ECUADOR — Romina, a 12-year-old girl in Ecuador, praises God for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift she received filled with colored markers and other delightful surprises. More importantly, she learned about God at the festive outreach event and received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Romina Alejandra Ruiz de Aragon:

My name is Romina Alejandra Ruiz de Aragon. I am 12 years old. And my favorite things to do are draw and cook. One day I was drawing and I wanted some markers, and I asked my mother if she could buy them for me. She said no because she didn’t have the money. Today we received gift boxes, and I felt very excited.

When I opened the box and saw the markers, I was very emotional because I received items that I never had before but now I have them, thanks to God. I learned about God through the box. Today I prayed that Jesus would come into my heart. I am very grateful to everyone, to God and to you all, for bringing me this box.

Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet the needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Through this project, Samaritan’s Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make disciples of the nations.

CONTACT: Kaitlyn Lahm, news@samaritan.org

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