Faithfully Ministering to the Next Generation in Peru

Lima, the capital city of Peru, is a vibrant place of ministry for Operation Christmas Child. Decades of ministry has enabled 5 million children to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Operation Christmas Child. Kristy Graham recently traveled to Peru with her husband, Edward, and their kids to witness shoebox distributions and a graduation ceremony for The Greatest Journey. This trip deeply blessed Kristy and her family. She loved witnessing Operation Christmas Child partners, who have grown up in these communities, now equipping the next generation by sharing how God captured their hearts.

At the first outreach event, kids from an indigenous people group—a group originally from Peru's Amazon region—received shoebox gifts for the first time. But before the kids got their boxes, they heard about what Jesus Christ did for them on the cross, which is truly the greatest gift of all. Kelly, who gave the Gospel presentation at the first event, shared Romans 10:9 and asked the kids if they wanted to be friends with Jesus.

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”—Romans 10:9 (ESV)

A short walk away from the school where the first event took place stood a church where children had gathered for the second event. This partnership was formed by Pastor Elfren, who established this church over 10 years ago. Pastor Elfren is making disciples and diligently sharing the Gospel with these indigenous people. It was a joy for him to see kids in his community—the community he grew up in—open shoeboxes filled with soccer balls, dolls, and school supplies.

“I am grateful that I get the opportunity to bless my own community, the Shipibo community, because that's where I was raised.”—Pastor Elfren Dionicio Sanchez

The next day, Kristy and her family went to a third outreach event, and when they arrived the kids were dancing and praising the Lord. Lizbeth, who led worship that morning, is a Sunday school teacher at the church, and she shared how she came to know the Lord five years ago. Lisbeth has a deep passion for sharing the hope of Christ with everyone she meets.

“I love children. I love teaching children. And I want them to be reached, not just them, but also their parents. Today has been really exciting to see all the children opening their boxes with a big smile on their faces.”—Lisbeth Joseline Nunez Galuis

Next, Kristy headed to another church to attend a graduation ceremony for The Greatest Journey, which is a 12-lesson discipleship course that Operation Christmas Child recipients are invited to attend. Dozens of kids in this church community completed The Greatest Journey, and this ceremony was a time of prayer and celebration to encourage these young new believers in their faith. One of our podcast team members, Lauren, got the chance to talk to twin girls about what they learned through this program.

Up a mountain on a winding road, the final outreach event took place. A young man named Elipas gave the Gospel presentation to the kids, and this was special day for them but also for Elipas. He grew up in this same church and 22 years ago, he too received a shoebox gift.

“Being part of this event today has been a privilege, to see all of the children receiving a box. It is necessary to do this. Children are so bombarded by so many other voices all the time. And to be able to share the Word of God with them is so, so extremely important.”—Elipas Tacuri

Join us in praying for the pastors, church partners, and children in Peru. If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit SamaritansPurse.org.