With the hurricane devastation in the Carolinas and the terrible earthquakes and tsunami in Indonesia, I thought of the children affected by these tragedies. Losing their homes and, in many cases, their families, they face a very bleak Christmas in just a few weeks.

This is where Operation Christmas Child will be going, as well as to more than 130 other countries with shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies and personal items.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Since starting with 28,000 boxes in 1993, they have now collected and distributed more than 157 million to more than 150 countries, including the USA.

Each child receives “The Greatest Gift” booklet in the child’s language telling of God’s gift of Jesus. They will be invited to take a 12-week discipleship course. After completing the course, they will be presented with a diploma and New Testament Bible. Last year, 2.7 million children completed the course and 1.9 million made decisions for Christ. Many villages that once banned churches and practiced witchcraft have now turned to Christianity and built churches, all because of shoeboxes coming with the message of Jesus’ love. Your box makes a difference.

Boxes need to be delivered to Trinity Lutheran Church at Fountain Hills Blvd. and Palisades Blvd. Monday, Nov. 13, through Monday, Nov. 20.

Get your church, your family, friends and social groups involved in this wonderful outreach to children all over the world. Let’s make a difference in a child’s life.