Where Our Shoeboxes Are Going ~ Impact Stories

Recently I have been sharing about some of the places OUR shoeboxes are going... from here in the Klamath Area of Oregon: the Philippines, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru, and Panama.

Today I thought I would share some more impact stories from these nations... to encourage you to continue to pray for our shoeboxes as they go forth and for the precious children who will receive them. Our God is a mighty God who does AWESOME things through simple shoeboxes!

Peru, 2010: I Found Out That Jesus Could Heal Me

God worked on my health during the days the Bible School took place during the summer at my church. I really wanted to be there but I was hospitalized because of a kidney disease and urinating blood. My teacher brought me a shoe box to the hospital. My sadness became joy and hope when I found out that Jesus could heal me. They prayed for me and a week later God worked in my body and I wasn’t bleeding anymore. I left the hospital and came back to the church just in time to start the discipleship program. Now I’m graduated and I feel happy because God healed me and now I can witness to my friends.

Antonio Huamani Hechacaya, 8 years old

Mongolia 2008 - Children of prison inmates

Shoe box gifts were delivered to the children of prison inmates in March. These expressions of love touched the hearts of more than just the children and the prisoners. Some of the guards asked if boxes could be given to their children too. The Operation Christmas Child staff returned later to distribute boxes to the sons and daughters of the prison guards. They told the children about God’s greatest gift, Jesus Christ, and taught them worship songs.
Hearing the Gospel convicted the guards of their own need for a Savior. “At first we thought this was good for the prisoners. They have done wrong. We didn’t think we needed to hear the message,” said one guard. “Now we want to know more about Jesus. We realize that we are sinners too.”

Philippines 2008 - Praying for a watch

“Before the gift distribution, we were asked to pray to God for things that we wanted to receive. I prayed hard that God will give me a watch. When I opened my gift I was so happy to find a watch inside, I can not afford to buy a watch, and God gave me one. Jesus loves me so much, Jesus loves our barangay, we are very far from the city, but Jesus loves me, he gave me a special box in spite of the many children who received a shoebox, Jesus gave the watch to me. He is so good. I am also very happy to have received 4 pairs of socks because my sock is old. When I received my gift I remembered my attitude towards my parents , I have not always been a good boy, but now I will respect my parents and ask for forgiveness to Jesus and be good boy”.

- John Rhey Suaverdez, 12 yrs old (Open Bible Christian Church, Casiguran Aurora)

Panama, 2008 - A child that was blessed in a special way

“Even though it is a little sad, there are fruits in it,” says Pastor Marcelino Gallardo. A 12 year-old kid, José, assisted an event in Marcelino’s church with his sister. Days later he gets sick and dies, but he had accepted Christ while in the church event. Now, his parents, even though they are going through pain, found relief in Christ and are now assist the same church.

Nepal 2010: a very poor village

There is a place named Shergunj and there live a people who are low in caste and very poor who have problems to feed their children and family, it’s a very poor village where there are no school and proper facility. When Samaritan's gifts were distributed in this place they all got very happy and some of the families even told that they have never received such beautiful gifts and had never been expect to get such gifts in the area that they live. They are very much thankful to whole the team of Samaritan's Purse. This distribution have made people of Shergunj very happy and have raised good feelings and made these people very friendly and open to the members of church by near. And now some of families are trying to learn about what is Christianity. And this gifts have created a positive response to all that even though they are lower caste people still there is God to look after them.