In the early morning the long wooden boats motored gently across Nokoue Lake, past the small craft propelled by colorful sails, past the fishermen tending and mending large traps, toward the water dwellings of Ganvie. Secured in the wooden craft were hundreds of Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts destined for an outreach event at a…
Animals, Agriculture & Livelihoods
Planting Seeds of Faith in Famine-Scarred Niger
The lean season was once a season of despair for many families in Karofane, a village in rural Niger. Halima,* a mother of ten, would watch hopelessly as her children grew thin and weak. Their hair would turn brittle and bleached—common signs of malnutrition. “I would take them to the traditional healer, but still they…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Helping in the Wake of the Derecho
There’s often a whirlwind inside Jaime Richardson’s home where she and her husband, Chris, care for their 15 adopted children in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Most days are a swirl of activity with that many kids around, several having special needs including cerebral palsy, autism, seizure disorders, and one confined to a bed for most of…
Health & Medical Ministries
Ava’s March for Hearts
Ava Evans knows that not every child around the world has the chances at life that she’s had. She was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect, a hole in her heart, when she was born. It was corrected through surgery. “God gave me an opportunity to be here and be alive and live for Him,”…
Media
Biography: Edward Graham
Edward Graham Chief Operating Officer, Samaritan's Purse As Chief Operating Officer, Edward Graham overseas the international and domestic operations of Samaritan’s Purse. He frequently travels to disaster areas to coordinate operations and encourage families impacted by catastrophic events. He also meets with key government officials and church leaders in affected areas to establish relationships, coordination, and…
Volunteers at Work in Central Texas; Disaster Relief Unit En Route to Battered Louisiana
UPDATED March 24 Samaritan’s Purse is responding in two locations following a severe storm system that swept across the south Monday and Tuesday, spawning deadly tornadoes. Hundreds of homes were damaged along the storm’s destructive path across Texas and Louisiana. In Chalmette, Louisiana, we have staff on the ground working with local officials, emergency management,…
Operation Christmas Child
Angola
Located on the western coast of Africa, Angola is known for its natural resource of oil as well as its recent recovery from decades of civil war. Operation Christmas Child began delivering gift-filled shoeboxes to children in this nation in 1997 and many have participated in our follow-up discipleship program, The Greatest Journey, since we…
Operation Christmas Child
Bringing Good News and Great Joy to Grenada
Saint Andrew in Grenada is locally known as the “Big Parish” because it is the largest of the six parishes on the West Indies island and is the only one that shares a border with the other five. It is also called the nation’s breadbasket, due to its rich agricultural history. Most of the island’s…
Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions Browse by Category Browse by Category Operation Christmas Child · Project Overview · Global Influence of OCC Packing Your Shoebox · Packing and Delivery · Gift Suggestions · Shoebox Labels · Printable Labels · Adhesive Labels · Tracking Your Shoebox Gift · Build a Shoebox Online · Building Online Goal Pages ·…
Operation Christmas Child
Graham Family Participates in Operation Christmas Child Pacific Push
Franklin Graham presented a bold vision to the Operation Christmas Child team late last year (2018): Deliver gift-filled shoeboxes in Jesus’ Name to every child on 1,000 Pacific islands—more than half a million kids. He believed those island nations and the children who live on them had been forgotten, but he was determined that would…
