Some of us may be very familiar with Operation Christmas child, a ministry by which millions of children have received the gospel message along with what may be the first gift they have ever received.

Operation Christmas Child is an annual mission hosted by Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief ministry that helps those in need all over the world in the name of Jesus. The Christmas operation is funded and supported by volunteers and churches all over the country. It is a prime example of thinking outside the “box” (pun intended) to give Good News and Great Joy to children in over 100 countries.

It works like this: 1) Volunteers fill provided “shoeboxes” with gifts for children all over the world, and they are collected at local drop-off sites.

2) Thousands of volunteers inspect and prepare shoeboxes for international shipping, stopping to pray every hour for the kids that will receive them.

3) Pastors and community leaders in over 100 countries who have been trained by Samaritan’s Purse volunteers to share the gospel, host outreach events, and implement discipleship programs eagerly receive and distribute the gift-filled shoeboxes to children after sharing with them the message of God’s love.

4) Kids who have received the gospel have the chance to enroll in The Greatest Journey, a discipleship program created by Samaritan’s Purse. This helps to spread the gospel in families and communities as parents, neighbors and friends learn about Christ through the children’s discipleship. Since 2009, more than 23.3 million children have enrolled in The Greatest Journey.

You can support Operation Christmas child wherever you are. You can even pack a box online!

Find out more at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/