Joe DeLozier / Missions & Mobilization Pastor
I was having a conversation with someone the other day who has been part of Operation Christmas Child (OCC) for roughly 12 years. The person started as a young child going with their grandma to help pack shoeboxes. It was there that the first seeds were planted that have since blossomed into an ongoing passion to see the ministry of OCC continue to grow, so that more children and their families can receive the good news of hope and new life in Jesus Christ.
I too am eager to see the ministry continue to flourish for the sake of the Gospel and the lives that are being transformed across the world. There’s an amazing statistic which indicates that for every shoebox delivered into the hands of a child, seven to ten other people within their community are being blessed. That one shoebox containing crayons, socks, washcloths, soccer balls, etc. reflects a message that they are being seen by a God who they may not even know yet. Quite often the contents are exactly what they need at that moment and lead to an openness to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, and how He wants to be their forever friend.
Last year, we collected almost 18,000 shoeboxes. That means between 126,000 and 180,000 people would have had the opportunity to hear the Gospel and know the love of Jesus. My hope and prayer is that we will see even more people come to know Jesus through OCC.
If you are interested in serving this year, please go to ehwc.org/serve and choose Operation Christmas Child, or simply click here.
If you are interested in serving in a future leadership role with OCC, please contact me at jdelozier@ehwc.org.