Tens of thousands of children across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India will be celebrating Christmas this month through Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child.
"Thanks to the generosity of people...over a quarter of a million shoe boxes full of prayers, toys, and gifts are being distributed across South Asia throughout the spring and in the weeks to come," reported Samaritan’s Purse in its website.
Operation Christmas Child, which began in the United States in 1993, aims to "bring joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love."
According to Samaritan’s Purse, the project provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be "involved in a simple, hands-on missions project while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ, God’s greatest gift." Along with shoe box gifts, millions of children are given Gospel booklets in their own language. In 2004, the ministry collected over 7.4 million shoe box gifts worldwide and distributed them to children in 95 countries.
"Every box brings a joyful message of God’s great love for them," the group stated.
In addition to delivering shoe box gifts, Samaritan’s Purse is continuing to provide vital assistance to hundreds of thousands of tsunami survivors in South Asia by supplying clean water, food, shelter, fishing boats, and other aid. Housing projects are now a major thrust of their work, as they seek to move people out of refugee camps and into permanent living quarters.
"All of our efforts to help tsunami survivors send them a powerful message about the God whom we serve," the ministry stated. "As the Bible declares, ‘They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness. The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love’ (Psalm 145:7-8, NIV).
"Please continue to pray for Samaritan’s Purse as we serve the Lord in this difficult and dangerous part of the world."
Since it began in 1993 with 28,000 shoe box gifts, Operation Christmas Child has collected some 31 million shoe box gifts valued at more than US$610 million, and hand-delivered them to needy children in some 120 countries, including:
- Children in Sudan suffering from the world’s longest running civil war (2003)
- Ugandan children devastated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic (2002)
- War orphans in Kosovo (1999), Bosnia and Croatia (1995-1996), and Rwanda (1994)
- Children in Honduras and Nicaragua left homeless by Hurricane Mitch (1998)
Anthony Chiu
Christian Today Correspondent
