Was your box one of the 1,773 shoebox gifts donated last fall to Operation Christmas Child? It might seem a long time ago that the members and students of St. John’s church and school gathered together items such as school supplies, small games, dolls, candy, grooming items, and books, and put them into red and green shoeboxes, to be sent to children a world away. That little kindness before the Christmas season may even have slipped our minds as we continued with the busyness that fills all our lives here in Orange County.

For the children in Peru, Guyana, the Philippines, or living in numerous other countries, who received a shoebox at Christmas, that event is certainly not a distant memory. Such a simple gesture is held in the heart and memories of those children for a very long time – years, in some cases!

One of the great joys of participating in this ministry is the potential for a thank you from the child, or village, which received your gift. A participant who donated filled shoeboxes to the program last year was thrilled to receive the following note, months after she donated her shoebox:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you very much for the gifts you have given to our less fortunate children. How happy they are when they open their gifts.

Our Pastor Benny Castalla wants to thank you also. I am sister Lene Grace who handles the children’s Sunday School. Our church name is “Turn to Jesus Christian Ministry International”. Most of our church members are poor families. They are very eager to know more about Jesus who is our redeemer and savior. Little by little we taught them how to pray, to give thanks to the Lord, and to praise and worship God.

Thank you very much and God bless you all,

Your sister in Christ,
Lene Grace H. Castalla
Philippines

What a far-reaching impact our congregation in Orange, California had this year. Through these simple gifts, the lives of children around the world were touched!

St. John's school and church will once again support Operation Christmas Child this fall. If you are one of the many parents who will be purchasing school supplies for your child(ren) this August, please remember those children around the world who will be blessed by this outreach. Take advantage of the special 'back to school' prices and select items to fill your shoebox(es) for Operation Christmas Child! Pens, pencils, crayons, markers, rulers, pencil sharpeners and notebooks are all great items to add to a shoebox gift.