Blessings in a Shoebox

We are less than one month away from one of my favorite times of the year – Operation Christmas Child (OCC) shoebox season!

This year, OCC’s National Collection Week is November 17-24.

And there is no better time than the present to start praying, planning, and packing.

Samaritan’s Purse, the ministry that hosts OCC, reports that “Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 232 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories.”

The ministry also shared that last year it “collected 11.9 million shoebox gifts globally.”

Since I was a little girl, my family and I have loved contributing to the OCC shoebox collection.

As young children, my siblings and I used to save our shoeboxes throughout the year (before we knew of the fabulous, sturdy OCC-branded boxes), excitedly planning for the Christmas shoebox season. When it came time to fill those boxes, my mom would load us up, and we would head to the store to pick out trinkets, toys, notepads, and whatever else we thought another child around the world might enjoy receiving.

In adulthood, when I started dating my now-husband, each November we would plan special date nights that would include shopping for and packing these gifts to send around the globe. The Christmas after our wedding, we also volunteered at a processing center and saw another side of this amazing ministry in action.

But this OCC year is extra special for our family. For the first time, we will be packing a box for our one-year-old child to send and starting our family’s next generation of shoebox packing memories.

I can’t wait!

Each year, we begin praying about what the Lord would have us include in these special boxes. A few of our favorite items to pack have always been water bottles, solar-powered hand-crank radios, school supplies (including a pencil sharpener), a multi-pack of toothbrushes, small toys, and even a picture of us with a note telling the recipient how we’re praying for them and their family.

However, as we finish up our shoebox shopping for 2025, I can’t help but think about the little boys and girls who will receive their gifts this season – as well as their moms and dads.

Now a parent myself, I understand the universal feeling that most parents have when it comes to getting their little one the thing that their young heart desires. Even if it means that moms and dads go without, they will try their hardest to ensure their children receive the gifts they like.

From some of the shoebox stories I have heard, I understand that in many of these locations, Christmas gift shopping isn’t always possible, making these shoeboxes meaningful to the recipients and their families.

Today, as I think about these 2025 shoebox moms and dads, I can’t help but offer a prayer up for them as well.

Maybe these parents prayed for gifts for their children.

Maybe their household was lost or some unforeseen tragedy affected their family, and they just “wished” they could find a way to give their child a tangible gift.

Then, the Lord’s sovereign plan entered their lives through a shoebox.

Instead of only receiving a stuffed animal or toys, their children also heard the gospel preached through OCC’s The Greatest Journey 12-week discipleship program.

They learned about a man named Jesus who came to save every lost person.

As we near National Collection Week (November 17-24), I hope that you would also add the families, giftbox recipients, and OCC teams to your prayers. Hopefully, these small boxes will bless everyone involved with the greatest gift of all time – the hope of the gospel.

In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive,’ (Acts 20:35).

If you have never joined in an OCC drive, there is no better time to start. For gift packing ideas, click here, and for more information on other ways that you can get involved, visit Samaritan’s Purse OCC webpage.

Editor’s note: The graphic is courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse.

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