Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers gift- filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year. For years, Littlefieldfamilies have packed shoebox gifts for boys and girls around the world. One of these gifts reached Kimheang Vance in Cambodia when she was a young girl. Vance is now visiting Littlefield†residents to share how the simple gift had a life-changing impact. Vance will be telling her story to local groups and churches. She wants to encourage residents as they kick off the upcoming collection season to fill more shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and personal care items—contributing to the global goal of reaching 12 million children in Jesus’ Name.
Event Details
• Friday, August 23 at 10 a.m. First Baptist Church ( 108 FM303, Sudan, TX 79371) Growing up in Cambodia, Vance’s family didn’t have enough food to eat, so she and her siblings worked hard on their family farm. Vance walked an hour each way to school, even though her parents hadn’t been able to afford school supplies.
At 14, Vance was invited to a Christmas celebration at a house church. She was excited to come because the church offered food. There, she received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. Inside were the school supplies she needed. She also received a colorful booklet called The Greatest Gift explaining the story of Jesus Christ.
This simple gift opened the door to meeting not just her physical needs, but her spiritual needs as well.
During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week Nov. 18 through 25, Littlefieldresidents can bring giftfilled shoeboxes to multiple dropoff locations across the area to be announced in late October. For more information, call 817-5952230, or visit samaritanspurse.org/ occ. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/ buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement. Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, seeks to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 220 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.