On Easter weekend, April 19-20, hundreds of children in the Colombia-Venezuela border city of Cúcuta, Colombia, heard about Jesus’ love for them through Operation Christmas Child. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, joined one of our church partners in Cúcuta to present the Gospel and hand out Operation Christmas…
Thinking Locally—and Globally—with Operation Christmas Child
Ben Smith knows the power of a good story and the difference it can make in people’s lives. Hearing stories about how Operation Christmas Child helped bring the Gospel to children around the world fueled his involvement in the Samaritan’s Purse project from the very beginning. As a child, he packed shoebox gifts with his…
Watch “The Record with Greta Van Susteren” on Newsmax TV for an Operation Christmas Child Special
Greta Van Susteren of Newsmax TV was in Ecuador this past weekend with Operation Christmas Child. Together with Wheaton College students, she distributed gift-filled shoeboxes to dozens of kids—spreading Christmas joy—as local church partners shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Van Susteren will air an exclusive feature on this child evangelism project on Christmas Day.…
Idol Worshippers Become Evangelists Through Operation Christmas Child in Nigeria
The danger zone. That’s what people called a community in Nigeria whose people pledged allegiance to witchcraft and idolatry. For years, Pastor Peter* had sowed Gospel seeds in this difficult area but, it seemed, with little effect. A fledgling church existed, though it struggled. That all changed, however, when he partnered with Operation Christmas Child…
Franklin Graham Celebrates 25 Years of Operation Christmas Child at Charlotte Event
Franklin Graham, along with several hundred enthusiastic volunteers from across the country, celebrated Operation Christmas Child’s 25th year of sending shoeboxes to children in need with an energetic, praise-filled ceremony on Nov. 29. The event was held at the Samaritan’s Purse Charlotte Processing Center. “We want to dedicate these boxes to God for His glory…
Encouraging Students to Serve Children Around the World
Adrienne Krater loves encouraging students to help reach children around the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Operation Christmas Child. It’s her focus as a year-round student relations volunteer in the Dayton, Ohio, area. Adrienne encourages local young people to pack Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts and tells them how God is using…
Caring for Grenada a Year After Beryl
Last summer, Hurricane Beryl ripped through the Windward Islands as a Category 4 storm. The tiny island of Carriacou—20 miles northeast of mainland Grenada and home to nearly 10,000 people—received the brunt of Beryl’s fury. Sustained winds of 150 miles per hour thrashed its shores and whipped through its rolling hills ripping roofs off houses…
Packing a Shoebox Will ‘Make Your Heart Feel Good’
Retirement eagerly waited to welcome Sallie Simmons. She’d soon turn 65 and all the years of hard work would be behind her. Yet, one day, Sallie had an encounter with God that changed the direction of her life. “I was on my way home, driving a brand-new car. But I thought, ‘I’m not doing what…
Shoeboxes Open Doors and Hearts for the Gospel in Liberia
For nearly 25 years a road divided the two sides of Nyiela, a community in western Liberia that had separated itself into Muslim and Christian parts of town. The sides didn’t talk much and they didn’t cross over, not even for clean water or medical care—not even during the Ebola crisis. Tribal conflicts added to…
Reaching the Deaf Community in the Country of Georgia
Pastor Paata has a big goal: to reach every family that includes a deaf person in the country of Georgia with the Good News of Jesus Christ. And he’s found a great tool to start conversations with deaf children or a hearing child of deaf parents—Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Paata, who is deaf, said…












