Spiritual Impact Stories

Delivering Christmas Around the World

It is encouraging to hear from our church partners in the Middle East as they faithfully minister to children and their families in spite of all the challenges and dangers they face. One of the pastors recently survived a car bombing. Still, he remains fearless in sharing the Gospel.

Here’s what this pastor had to say about Operation Christmas Child:

Believe me, the shoe boxes are very important for us. Each year, we visit new places and new cities in Iraq—neighborhoods, orphanages, hospitals—we cannot go without gifts. If we go just to share the Gospel, they will refuse us. They will kill us!

But when we bring shoe boxes, they are always happy to listen to us. They say, “You are angels from God. You are always welcome in our house. We believe now you love us, because you are a practical people. You are not just talking. You are helping us. You are helping our children. You give smiles for our children.”

We always offer Arabic Bibles with the shoe boxes. The people love that, and not one time has a person refused the Bible.

What a testimony of God’s glory! We never cease to be amazed by how God has transformed a simple Christmas gift program into a worldwide outreach for the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Sharing the Gift of Peace
For people caught in the nightmare of terror and violence, peace sometimes feels like an impossible dream. But God is using Operation Christmas Child in war-torn countries to help children and their families find true peace through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Last year, Ibrahim (not his real name) was so touched by the gifts his children received that he wanted to learn more about Jesus. After listening to a simple presentation of the Gospel, he committed his life to the Lord. Before long, he led his entire family to faith in Christ. Ibrahim has since joined the ministry teams distributing gifts, and because he comes from an influential family, he has helped them gain access into hostile areas.

One team braved the dangers to distribute shoe box gifts to impoverished school children in an embattled city. “This is the first time in our lives that we have received gifts,” one child told the team. “Thank you for remembering us.” Among those receiving gifts were a group of hearing-and speech-impaired students attending a Muslim school.

Believers in the Middle East are greatly encouraged by the spiritual impact they have witnessed as a result of Operation Christmas Child. By building relationships and sharing the love of Christ, they are sowing seeds of peace that they believe will one day yield a bountiful harvest.

Remembering His Love
From a child who received a shoe box: “My dad didn’t work for almost a year. For Christmas we didn’t even have any money for toys. We didn’t even have a Christmas tree. So me and all my brothers and sisters were very happy to get these nice gifts, especially a doll which I always wanted. Sometimes when there’s a lot of shooting, we have to go to sleep on the floor at my grandma’s house, and we take our toys. My dad says to always remember that Jesus is keeping us safe and that He loves us, and when I look at my toys I do remember this.”