during the Ebola crisis. Tribal conflicts added to…
