In the past four years, brothers Jamber, 22, and José, 19, have helped to start two churches in the gold mining town of Cajamarca, Peru. Growing up, both received Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes while attending Gateway to Bethlehem, a church in a middle-class neighborhood. “I was really happy, really joyful,” José said, remembering receiving his…
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
Shoeboxes Become an Answer to Children’s Prayers in South Africa
South Africa is a bustling nation of 55 million people nestled at the southernmost tip of the continent, surrounded on three sides by the sea. Only 25 years removed from apartheid, the country continues to recover from that traumatic chapter in its past. While many residents today enjoy unprecedented opportunities, others still face daunting challenges.…
Operation Christmas Child
Planting Gospel Seeds in Ghana
Steady streams dripped from holes in the roof, and puddles were scattered all over the floor. The rain pounded relentlessly and threatened to drown out every other sound in the small church. But as the wet and windy thrashing continued, the songs of praise soared louder. Rita Danso had just started a Gospel presentation when…
Operation Christmas Child
Shoebox Gifts Bring Joy to Deaf Children in Namibia
The classroom was quiet as boys and girls opened their Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. There were no squeals of excitement or chattering, no shouting for friends to come and look at the fun gifts inside their shoebox. Yet, their smiles were so big and bright that verbal expressions weren’t needed to reveal the joy overflowing…
Operation Christmas Child
“Now I Have a Heart for God”
Each time he pricked his feet on thorns or felt the jabs of kids who jeered at his bare feet, 13-year-old Kwale thought of the shoes his parents had promised: “When we have the money.” Even his teachers seemed to pick on him, assigning him dirty jobs like cleaning the toilets or telling him to…
Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child Ministers in Tahiti
All eyes were recently on French Polynesia for the Summer 2024 Olympic surfing competition. Athletes from numerous countries, unified by the love of the sport and the spirit of competition, vied for gold, silver, and bronze medals on some of the world’s biggest waves in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. Just an hour and a half to the…
Operation Christmas Child
Starting Churches in Mongolia
Mongolia is a spiritually dark land where Buddhism and cults are common and Christians are scarce. But a young couple committed to serving Jesus Christ is praying for this to change. Jargalmaa and her husband, Munkh-Erdene, moved with their two young children to Arvaikheer in southern Mongolia because the city is known for being among…
Operation Christmas Child
Shoebox Gifts Go Even Where There Is No Road
Sixty bare-chested men started running towards Dian and Sandee. The group’s leader was waving his rifle in the air and yelling. Among the throng was a man carrying a black cooking pot and more men brandishing their rifles in the air. The two women froze. But to their surprise, the horde ran past them and…
Operation Christmas Child
Churches Dedicated Among Unreached Himba of Namibia
Update (Sept. 8, 2021): Since this article was originally published in 2019, Samaritan’s Purse has built a second church building in the Himba community of Otutati. Dedicated on February 27, 2021, this facility is an additional outpost of hope to this unreached people group. The Gospel continues to spread among them through the oral resources…
