Moldova
Many shoebox gifts packed in the UK are now bringing joy to children living in Moldova!
Location:
Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania
Population:
3,250,532, with 18% under the age of 15 (source – CIA The World Factbook)
Flag:
We thank God for the thousands of children who have received shoeboxes here since Operation Christmas Child began outreach events. While we are not able to provide pictures or information on the specific child who received your individual shoebox, we hope you will be inspired by the photos and stories below.
Children Receiving Shoebox Gifts In Moldova
This girl loved her new teddy!
Happy scenes from Moldova!
This girl was delighted to receive a teddy, knitted hat, school supplies and more inside her shoebox gift.
This sweet pair show their favourite items.
This little girl was delighted with her new notebook
This teenage girl was beamed as she received her shoebox gift.
Ana's Shoebox
Meet Ana! She is from a village in Moldova where there is extreme poverty. Ana had been wanting a baby doll, mentioning it many times around her house. Recently, when shoebox gifts were distributed in her area, Ana opened the lid to find the exact baby doll she had been longing for! Surprised, she picked up the doll and hugged it tight to her chest.
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Reaching Out To Local Schools
One local partner shared:
“During the Christmas holidays, we held two outreach events with children and teachers from a local school. At the events there was a children's choir and a Christmas musical production. There were 71 children at the first event and 60 at the second. Many of these children were keen to come back for The Greatest Journey Bible lessons. They came with their parents and heard the Good News of Jesus the Saviour. Thank you Samaritan's Purse for the service you perform. May the Lord bless you.”
Sisters Receive Shoebox Gifts Together
When Alice and Elina opened their shoebox gifts they were delighted with what they saw inside. Alice loved the beautiful hat, special pencil and everything else inside the gift.
Elina so enjoyed the outreach event that she decided she wanted to come along to their youth group too.
Shoeboxes for Refugee Families
Local church partners have distributed many shoebox gifts to children who have fled from Ukraine. They have shared about a few such outreach events below:
"There was an indescribable joy for the children of Ukraine who received these gifts from Samaritan’s Purse. I asked them if they had received such gifts before, and they all said that it was the first time they had seen and received such gifts. Glory to God that we can bring encouragement and joy in these times to those who are so desperate and need our help."
"We hosted over 60 children from Ukraine. Each one of them received a special gift and heard of God’s boundless love. We enjoyed being able to bring smiles to their faces, as at least for a moment they forgot about the pain. Thank you for these gifts full of beautiful surprises. What an honour to be a blessing to others."
"Every Ukrainian refugee child that has stayed at our partner church in Moldova during the past two weeks has been given an Operation Christmas Child shoebox of toys and other supplies. Giving the children the shoebox gifts helps calm the stress and anxiety of the parents and the kids. It shows them love and gives the kids and parents something to smile about. The children receive new toys and can play with the other refugee children staying there too. It helps create a happier environment and lets them forget the trauma of their circumstances for a little while. Thank you to Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child for this incredible ministry tool. Once parents and their children are in a safe, warm shelter, and have a good meal, and the children are settled with their shoeboxes, our church partners can share Jesus’ love with them."
"Our Operation Christmas Child ministry partners have been supporting refugees at a church centre. About 60 refugees are staying there. We visited to support and encourage them and saw the beautiful work being done there."
"Greetings, this is our first time participating in this project and we want to express our gratitude. We held two outreach events for around 80 children. There was a fun programme of games, delicious food, performances by children, a word about the true meaning of Christmas and the distribution of gifts.
The children were very happy about the gifts and their contents. For one child receiving a sports bottle brought great happiness, while for another it was the sewing kit.
We also had the opportunity to meet some parents and subsequently invited the children to The Greatest Journey. Thank you very much for this opportunity. God bless you."
An outreach event at a school for deaf and hearing impaired children
An outreach event at a school for deaf and hearing impaired children
An outreach event with a Taekwondo group
An outreach event with a Taekwondo group
The Greatest Journey
Each shoebox gift delivered by Operation Christmas Child is a tangible expression of God’s amazing love. But a shoebox is just the beginning. After receiving a shoebox gift, children have the opportunity to enrol in The Greatest Journey – 12 fun and interactive Bible lessons, where they get the chance to discover who Jesus is and how to begin their own journey of faith. At the end of the course they get to experience a graduation ceremony where they receive a New Testament in their own language.
Our Wider Work In This Location
Samaritan’s Purse has also been supporting Ukrainian refugees in Moldova through providing medical care, hygiene kits, food supplies, and other items.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for packing a shoebox gift and sending love and hope to a child in need. Your generosity makes such a difference!
