A shoebox — it’s a simple thing. But shoeboxes—113 million in number, and all containing a colorful and child-friendly Gospel storybook—have been used to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with children who are poor, suffering, lonely, sick, homeless, and who live in areas that are dangerous and affected by war and natural disasters. Fueled by the power of prayer, simple shoebox gifts have changed lives in families and communities in 161 countries for the past 22 years.

The volunteer coordinator of Operation Christmas Child in Atlanta sums it up: “Something as simple as a shoebox, it’s a very humble offering, and God can change the life of the person who packs the box, the people who process the box, the child who receives the box, the community where the child lives—God can do all that through really simple offerings.”

Christ Church is once again joining forces with more than 80,000 churches across the United States to pack shoebox gifts that will be used by churches in poor and developing countries to reach children and families with God’s unconditional love and with the good news of the gospel. AJC columnist Patricia Holbrook recently wrote about her family’s participation in Operation Christmas Child for the past decade:

At a time when our society tries to shift our attention from the true meaning of Christmas, I find it important to point my children’s hearts to the truth: We give, because God gave himself for us. We celebrate, because love came down and brought us true hope. And we wish to share it with the world.

The gifts in the shoeboxes are received with exuberant joy and gratitude, but Operation Christmas Child doesn’t end with the delivery of the shoebox gifts. In fact, it is just the beginning. The churches and missions that facilitate the handing out of the boxes have follow-up programs in which they share about Jesus and the love of God with the children and their families. The churches offer a 12-week Bible study and discipleship course called The Greatest Journey which gives an overview of the Gospel and explains how to receive forgiveness and eternal life and become a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The course teaches the children to read the Bible and pray and how to share the good news of Jesus with others. The course has a lasting impact upon it participants, who are given New Testament Bibles in their native language upon completion of the course. From a shoebox… to the Bible!

Operation Christmas Child goes to hard-to-reach places, showing God’s love and grace, showing love and concern, and treating strangers like neighbors. With great challenges come great opportunities to share hope, bring help and share God’s love and gospel message with the hopeless, the helpless, the sick and the disadvantaged. Shoeboxes are delivered to children who live in orphanages, landfills, refugee camps, and on the streets; they are delivered to hospitals where children are suffering and dying. In many of these places, children seldom receive gifts, so a surprise shoebox gift is a real treat. Here are a couple of the true “shoebox stories” shared on the Samaritans Purse website:

A girl named Yuri received a shoebox in an orphanage in Honduras at the age of 6:
Everything in my shoebox was special. I really liked the school supplies. Normally in the orphanage we’d receive a notebook and a pencil at the beginning of the year and it had to last an entire year. I was really excited that I had a set of 10 pencils! I also got a notebook as well as toothpaste and a toothbrush. The toothbrush meant a lot because before I had to share my toothbrush with 25 other girls.
The most important thing was the picture and note from the American little girl who sent that shoebox to me. Her note said, “Jesus loves you and I love you too.” At that moment it made a big impact on me, and it continued to for years.

Yuliya received a shoebox at age 9 in a Central Asian country:
When I lifted the lid on my shoebox, the first thing I saw was a stuffed dog. I was filled with exuberant joy! I just remember hugging it. It was my new best friend, my newfound treasure. My second favorite item was bubble gum-flavored toothpaste that came in a pink tube. We didn’t know such a thing existed. We would squeeze out a bit the size of the tip of a match so we could get a little bit of flavor and make it last as long as possible. My friends would line up in our bathroom and my sister and I would squeeze out a tiny amount on their toothbrushes. I think we made it last about two years. The toys were the most important things to me as a 9-year-old but it also stood out that the letter in the box said, “I am praying for you.” As time went on, I realized why. With my shoebox, here was someone I’d never met and never seen, yet she was still praying for me. We became pen pals and she would always close her letters, “I am praying for you.” I always wondered, “Why is she praying for me?” The impact hit me more than seven years later after I became a Christian. She was showing me the love of Christ all along, starting with the shoebox and continuing in her prayers. I still have my stuffed dog 14 years later. That’s a glimpse of how much the shoebox meant to me because it was packed with love and prayer. It wasn’t just any dog. I could tell she specifically chose that dog for me and wanted to use it to communicate God’s love.

Every gift-filled shoebox is a powerful tool for evangelism and discipleship—transforming the lives of children and their families around the world through the Good News of Jesus Christ. Will you be a part of this amazing effort to bring children great joy and give partnering churches the opportunity to share the Gospel?

There are many ways to get involved:

• Use a Go-box (available at church) or another shoebox to pack gifts, according to the detailed instructions found in the brochures at church or online. Remember to include a check for $7 made out to Samaritans Purse for shipping costs.
• “Follow your box” – Donate the $7 online, print out your shoebox label and bring your box to church. You will receive an email with information on what country your shoebox is delivered to.
• “Build a box” online
• Skip the box, but contribute financially to help underwrite the shipping costs associated with delivering and distributing the shoeboxes.

Shoebox Deadline: Sunday, November 22

One way we can ALL be involved: PRAY! Pray for the children who will receive the shoeboxes and pray for all the volunteers that make the collection, shipping, delivery and distribution of the shoeboxes possible.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. (Matthew 28:19)

– Jan Robinson, Director of Children’s Ministries