“How is dad?” the children inquired when their mother picked them up from school. Her answer was important, because it determined how the twin boys entered the house. Would they smile and say hello to their dad? Or would they keep their heads down and slip in unnoticed? Debbie Gonzalez tried hard to shield her…
It’s About Sharing God’s Love with Children
For more than 20 years, the Pacific Southwest District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has been packing shoebox gifts for children in need around the world. But, almost 10 years ago, they took their involvement with Operation Christmas Child to new heights, packing thousands of boxes each year through their association of schools across California,…
Shoebox Gifts Go Even Where There Is No Road
Sixty bare-chested men started running towards Dian and Sandee. The group’s leader was waving his rifle in the air and yelling. Among the throng was a man carrying a black cooking pot and more men brandishing their rifles in the air. The two women froze. But to their surprise, the horde ran past them and…
Edward Graham Joins Celebration for New Church in the Mountains of Mexico
La Laguna village in remote Mexico, home to the Nahuatl people, was once unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No one in the mountain community had ever heard the name of Jesus. No one had ever been told that God loves them or how they could have a personal relationship with the Living Savior.…
Shoebox Gifts Bring Joy to Deaf Children in Namibia
The classroom was quiet as boys and girls opened their Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. There were no squeals of excitement or chattering, no shouting for friends to come and look at the fun gifts inside their shoebox. Yet, their smiles were so big and bright that verbal expressions weren’t needed to reveal the joy overflowing…
2023 Operation Christmas Child Special Report
Shoebox Gifts Help Churches Share the Gospel Across Ukraine
Millions of children have fled to western Ukraine or left the country entirely since war broke out last February. Each of them has a different story of confusion, fear, and trauma. Churches across Ukraine are meeting the practical needs of the displaced in many ways, including providing shelter and food. Samaritan’s Purse alone has provided…
Operation Christmas Child Ministers in Tahiti
All eyes were recently on French Polynesia for the Summer 2024 Olympic surfing competition. Athletes from numerous countries, unified by the love of the sport and the spirit of competition, vied for gold, silver, and bronze medals on some of the world’s biggest waves in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. Just an hour and a half to the…
Operation Christmas Child Brings Gift-Filled Shoeboxes to Palau
Franklin Graham’s bold vision to deliver gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes in Jesus’ Name to every child on 1,000 Pacific islands—more than half a million kids—began early last year and reached more than 65,000 children in 2019. Earlier this year, the campaign arrived ashore on Palau, where scores of shoeboxes were handed out to children…