In the vibrant community of Puerto Maldonado, Peru, The Brethren Church is helping change lives in meaningful ways with just 24 shoeboxes. These aren’t just gifts; they’re expressions of God’s love, showing the incredible good that happens when dedicated churches give from their hearts.

Many Brethren Churches in the U.S. enthusiastically support Operation Christmas Child every year. They transform regular shoeboxes into special treasures, filling them with toys, school supplies, clothes, and an abundance of love. Before they’re sent, people in churches pray over each one and ask God to bless the child who receives it.

And God has blessed these prayers, especially through the Church in Puerto Maldonado! For weeks, this dedicated church faithfully worked with children and their families. They led a special program called “The Greatest Journey,” which helps kids and their families learn about Jesus’s love and kindness, hearing His story in a way many had never heard before.

The best part of this journey? The delivery day is a happy celebration at the church, and every child receives their very own shoebox full of toys, crayons, and many fun surprises! Some of these gifts might have even come from a Brethren Church right here in the United States! But the good news doesn’t stop with just one child. It spreads! Each shoebox touches about ten people. How? Many kids joyfully share their gifts and the blessings they received with others in their family and neighborhood. And even more importantly, they share why they got it—the message of Jesus’s love that they learned from the Church in Puerto Maldonado! Z

It is a joy to see how the Church in Puerto Maldonado is part of something so special. They are connecting with families in unique and powerful ways. This is the power of a simple gift! Whether you help pack a shoebox or, like the Church in Puerto Maldonado, you help deliver and teach, your kindness, filled with Christ’s love, can start a chain reaction that changes hearts and communities for a long, long time.

Scott Soden
Coordinator, Brethren Global Partners