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Shoebox gifts collected in the United States in 2016 will be delivered to 329,640 children in Colombia. Praise God that over 1,583,840 children have received a shoebox since 2002, when Operation Christmas Child began distributing gifts here.
The Desire of Their Hearts
Luis, a 7-year-old boy, started crying as soon as he opened his shoebox and saw a white shirt. He then shared that he wanted a shirt just like that one but his parents couldn’t afford it, so Father God bought it for him just like he asked for. Since that moment, his family began believing in God and has begun attending church.
Jerusalen, an 8-year-old girl who had leukemia, was blessed with a shoebox. Her parents had stopped attending church because they were very sad and discouraged because of her illness. She really wanted a jump rope, even through she could not be very active due to her illness. As soon as she opened the box, the first thing she saw was a jump rope. She forgot about her illness and jumped all around, enjoying her rope. Her whole family began attending church again.
Eliana, a 14-year-old girl, lives in a town where many of the houses were destroyed by a landslide. She was getting ready to start the school year without any school supplies or a backpack because her parents didn’t have jobs. She invited a friend to go to church, where they heard the Gospel and received a shoebox. In her box, Eliana found many school supplies for her studies. She also found a backpack at the bottom of the box, which is what she wanted most. Today, she is part of the youth group at that church and goes out every weekend to share the Good News of Jesus with other youth.
Another church organized an event to share The Greatest Gift of All and distribute shoeboxes to children. They enjoyed a drama and a message. When they distributed the shoeboxes, all the children from the community were very excited to open their shoeboxes and see what was inside. A little girl from one ethnic group, the Mocana, had very old underwear. She opened her shoebox and found one dozen pairs of underwear. She told her mom, who–through tears–told the pastor that her daughter didn’t have any more underwear to wear. She thanked God and the church for the gift. Now, the whole family attends the church.
Going to God’s House
Estefany and Nayelis are two sisters, 4 and 7-years-old. They live in Colombia in a hut. Their father is a drug addict, and he can’t provide for their basic needs, like clothes, shoes, socks, or toys. They were invited to attend a shoebox distribution. The girls were very alert during the Gospel presentation and were smiling with joy. Several times they thanked the Sunday school teacher for inviting them to the event. They received the greatest gift of all: Jesus in their hearts. When they received their shoeboxes, they cried and jumped for joy. God gave them the dresses, socks, stuffed animals, and dolls their parents couldn’t buy them for Christmas. Now, both sisters attend every single event from the church, and they are the first ones to arrive. Every Sunday, they knock on the door of the lady who brings them to church to tell her they are ready to go to God’s house.
Your shoebox is just the first step to transforming a young life for eternity. Every shoebox gift delivered by Operation Christmas Child is a tangible expression of God’s love. It also presents an opportunity in more than 100 countries for our church partners to invite children into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through our follow-up discipleship program. The Greatest Journey is a dynamic approach to discipleship—including 12 engaging Bible lessons—that local trained teachers are using to instruct the next generation of believers on how to become devoted followers of Christ and boldly share their faith with others. Worldwide, 10.9 million children have enrolled in the program since 2009.
This year in Colombia, these Bible lessons will be offered to children who receive a shoebox gift. These 12 lessons guide children through a study of who Jesus Christ is, what it means to follow Him, and how to share this exciting message with others. Over 292,000 children in Colombia have enrolled in this program since it started, and over 202,000 have graduated.
Will you help us “go and make disciples of all nations” as Christ commanded? Sign up for a monthly gift of $6, and each year you will give 12 children study materials, a New Testament, and the opportunity to learn what it means to devote their lives to sharing the Good News of eternal grace through Jesus Christ.
Watch children’s reactions as they receive their shoebox gifts!
