Operation Christmas Child in the News

Tanya knew nothing of love when she was growing up in Russia. Her parents abused her and then abandoned her when she was 8. She was separated from her brother and sister, and taken to a bleak orphanage.

“The orphanage provided a house and food, but the teachers were discouraging to me,” she said. “They basically told me that nobody loved me and nobody cared for me.”

Then one day, when Tanya was 10, her despair turned to joy. Operation Christmas Child came to the orphanage with gift-filled shoe boxes for all of the children. Tanya eagerly opened her box, and discovered a teddy bear, school supplies, and many other wonderful things.

“It was very special to me,” she said. “It was the first gift I ever received. My parents never bought me a gift. Money was always spent on alcohol.”

The most important thing in the box was a letter from the family that had packed it. This was proof that her teachers were wrong.

“People who didn’t know me and had never met me were telling me how much they cared for me,” she said. “The shoe box gave me hope.”

Tanya, along with her brother and sister, was later adopted by a family in America. They now live in St. Louis.

Nearly nine years later, Tanya still vividly remembers the moment she felt God’s love through the gift-filled shoe boxes.

“It’s amazing what Operation Christmas Child can do,” she said.

She wants other children to experience the same joy, so she and her family pack shoe boxes each year.

Tanya recently had an opportunity to pass on the blessing personally when she traveled to Ecuador with a Samaritan’s Purse Youth team. The 20 teenagers delivered Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes and participated in other Samaritan's Purse ministry projects.

“It was special,” she said. “It was amazing how happy they looked to get these simple things. I was glad to be a part of it.”

Samaritan's Purse , Ecuador , Operation Christmas Child , Passing On the Blessing