Operation Christmas Child Spreads Hope in Sudan   

Children in Lainya often play with artillery shell casings they find buried in the tall grass outside their homes and churches. The “toys” serve as deadly reminders of a civil war that ended in Sudan just five years ago. But a growing sense of hope and renewal is spreading across the nation today. In 2010, more than 1,500 children in the Lainya area received gift filled shoe boxes through Operation Christmas Child distributions at four churches that had been destroyed during the war, but rebuilt by Samaritan’s Purse. Church leaders like Pastor Rufus Leri at St. Lazarus Church welcomed the opportunity to minister to the children in the church and the community. “The children are the foundation of the church,” he said. “Without the children, there is no hope for the future. We need to teach them about the Lord.”