When our kids were young, we made packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes a treasured part of our Christmas season. The excitement was real — piling into the car, heading to different stores, and carefully choosing gifts for children we would never meet but fervently prayed for.
For David and me, this ministry was already dear to our hearts. We loved its gospel-centered mission and the countless children it reached worldwide. But for our kids, it was even more personal. They saw faces behind those boxes—imagining the joy of the boys and girls receiving them, giggling as they selected just the right gifts, and praying with deep sincerity for the new “friends” they would never see. Their childlike faith challenged and inspired me.
That perspective has stuck with me over the years, and my appreciation for Operation Christmas Child has only grown. Just last week, I learned that 11.9 MILLION shoeboxes were collected and prayed over in 2024. That’s 11.9 million children who will hear the gospel, experience God’s love, and receive a gift pointing them to the greatest gift of all—Jesus. Many will then embark on The Greatest Journey, a 12-week discipleship program that changes lives. Praise God!
A Dream Come True
As I reflect on those sweet family moments and the global impact of this ministry, I’m preparing for something incredibly special—David and I have the opportunity to travel with Operation Christmas Child to the Dominican Republic this coming weekend! We’ll witness firsthand the outreach events where these shoeboxes are distributed and see the impact of this ministry in action. This is a dream come true, and I know we’ll return even more passionate about encouraging TTD families to get involved.
Will You Pray With Us?
Your prayers mean the world to us! Below, I’ve included some specific prayer requests, and I’d be so grateful if you’d join us in lifting up this trip and the children who will receive these gifts. If you’ll be praying, would you let us know by responding to the email? That would be a great encouragement to us.
Pray for us:
- Safe travels to and from the Dominican Republic and then to TTD Dayton next week.
- Greater understanding of in-country ministry so we can mobilize more TTD families to participate.
- Focused hearts—that we’ll be fully present in what God is doing this weekend before shifting to TTD Dayton. There is always a lot on our minds as we’re heading into an event because we take the ministry God has entrusted to us very seriously, but we want to be fully present in the ministry He’s allowing us to participate in this weekend first.
- Kingdom-significant relationships to be formed while we’re there.
Pray for the children and families in the Dominican:
- That each child receiving a shoebox will experience God’s love and open their heart to the Gospel.
- That friends and family at the outreach events will find salvation in Christ.
- That entire communities will be transformed by the power of the Gospel.
- That many children will take part in The Greatest Journey and become lifelong followers of Jesus.
Get Involved!
If you’ve never packed an Operation Christmas Child shoebox, I encourage you to make it a priority this year. It’s an incredible way to disciple your children while making a real impact. Watch our social media this weekend for updates, and I hope you’ll catch the vision of how your family can be part of this life-changing ministry.
PS– It’s hard to believe our first event of the season is happening NEXT WEEK!!! We’ll be gathering in Dayton, OH at the Dayton Convention Center on March 20-22. There’s no better place to be that weekend, so I hope to see you there! You can get full details and tickets by clicking here. Scroll to the end of the email to learn how you can get a ticket to any of our events for FREE.
RESOURCES TO HELP YOU HOMESCHOOL MISSIONALLY
- Teaching the Child, Not the Subject with Dr. Kathy Koch. Discover the secret to making homeschooling more meaningful and effective. Leslie Nunnery and Dr. Kathy Koch discuss the benefits of heart-centered homeschooling, emphasizing how teaching the child, not just the subject, leads to greater academic success and stronger parent-child relationships. Tune in for practical tips, encouragement, and inspiration for your homeschooling journey.
- Friendly Competition Multiplies the impact of Operation Christmas Child around the World. Hear a creative way your family can get involved in Operation Christmas Child as you read about the friendly competition Ava and Sam have in Oklahoma.
- The Power of a Parent’s Impact and a Golden Yoyo— Growing up in a family of 9 kids, Vladimir Prokhnevskiy didn’t get many gifts and food was a luxury. One harsh winter in Kiev, Ukraine, Vlad and his siblings rode a bus and then a tram to get to the church where shoeboxes were handed out. The brightly colored gifts stood out immediately! He was so excited about this gift and time seemed to stand still for a brief moment. The shoebox represented God’s love that heals everything, allowing Vlad and his siblings to forget their struggles for a moment and just feel loved.
