When Dariya, 13, of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift in February, it interrupted her life with joy. ‘They Told Us About Jesus’ Dariya lives in an apartment in the Mongolian capital with her grandmother, Bebe Bakhpit, and 10-year-old cousin, Hannah. Her parents are divorced, and her mother works in South Korea—often…
Operation Christmas Child
Texas Teen Crochets for Girls Around the World
During National Collection Week two years ago, Alathia Purtell formed what even she thought was an impossible dream—to produce 2,000 crocheted purses for Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Alathia, then 12, was visiting her maternal grandparents in Canton, Texas, when she went with her grandmother Sue to her church’s shoebox drop-off location. There, Alathia saw…
Operation Christmas Child
Year-round Volunteer: Thinking Locally—and Globally—with Operation Christmas Child
Ben Smith serves in media support with Operation Christmas Child in southwest Indiana. Thinking Locally—and Globally—with Operation Christmas Child Indiana year-round volunteer plays a crucial role in promoting local involvement with the worldwide project that delivers shoebox gifts to children in need. Ben Smith knows the power of a good story and the difference it…
Operation Christmas Child
Year-round Volunteer: Encouraging Students to Serve Children Around the World
Adrienne Krater serves in student relations with Operation Christmas Child in the Dayton, Ohio, area. Encouraging Students to Serve Children Around the World Year-round volunteer in Ohio mobilizes students to get involved with Operation Christmas Child. Adrienne Krater loves encouraging students to help reach children around the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through…
Operation Christmas Child
Volunteer Helps Texas Cowboy Church Make Global Impact
Growing up in a small, rural Texas town, Kyle Brown never thought he would be in a position to help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Yet, serving as a year-round logistics volunteer with Operation Christmas Child has provided Kyle that opportunity as he helps lead White Rock Christian Fellowship to share…
Operation Christmas Child
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…
Operation Christmas Child
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…
Operation Christmas Child
Twin Sisters Pack Hundreds of Shoebox Gifts
Twin sisters Leabele McLeod and Laralea McLaughlin grew up in a poor family that struggled to make ends meet. They were so thankful any time a friend or neighbor offered them food or other essentials. Now, at age 88, Leabele and Laralea are giving back to children growing up in difficult situations. The sisters have…
Operation Christmas Child
Press Release Operation Christmas Child December 12-15-20
Operation Christmas Child Celebrates Millions of Gift-Filled Shoeboxes Amidst a Pandemic Year BOONE, N.C., Dec. 15, 2020—Despite a global pandemic, millions of shoebox gifts for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child were collected the week before Thanksgiving following a curbside drop-off model at more than 4,000 locations nationwide. Creativity, determination, and faith inspired many…
Operation Christmas Child
Nadia and a Doll
Nadia and a Doll "As a Christian from a low-income family in Ukraine, I saw my shoebox gift as an answer to my mother’s prayers. " While growing up in Ukraine I lived in a three-bedroom apartment with my family of 11. Toys were rare in our neighborhood. I remember one of my neighbors showing…
