Does Prayer Matter?

Anabel grew up in the Dominican Republic in a family of faith, who raised her and her siblings to believe in the power of prayer. There was no extra money for Christmas presents in her household, but one year, shortly after the December holiday, God answered Anabel’s prayers for a gift.

Anabel and kids from her community gathered in her church and watched a puppet show about Jesus. Then, each child received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. Anabel’s box was filled with shiny hair accessories, notebooks, and other toys. But the items that stood out to Anabel were a letter and two photos from the people who packed the shoebox gift.

“But the most important item--I still have it until today—was the letter and the two pictures. … I did not understand the letter. I did not speak the language back then, but I did understand the word love at the end of the letter, and for me, that was enough to know that God touched this family to show His love for me.”—Anabel Rosario Fermin

The shoebox gift and the letter inside it were an answer to Anabel’s prayers. A few years after Anabel received her shoebox there was a huge car accident, which resulted in Anabel’s mother, father, and oldest sister passing away. Though Anabel was shocked and heartbroken by these losses, she was able to look back on answered prayers throughout her life—including her shoebox gift—and remind herself of God’s faithfulness.

“And when I was going through that process of healing, God reminded me, ‘Hey Ana, when you were a little girl, I answered your prayer with a simple gift. I will continue showing My love to you.’ And that really kept me going in life.”—Anabel Rosario Fermin

Kristy asked Anabel how shoebox packers can pray for the children who will go on to receive these tangible examples of God’s love for them. Anabel emphasized how important it is to pray for these kids’ futures, for the times in life when they encounter hardship. It is her hope that these shoeboxes gifts serve as a reminder that children are never alone. Some items that Anabel always includes in her shoeboxes are toothbrushes, dolls, soccer balls, hair accessories, and of course, a photo and a letter.

A portion of Scripture that Anabel carries in her heart is Psalm 121. Whenever she faces hardship, this Psalm reminds her that God has a purpose and, He can take pain and turn it into something beautiful. The Lord can sustain anyone through the trials.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”—Psalm 121:1-2, NIV

Join us as we begin praying for the 2025 Operation Christmas Child season! Pray that God would prepare children’s hearts to receive His Word. If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit SamaritansPurse.org.