On the Youth Ministry Garage, we’ve partnered with some exciting ministries who help us with the cost of the podcast so we can keep doing it for free. One of our newest partners that we’re very excited about is Operation Christmas Child.

This is a great ministry! When my children were little, they loved filling the shoeboxes around Christmas time and it was a great opportunity to help them learn a bigger world view. After seeing it work with my own children, I moved it into our youth group, where it remained a staple project for many years.

As you know, so many children around the world live in extreme poverty and recieving a shoebox filled with gifts is often the only gift they’ll ever get for their entire year. This very simple project from Samaritan’s Purse is really offering children of the world a “cup of cold water” by helping with school supplies, shoes, and other basic necessities.

One of the things I really like about this program is that, after the shoe box gift, children have the opportunity to participate in a discipleship program called The Greatest Journey. This is a 12-lesson discipleship program that further strengthens their walk with Jesus. Each lesson is taught by a local teacher, some of whom received shoe-boxes when they were children, and takes a deeper look at Scripture and how to walk with the Lord daily. The Greatest Journey moves youth from a real, tangible gift, to a Christ-follower who is active in their faith and even sharing that faith with friends and family. To find out more about The Greatest Journey and how you can help get your teenagers and families easily activated, click here.

Question: What has been your experience with Operation Christmas Child? Share it here.

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