Franklin Graham spent a whirlwind weekend in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as he gave out Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts.
On Saturday morning, 70 children gathered for an Operation Christmas Child outreach event. Local church leaders presented the Gospel in Mongolian.
Franklin Graham did the 1-2-3 countdown before the children opened their gift boxes. He told the boys and girls: “Do you know God loves you? And you’re very special to Him. So we’re giving you a gift in God’s Name. So this comes from Him.”
As the children sat in attention listening to the Gospel presentation, you wouldn’t know by looking at them that for almost a third of them, their lives hung in the balance not long before. Faces that had once been blue with lack of oxygen now lit up with ruddy joy when they opened their shoebox gift full of toys, school supplies, and personal care items.
For 12-year-old Erdembayar, who received heart surgery in South Carolina in 2019, the shoebox gift reminded him of God’s great care for him. He had accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord after studying The Greatest Journey discipleship workbook during his recovery in the States. Now back in Mongolia, he and his mother attend church faithfully. They had traveled 12 hours from their home in Dornod province to be at the events with Franklin Graham.
Erdembayar said of his shoebox, “This is a gift from God. It’s a way of God saying He loves me.”
Since 1993, we have given more than 198 million Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to children as a tangible expression of God’s love. Nearly 900,000 of these gifts have been distributed in Mongolia. National Collection Week 2022 is coming: Nov. 14-20. You can pack a shoebox!
Franklin Graham also led an evangelistic festival in Mongolia’s capital this weekend through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
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.