It is a beautiful story, like so many others, of needy children having only the bare essentials in life becoming joyful as they receive OCC shoeboxes! Since the 1990’s, as of 2018, 157,000,000 shoeboxes have been delivered to poor children worldwide! Yes, really, 157 million … with an “M!”
Irina Creek as a 10-year-old received a shoebox of love gifts in the former Soviet Union. Now you can hear her tell her moving and powerful story of having addictive parents that required her being placed in an orphanage. Her father would drink, fight, and be in and out of jail. Her mother, in her addiction, would sometimes be passed out in a ditch near their home.
In her second orphanage, volunteers from Operation Christmas Child (OCC) came to visit … with shoeboxes of love gifts for each child!
You will be so moved as she describes the impact of that visit. Along with receiving a shoebox, in a 15-minute presentation she heard why Jesus Christ came to our world. She received Him by faith and is forever changed!
*And now, in every shoebox there is an age-related booklet titled “The Greatest Gift” (Who is JESUS!) in the child’s own language. (More than 70 languages are utilized.) Also, follow-up materials are ready to help each child grown in their new faith in Jesus! And more from the Samaritans Purse website: “After receiving shoebox gifts, many children are invited back to participate in our discipleship program, The Greatest Journey. Through this 12-lesson course, which includes Bible stories and Scripture memorization, they learn how to follow Christ in their daily lives as they share Him with friends and family. More than 14.9 million children have enrolled in this program since 2009.”
Humor is not to be overlooked. Among the gifts in her shoebox was a toy dinosaur, bringing a bit of a “letdown” when she saw a hole in it. It took others to take a pencil, place it in the hole, and sharpen a pencil. She had never seen a pencil sharpener before!
In the studio at the time were other guests: Linda Morgan, a 10-year OCC volunteer from Dexter, MO, now OCC staff member of the lower Midwest region (introduced on the recording); Joe Christian and Scott Luhring, staff members of Samaritans Purse, sponsors of Operation Christmas Child.
Irina so longed to be adopted that she, early on, prayed to God about it. She realized that God was a God of adoption. God’s answer was that she and her younger sister were both adopted by a South Carolina family. Now she is a wife of a fine man and the mother of a precious little child.
To learn more, click on … https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/ and https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/. (Times indicated for drop off on website.)
{Late breaking news: on the first day of 2018 OCC Collection Week, St. Louis City and County Area Coordinator Vicki Stamps just told me that 6,000 shoeboxes were submitted … just in her area!)
Enjoy Irina Creek’s story … in her own words.
Links to Related Operation Christmas Child … wonderfully inspirational Stories …
Take your pick …
To hear … “Romanian Andy Bollinger & Russian Elena Hagemeir; received a Christmas shoebox; changed them forever” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2011/10/28/romanian-andy-bollinger-received-a-christmas-shoebox-changed-them-forever/
To hear … “Operation Christmas Child leader Vicki Stamps: “Shoebox Collection is always 3rd week in November” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2018/11/12/operation-christmas-child-leader-vicki-stamps-shoebox-collection-is-always-3rdnd-week-in-november/
To hear … “Karen Banegas at 10, given OCC shoebox in Honduras; Vicki Stamps invites more volunteers to OCC joy” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2014/09/07/karen-banegas-at-10-given-occ-shoebox-in-honduras-vicki-stamps-invites-more-volunteers-to-occ-joy/
To hear … “Alex of Rwanda saw family murdered; in orphanage given OCC shoebox, received Jesus, forgave killer” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2013/11/17/alex-of-rwanda-saw-family-murdered-in-orphanage-given-occ-shoebox-received-jesus-forgave-killer
To hear … “Appalachia’s Mary Damron loves poor children; voice of Franklin Graham’s Operation Christmas Child” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2010/10/26/appalachias-mary-damron-loves-poor-children-voice-of-franklin-grahams-operation-christmas-child/
To hear … “Mariya of Ukraine, 10, received OCC shoebox of love gifts; her life impacted forever! Hear her story” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2016/09/23/mariya-of-ukraine-10-received-occ-shoebox-of-love-gifts-her-life-impacted-forever-hear-her-story/
To hear … “Shoebox gifts to needy children worldwide: Linda Logsdon, Jim McCaughan, Russian twins report impact” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2012/11/08/shoebox-gifts-to-needy-children-worldwide-linda-logsdon-jim-mccaughan-russian-twins-report-impact/
To hear … “Vicki Stamps, OCC volunteers visit Rwanda, distribute to excited children shoeboxes of gifts, love” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2017/08/05/vicki-stamps-occ-volunteers-visit-rwanda-distribute-excited-children-shoeboxes-gifts-love/ ‘
And to hear … “Alex of Rwanda survived war, received OCC shoebox, visits St. Louis w/ message of love & forgiveness”… click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2016/04/15/alex-of-rwanda-survived-war-received-occ-shoebox-visits-st-louis-w-message-of-love-forgiveness/.
To hear … “Joe Christian re joys of sharing OCC shoeboxes of love gifts and Jesus to poor children worldwide” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2014/11/11/joe-christian-re-joys-of-sharing-occ-shoeboxes-of-love-gifts-and-jesus-to-poor-children-worldwide/
To hear … “Janet Howard: ‘100 million shoeboxes of gifts sent to poor children worldwide! Will you help us?’ ” [As of 2018, the number of shoeboxes sent to needy children worldwide is 157,000,000 … as in million!]… click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2013/08/31/janet-howard-100-million-shoeboxes-of-gifts-sent-to-poor-children-worldwide-will-you-help-us/
To hear … “Linda Logsdon, Kim Smith; urge OCC shoeboxes for www.samaritanspurse.org, needy children worldwide” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2010/11/05/linda-logsdon-kim-smith-urge-occ-shoe-boxes-for-www-samaritanspurse-org-needy-children-worldwide/ .