Operation Christmas Child: Packing a Gift That Lasts

As the holiday season approaches, Kristy Graham digs into the intentionality behind one of the most well-known ministries of Samaritan’s Purse: Operation Christmas Child. And after sitting down with Operation Christmas Child staff members, Kristy and the podcast team head to the store to pick out special items for shoeboxes.

The episode begins with a behind-the-scenes shopping trip to Hobby Lobby, where Kristy describes the thought process behind the items.

Then Hannah Bolvi, development manager of The Greatest Journey discipleship program, explains some of the best items to pack. She begins by sharing that the most important thing to include in a shoebox gift can’t be found in a store.

Kristy and Hannah continue the conversation by talking about the supernatural ways God has directed shoebox gifts to bless children in specific ways they need it most.

“Having the opportunity to go internationally, see children receive boxes time and time and time again, you just look at a child that receives the perfect box and you know that this is not something that man did. God did this.” —Hannah Bolvi

Next, Kristy speaks with Bill Pfister, Samaritan’s Purse assistant director of field ministries. Bill shares how the quality of the gifts actually open a door to the Gospel. He shares incredible stories of salvation in families that might otherwise not have ever heard about Jesus.

“It's so much more beyond the school supplies, and the soccer balls, and the dolls. It is giving our church partners around the world an opportunity to share Christ...It's knocking down doors, and barriers to the Gospel, in some of the hardest-to-reach places on earth today.” —Bill Pfister

Kristy and Hannah debunk misconceptions about shoebox distributions as they describe the process and partnership with local churches. Samaritan’s Purse trains local believers to share the Gospel with children through The Greatest Journey discipleship program.

After receiving a shoebox, each child has the opportunity to learn more about Jesus in this 12-lesson program taught by a believer in their community. The curriculum is in their own language, and accessible across diverse cultures.

“Only God can change hearts. But what is so clear is that He really has blessed this program to get into hard-to-reach areas of the world.” —Kristy Graham

Then Kristy hears from Bill about the community-wide impact of these gift-filled shoeboxes. Last year alone, there were nearly 1,000 churches planted through Operation Christmas Child gifts and The Greatest Journey. Bill shares another story of a pastor who was able to open a church in an area that previously didn’t have one through partnership with Operation Christmas Child.

Finally, Kristy closes with information about the 2022 National Collection Week and ways to pray.

This year, Samaritan’s Purse is collecting shoeboxes at churches around the nation Nov. 14-21. You can visit our website to find a drop-off location near you.