Operation Christmas Child 2024 Special Report

Every Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift prayerfully packed in Jesus' Name is a tangible expression of God's love to a boy or girl in desperate need. We praise the Lord for how He is using thousands of volunteers and church partners to share the eternal hope of the Gospel through these special gifts.

Samaritan's Purse has delivered more than 232 million gift-filled shoeboxes around the world in the past 30-plus years. As children come to faith in Christ, they are sharing the Good News with family and friends, and entire communities are being transformed by the power of the Gospel.

Tears ran down Pastor Ramon's face as he watched boys and girls open their Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts during an outreach event at his church in Paraguay. “I felt the presence of God,” he said.

Reaching children with the Gospel is important to Pastor Ramon. Most families in his church are impoverished and live in communities with significant drug use.

During the outreach event, Alex received many items in his shoebox—a football, colouring pencils, notebooks, and other small toys—but he said that The Greatest Gift, which is a booklet given to each child that explains the Gospel, was the most special gift. “The book is my favourite because Jesus is in it.”

Alex prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour during the outreach event. “Jesus lives inside my heart,” he said.

Operation Christmas Child is opening doors for Pastor Ramon to share God's love with Alex and other boys and girls who are desperate for hope.

Like Ramon, all of our teams and church partners around the world are working hard in Jesus' Name to bring shoebox gifts to the most hard-to-reach communities, even to those that are extremely isolated. In Lesotho, we're using donkeys to transport gift boxes to children whose families are shepherds. Sometimes it takes several weeks to reach one group of shepherds because they live in outlying areas. Their nomadic lifestyle also makes them difficult to contact, as they move their flock to different mountainous areas as the seasons change.

In two remote villages in Africa, people had little exposure to the Gospel and were initially resistant to our Operation Christmas Child teams. But God softened hearts, and nearly 1,000 boys and girls in those areas have come to faith in Jesus Christ.

In the past year, God also used Operation Christmas Child to bring great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ to boys and girls left devastated when Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico's Pacific Coast. Fernanda, age 10, lost everything in the storm, including her cherished notebooks and crayons. But when she opened her shoebox gift alongside dozens of other children, her eyes widened with delight. Inside she found a toy boat, little toy kittens, socks, and, most thrilling, notebooks, coloured paper, crayons, and pencils. “I was excited because I wanted to draw many things—like flowers and cats—and a picture of how God took care of us during the storm,” she said.

Her mother, Esmeralda, said that the love shown by the local church and Operation Christmas Child encouraged her to reconnect with God and other believers. “God has shown us that even in the most difficult moments, He brings the right people. These gift boxes and the church are a blessing to us and to this whole community.”

In a remote village in Ghana, Epiphani was delighted to receive a shoebox gift filled with special presents, but when she met a boy named Daniel who was from an even more severely impoverished family, she decided that he needed the treasures more than she did.

In the weeks following the outreach event, she joined other girls and boys in learning more about God and His Word during The Greatest Journey 12-lesson discipleship programme. “Through the programme , I now know who Jesus Christ is. The classes changed my life,” she said. “I put my trust in Jesus—He is the One who came and died for our sins.”

The last lesson encouraged the children to share their faith with family and friends. One day, Epiphani saw Daniel picking through trash in search of metal scraps to sell so he could have money for food. She had never met Daniel, since he had stopped going to school and wasn't interested in church. “I shared the Gospel with him, and I prayed over him and invited him to church,” she said.

Daniel was intrigued by Epiphani's thoughtfulness. He accepted her invitation to attend church and began studying the Bible. Before long, he repented of his sins and gave his life to Christ. His mother also gave her life to Christ and they enjoy going to church together. “I have peace,” Daniel said. “I tell other people about Jesus.”

In Georgia, Tiko is teaching The Greatest Journey because she wants boys and girls to experience freedom in Christ just as she did when she was a child. At age 8, Tiko joined the discipleship programme  after receiving a shoebox gift during an outreach event. She learned more about the Bible and God's love for her and committed her life to following Him. Now, years later, she is sharing what she learned during the discipleship programme  with others. She is also teaching Sunday school, helping to lead worship at her church, and is a student at a Bible college.

