This year marks the 25th year of OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD, a project of SAMARITAN'S PURSE.  During that time, the program has delivered 157 million shoeboxes to boys and girls around the world.  “We praise God for so many children whose lives have been transformed because of a simple gift.” said Franklin Graham, with Samaritan’s Purse.

Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has partnered with local churches around the world to deliver 157 million Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to children in need in 160 countries. Each one—packed full of fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items by a family or individual—is sent with prayer that the child who receives it will experience God’s love through their simple gifts.

From Small Beginnings, Operation Christmas Child Grows

During the summer of 1993, Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham received a call from a man in England asking his help on behalf of children in Bosnia who were suffering because of a brutal civil war. The Englishman specifically asked for shoeboxes filled with gifts to deliver to these little ones at Christmas. Samaritan’s Purse was already working in Bosnia, and Franklin had been there three times in the previous year, so he was eager to help.

Christmas, however, seemed a long way off, so he put this request aside.

Not long before Thanksgiving, he received a call back from the man in England. Quickly reminded of his promise, Franklin assured him he was working on it.

Franklin then called his friend, the late Ross Rhoads, who was serving as senior pastor of Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He asked if Ross and his wife Carol could fill a shoebox with items for a child, show it to their congregation, and ask them to do the same—in order to share the true meaning of Christmas with the children of Bosnia.

Ross and Carol were eager to assist, and the response was overwhelming. Shortly after Thanksgiving, Ross called Franklin to report that 11,000 shoebox gifts were now lining the hallways of his church!

Combining these gifts with more from their Canadian office, Samaritan’s Purse sent 28,000 shoebox gifts to children in Bosnia that Christmas. Ross and Carol Rhoads traveled to the war-torn nation to help us distribute them.

Today, through the countless prayers of many and the service of thousands of volunteers around the globe, the project has grown to include eight shoebox-packing countries in addition to the 160 that have received them.

“When I agreed to send shoebox gifts to Bosnia in 1993, I never dreamed it would grow into the project it is today,” Franklin said. “We praise God for allowing us to touch the lives of so many children and their families with the Gospel of Jesus Christ over the past 25 years.”

Through gift-filled shoeboxes, we are bringing good news and great joy to children in Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America, and South America. Boys and girls are coming to Christ and leading their families to follow Him, too. Churches are being planted and new generations of evangelists are rising up through The Greatest Journey, our discipleship program just for shoebox recipients.

In Tipton County, at the First Baptist Church, Carolyn Orr had an urge to participate in the shoebox ministry.  When she talked about it with Church leaders, She said, “Can we do this? It is so wonderful!” They asked her to take on the project with their help.  And take it on she did. First Baptist Covington started with just a few boxes, as a matter of fact, they missed the deadline for their first year. This year nearly 600 boxes were collected.  

Covington First Baptist has become not just a drop-off point, but a distribution point for Operation Christmas Child.  “Brother Cliff does the computer part of the work, and I gather the workforce to help package and count the boxes.” Orr continued, “It’s so sweet when the churches and people bring in the boxes, we have a tree up, and have hot cocoa and cookies.  Sometimes we have so many at one time that it’s hard to keep up—they have to wait until their boxes are counted and packed for the truck.” And it’s not just Baptist Churches from Tipton County, it’s groups and Churches in surrounding counties—some are Assembly of God, some are Pentecostal, some are Christian, some are student councils, some are individuals—it’s all about sending gifts to little children. “We have one lady who brought in 400 boxes last year that she put together, packed, bought things for, and brought in ‘for the little children.’  In all, about 2,500 boxes came through First Baptist last year on their way to Atlanta for distribution.  

Orr told us a story of a little girl in South America who got a box.  The drug cartel had cut off two of her fingers because her father had told the Federales about them.  None of her friends would have anything to do with her because she didn’t have enough fingers. She got a box that had ‘mistakenly’ put gloves in it—in a box for South America.  She pulled them on her hand and ran to show her friends, ‘Look, I have five now!’ She went on and smiled, “God doesn’t make mistakes, even though sometimes we think we have.” 

Orr went on to tell us, “I know I will never get to go overseas to do missions, to help these children.” In her way, this is how she is helping, by making sure this runs smoothly along with all of the other thousands of volunteers who help make this project work.  Millions of these little boxes have been delivered. They are delivered by canoe, by bicycle, by jeep, by horseback, by train and in any way, they can get them to little children in places who need them. 

As we talked, a little blond, curly headed child came up to the stack of boxes in the front of the church, she looked over the stack, and whispered loudly, ‘oh, there’s ours!’  She was proud of her family’s boxes. It’s not just the kids who receive who get a blessing, it’s also the kids and families who are doing the giving.