Discover why an Operation Christmas Child volunteer in Cambodia is inspired to serve and pray for the children in his country.
As smiling volunteers place red-and-green shoeboxes into the waiting, outstretched hands of children who have no concept of a gift or the love of Christ, a man wearing a shirt bearing the logo of Operation Christmas Child quietly watches with a look of reflection on his face.
“Each time it captures my heart when I see this because I know the Gospel changed my life and I know the Gospel will change their life too,” Nisay* said.
Nisay delivers shoebox gifts at an Operation Christmas Child outreach event where the Gospel is clearly shared.
Nisay is the prayer coordinator for Operation Christmas Child in Cambodia, a position that hits home as he prays for children who are walking the same road he did years ago, before he heard about a Savior who had a calling for his life. That calling would lead him to become a pastor, a church planter, the founder of an orphanage, and a partner of Operation Christmas Child.
Bearing Scars from a Broken Home
His childhood is a blur of the pain that dominated his father’s life and his parents’ marriage. Love was a nonexistent concept to him. Instead, he remembers his father intensely threatening him. Nisay ran until he couldn’t run anymore, ultimately spending a night in a cemetery where he wished for death—anything that would end the misery of his life. When his father passed away, he and his siblings were suddenly cast into homelessness, living on the streets of Cambodia, a fate that felt worse than death.
“In every house the dad is the hero, but it was different for me,” Nisay said. “Kids in Cambodia are scared of ghosts or the bogeyman, but I wasn’t really scared of those. I was the most scared of my dad.”
His image of a father created a broken and distorted view of love. Restoration came in the form of a childhood friend who invited him to church, where he heard of a Father’s love that didn’t have to be earned, wasn’t vengeful or threatening, and was freely given to all.
“I was filled with a love that I had never experienced before,” Nisay said. “I felt warm because I knew God was in my heart. From that moment, I just began to sing to the Lord and praise Him.”
Growing in Faith and Finding Purpose
Nothing immediately changed in his physical life after he accepted the Lord—there was still struggle and there was still hardship—but he realized he wasn’t alone anymore. Soon, the pastor invited him to live at the church and lead the youth group there—even as he battled with questions from his past.
“I questioned God, ‘God, why me? Why did I have to be born into a broken family?’” Nisay said. “I asked the Lord so many times, and one day I realized that God allowed me to go through that because He had a purpose for me and that purpose was to share the love that I have with the other people in Cambodia who needed it, like me.”
In addition to serving as the prayer coordinator for Operation Christmas Child in Cambodia, Nisay serves as a pastor and church planter.
He went to Bible college and became a pastor, returning to Cambodia to establish churches in communities desperately in need of the Gospel. But his heart continued to be drawn to the children relegated to the streets until not one, but two of his church plants became ministry partners with Operation Christmas Child and he saw the impact of the shoeboxes. He began to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) for the success of Operation Christmas Child, until eventually he learned of an opportunity to become the prayer coordinator for the Samaritan’s Purse project in Cambodia.
“Only prayer could change the lives of our people. Nothing else will do except prayer and the power of God.”
“Only prayer could change the lives of our people. Nothing else will do except prayer and the power of God,” Nisay said.
Transforming a Country One Shoebox at a Time
Most Cambodians, however, adhere to other religions. It seems improbable that a simple shoebox could sway beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years, but Nisay’s life is a testimony to the fact that nothing is impossible with God.
“The shoeboxes have changed the lives of the kids in the community, the kids that we could not actually reach … but through the shoeboxes we are able to make a connection with them and bring them to church,” Nisay said.
Join us in praying that more lives will be changed by the Gospel through Operation Christmas Child in 2026. Learn more about our Nov. 2 Global Prayer Event!
Peals of laughter filter through the air as he watches children unbox the first and only gift many of them will ever receive, discovering the treasures inside. Eyes drifting over the crowd, he notices those children who are fascinated by The Greatest Gift Gospel booklet that came with their shoebox, gingerly holding it as they delicately turn pages and take in colorful pictures of a man named Jesus who loves the little children like them.
A fun, full, and personalized shoebox gift delights one of the over 1.5 million children in Cambodia who have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox since 2000.
“I’m so joyful my eyes fill with tears, but these tears are different from what I experienced because of my dad. These are tears of joy to see these kids receive a shoebox and especially experience the love of Christ,” Nisay said. “Just continue to pray that God not only opens the door for Cambodia, but opens the heart of each kid.”
Living Life Fully Redeemed
Standing here today, giving children the hope of Christ in the form of a shoebox and an invitation to the Samaritan’s Purse follow-up discipleship course, The Greatest Journey, was beyond his wildest dreams as a child living in the pit of life, forgotten on the side of the road. Little did he know, God had not forsaken him, but loved him just as he was, and had incredible plans to use him to advance the Kingdom of Heaven in Cambodia.
“Because you packed the shoeboxes, they are able to hear the Gospel.”
“You don’t know these kids, but I know one day you will see them in Heaven and they will say thank you,” Nisay said. “Because you packed the shoeboxes, they are able to hear the Gospel.”
Please pray for our volunteer national leadership teams in shoebox-receiving countries. Ask God to strengthen and empower their efforts to share the Gospel with children through shoebox gifts.
It’s not too late to pack a shoebox! National Collection Week is just three weeks away. Drop-off locations will be open across the country Nov. 17-24 to receive your prayerfully packed gifts for children in need.
*Name changed for security