In Cambodia, Makara became a Christian during The Greatest Journey. He learned during the classes that he was a sinner and that only Jesus could offer forgiveness. “I know that Jesus is in my heart. He is always in my life and gives me hope,” he said. “He gives me joy, and my heart is full of peace.”

Every shoebox lovingly packed in Jesus's Name makes its way to a child somewhere in the world who is in desperate need:

Fun Surprises

Luis'* mother desperately wanted to buy him a toy car as a special gift after he had surgery. She knew that her son had always wanted a toy car. But the cost of the operation and medication meant that she didn't have money to spare. Luis and his mother were thrilled to open his shoebox gift and find that a blue toy car was among the prayerfully packed items.

In Trinidad and Tobago, 5-year-old Ava-Marie prayed that a doll would be one of the gifts inside her shoebox. “I got the doll!” she shouted when she looked inside her gift box.

In Peru, Luana also prayed for God to provide something special—a box of colouring markers. She had run out of markers, and her parents couldn't afford to buy more. When Luana saw the markers in her shoebox she knew that God had answered her prayers.

*Name changed for security.

The Right Size

Dedun is 8 years old and lives with his grandmother, who has trouble walking because of pain in her legs and feet. Dedun was excited to find a pair of sandals in his shoebox and ran home to give them to his grandmother. The sandals were the perfect fit, and Dedun and his grandmother were delighted. Now that she has shoes, walking is easier, and she's doing it more often-even strolling to church with her grandson.

A Football Club Rejoices

A group of children in Kenya started a football club though they didn't have any sports gear. Their families couldn't afford to buy footballs, so they used whatever they could find to kick around the field. They prayed that God would provide footballs. During an outreach event, shouts of joy were heard, as nearly every child received a ball in their shoebox.

A Calculator for School

Life got much harder after Mikhal's dad lost his job. Mikhal was doing well in school and enjoyed learning, but he really needed a calculator to help him in his advanced studies. Although he didn't know how God would provide, Mikhal trusted that He would. His prayers were answered when he found a calculator inside his shoebox gift.

*Name changed for security.

We are very grateful for all the amazing shoebox packers around the UK who are helping to deliver great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ to boys and girls around the world. Watch the video below to find out how many shoeboxes were packed and sent from the UK alone!

Julie Fisher has only been packing shoeboxes for a couple of years. In 2023, she packed 65 boxes. This year, she packed an amazing 110 shoebox gifts! 

“I was a single mum for a long time but my kids never went without a present,” Julie explained, sharing her motivation for supporting the ministry.

Julie initially saw a Facebook advert in 2022, but then after discovering mass packers on YouTube, she was inspired to send more.

“Just the idea of making a child happy for even half an hour after opening that box, and to bring a smile to their face is just the best feeling… I love shopping for bargains as well!”

We are very grateful for people like Julie, whose generosity and kindness is bringing joy to children in need around the world. So whether you sent 100 or one shoebox this year, we want to say a very big THANK YOU!

Operation Christmas Child would not be possible without the volunteers who prepare shoeboxes for international shipment at our processing centres. To the thousands who played their part throughout the processing season—thank you!

A Birthday Trip to the Processing Centre

Abbey (age 13) had requested something special for her birthday this year. “I already have so much,” she said. “I want to share with people who don’t have a lot.”

With that simple wish, she set off with her mother, Amy, from Cambridgeshire to Coventry to join in with the shoebox processing taking place at our National Ministry Centre.

Abbey was especially moved by the hand-knitted puppets in some of the boxes. Her grandmother had taught her to crochet, and seeing those delicate, handmade creations filled her with happiness. “I can make something like this next year!” she said excitedly.

Local Pastor Volunteers

“If you can’t go to the mission field, come help at Operation Christmas Child,” said Rev. Daniel, a local pastor in Coventry. “We know that children around the world need help and this operation is really impacting lives. It’s another form of preaching the Gospel.”

Rev. Daniel joined in with the processing taking place at our National Ministry Centre—helping quality check and organise thousands of shoeboxes sent in from around the UK.

“I’m encouraging churches to support Operation Christmas Child because it’s encouraging us to come out of our comfort zone and do things differently,” he said. “This is about being involved in global mission that is transforming lives.”