It was a mother’s worst nightmare. Warnings of an imminent attack on their village didn’t give Lamzira and her husband Jakob much time to round up their eight children and flee. Where would they go? How would they survive?

All they could do was run and pray.

Lamzira was especially concerned about Gogita, her 9-year-old son. He had a weak heart, and this unexpected excitement might be too much for him.

But God was watching over them. The family escaped unharmed. They had to leave all of their belongings behind, but at least they were together.


On Assignment
Staff writer Valerie Davis gives a first-hand account of the shoe box distributions in Georgia. Click here to read her report,It has been four months since that terrible day when the conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia invaded the Kodori Valley, but Lamzira, Jakob, and their children still haven’t recovered. A bomb destroyed their house, and their cows and chickens are all gone. Fearful of their safety if they return, the family of 10 lives with fellow refugees in a sports center in the city of Kutasci.

“I am trying to be strong,” Lamzira said. “We had a good life in our village. My husband was a policeman, but here there are no jobs. We want to go home.”

Although their ordeal is far from over, Operation Christmas Child recently brought renewed hope to 300 traumatized boys and girls when shoe box gifts were handed out at a public meeting hall in downtown Kutasci.

A ministry group from a local church told of the Good News of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Parents joined their children in singing songs of praise. Smiles began to appear on faces that moments before had been devoid of emotion.

“Greatest Gift of All” booklets were handed out along with the shoe boxes. Boys and girls waited patiently for that special moment when they could open their gifts in unison. “Gilotsavt shobas! Merry Christmas!” the leader proclaimed.

Gogita was one of the eager children. He walked across the room with his shoe box and planted it at his mother’s feet, grinning with every step. Three more of Lamzira’s children followed their brother’s lead. Lamzira laughed in amazement at the colorful boxes stacked in front of her.

Soon she was joined by Jakob and three older children who also received boxes.

“We have no possibility to buy these gifts, so we are very thankful,” Lamzira said.

One child received a stuffed penguin, another a yo-yo and doll. The coloring books and crayons were Gogita’s favorite items. The toys and school materials were all the more precious to the children since they lost everything in the August attack.

The shoe box distribution in Kutasci was among several held throughout Georgia in mid-December. Thousands of refugees continue to live in temporary shelters in aging school buildings and abandoned warehouses. For the children and their parents, the gifts were gentle reminders that they have not been forgotten.

“The boxes are a tool to share the Gospel, a way for the refugees to know that God loves them,” said Valeri, one of the church members. “These people had nothing after the war, not even a toothbrush of their own. It is very important to meet all of their needs, both the physical and the spiritual ones. A shoe box is one way we can help do that.”

The congregation has distributed shoe boxes in Georgia for several years. This year they began offering the follow-up discipleship program. Over 50 children have completed the 10-lesson course, and another series is planned in January.

Attendance at the small church has nearly doubled over the past year. Valeri attributes the growth at least in part to the Bible lessons offered through Operation Christmas Child.

“Because of the discipleship program, many parents started coming to church with their children,” he said. “Several of them attend regularly. Whether they keep coming or not, they have heard the Word of God now. It is an important foundation.”

Some 100,000 of the nearly 8 million shoe box gifts collected in 2008 will be delivered to boys and girls in Georgia.


Shoe boxes are still being accepted at our international headquarters in North Carolina. Please mail your gift to:

Samaritan's Purse
801 Bamboo Rd.
Boone, NC 28607

Samaritan's Purse , Georgia , Operation Christmas Child , Delivering Gifts of Hope