Few Canadians would feel comfortable living in the place that Yency calls home.
The 24-year-old Costa Rican woman and her young daughters share 300 square feet in a suburb of San Jose, the country’s capital city. There is one shared bedroom, a small kitchen, one closet, and a bathroom with a broken shower.
As humble as this may sound, Yency is forever grateful to have the space, because she needed some type of home before the government would return her children to her. They were caught in a custody battle caused by another family member’s false accusation of abuse made against Yency’s husband.
How did she make it through that horrible time? “I realized crying wouldn’t get my daughters back. So I decided to walk by faith and live by God’s word. Every Bible verse I read I tried to apply to my life. That’s what kept me going.”
Yency’s still married and her husband continues to support his family, but he’s still not allowed to live at home.
In the midst of this separation, Yency’s children Nailyn, seven, and Angelina, five, received a meaningful expression of God’s love when they received Operation Christmas Child gift-filled shoeboxes packed by Canadians like you.
“These gifts are a blessing for us,” Yency said gratefully. “Sometimes, it’s impossible to buy my children any kind of gift.”
She has a special message for Canadians who pack shoeboxes each year for children like Nailyn and Angelina: “Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re bringing a lot of joy to kids and parents.”
Please donate $12 for every shoebox you prepare. Your donations will help cover project costs, including shipping (make one combined donation for multiple shoeboxes). Consider making an additional donation to help Samaritan's Purse go beyond the shoebox and expand assistance to children, their families, and their communities. Samaritan's Purse does not provide receipts for the value of gift items included in a shoebox.