The Operation Christmas Child outreach has opened up opportunities to work in other places initially reluctant to welcome Christians. Some of these once-closed-off villages now invite Christians to host outreach events and teach The Greatest Journey lessons.
A Channel for Reaching Communities With the Gospel
“This has served as a channel through which we can reach other communities,” Pastor Dean said, recounting a recent Gospel outreach in a neighboring village. “There are many things that the gift boxes are allowing us to do that would never have happened otherwise.”
Pastor Dean and other local leaders pray that these connections will lead to opportunities to meet other needs, such as providing school, medical care, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programs to impoverished areas.
“We have been closed out for almost 100 years from some of these communities, and now we are receiving invitations,” he said. “They have gone from ‘No, we don’t need anything from you’ to ‘Can you come? Can you come now?’ Because they are realizing that there are no strings attached and that our God is a God of love.”
