More Operation Christmas Child Stories from the Philippines

OCC Philippines
Thirty-four percent of the Philippines’ 103.7 million people are 14-years-old or younger. In the 2012-2013 season, 462,136 shoe box gifts will be delivered to children in the Philippines, which first received the gifts in 1998. Since then, 2,234,322 children in the Philippines have received a shoe box gift.

"I am Mency, 8 years of age. Thank you for the shoes and socks that I received. Please know that there is a hole in the sole of my shoes that I was using every day. I prayed that Jesus will replace my worn out shoes. I was overjoyed when I opened the gifts box, I found a beautiful pair of shoes that fit exactly to my feet. Not only that, it also contained socks, toys, etc. Thank you very much, you make me so happy."

 "I'm Clearry, 5-years-old. It's my long desire to have a whistle, since my mother always told me to call my father in to the farm during meal time. I thank God, because I received a whistle that looks like the head of a duck. Now I have something to use to call my father."

Twin girls arrived a shoe box gift distribution in the Philippines. They stood in line to receive their gifts, which were being distributed according to age and gender but had not been opened since being shipped from the United States. When the girls opened their boxes, the items in them were identical and letters inside the two boxes explained that they had been packed by twin girls in the U.S.!

A Gesture of God's Love and Grace "I am the mother of Lance and Christina Mae. Our family belongs to a very low income through farming. It is difficult for us to provide all the needs of our two kids. But being a Christian, we just trusted God. With the help of our pastor, we were linked up with the Samaritan's Purse OCC program. My children were blessed with the shoe box gifts. The contents provided their school supplies, recreational and own personal necessities. May the Lord return a hundred-fold blessing to the donor whom God used as channel. It is truly a gesture of God’s love and grace toward needy people like us. Thanks to all the people who are involved in the OCC program."

The below is a story I have shared now with people in the area before... and love to share. Our God is in every detail!

A boy in a cancer ward at a hospital in Manila, Philippines had his right leg amputated. He got a shoe box with shoes in it. The volunteers were sad that he got shoes that he couldn’t fully use, but they continued giving boxes to the other children in the ward. The boy in the next bed had his left leg amputated. He got socks in his box. So the two boys were able to share—each got one sock and one shoe!