31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 19

Today will you pray that Operation Christmas Child will continue to be a strong support to the missions and outreach programs of U.S. churches.  The work of missionaries is so important.   God may not call each of us to go to foreign soil to become a missionary but each one of us has a job that God calls us to do.  We must be faithful to obey.  Taking part in OCC is one way we can help spread The Good News of Jesus Christ to lost people around the world.  In our 30 Days of Prayer and Fasting for International Missions on Day 28 part of our email said: 

Luke 10:2 provides an example of Jesus calling for more laborers: “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” (See also Matthew 9:37, 38)
Any of us who have hoed weeds in fields of cotton, peanuts, or corn know just how hard that work is. The more workers in the field, the more work accomplished in a shorter amount of time.
Remember:
2.6 billion people do not have religious freedom.
Of the 6,468 languages spoken in the world today 4,024 do not have a complete Bible.
22 countries absolutely forbid preaching the gospel.
4 billion people without a gospel witness.
6,600 unreached people groups dot the fields.
These facts paint a picture of a huge field in desperate need of laborers!

Pray God will raise up an army of laborers who will go into the fields of the world to plant, water, and harvest for His glory.

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 18

I can't believe it is already November and National Collection Week is 2 ONLY weeks away!!!! Today will you join us in praying for those packing shoebox gifts to be blessed and know the love of Christ.  Not everyone that packs a shoebox gift is part of a church or a Christian.  Some participate just because it is a good ministry they want to support.  Pray for the people packing shoeboxes today and for the upcoming Shoebox Packing Parties that will be happening everywhere! When you pack a shoebox post a photo on social media with the hashtag #ipackedashoebox and see who all is participating this year!

 

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 17

Pray for the National Leadership Teams to be granted tax-free importation of shoebox gifts from their governments. Our 2015 OCC goal is 11 million shoeboxes to be delivered in over 100 countries!

Many children who live in nations that are difficult to reach with the Gospel are able to hear about Jesus Christ through specially packed shoebox gifts designated for restricted areas. In hard-to-reach areas, these shoeboxes provide a platform for local believers to share Christ in a safe and culturally sensitive way, and allow ease of entry through customs.

Shoebox gifts collected in the United States in 2014 were delivered to 425,000 children living in restricted areas in 14 countries. Many of these were shoeboxes that were built online. (You can built a shoebox online for $25). For the safety of our ministry partners living in these restricted areas, we cannot divulge the names of the countries.

One of our international representatives described the power of these simple gifts:

“In the very restricted environments, we can’t have local believers out being vocal about their faith. A shoebox becomes a key to a closed door. I desire to be involved in the work of love. In the remote areas where people have nothing, where people are dirt poor, this box gives them hope. This is love. True love. This opens the eyes of the people. Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light that leads to life (John 8:12).’ Through Operation Christmas Child, God has given us the opportunity to penetrate the darkest places in this world and share the Gospel.”

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 16

Pray for safety of  the volunteers who will be working in over 4,000 Collection & Relay Centers around the country. Click the link to find a drop-off location near you!
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/drop-off-locations/

A Special Delivery…Wrapped in Love...

God is in the delivery business––always has been and always will be. In the Bible, the word deliver has rich and varied significance. A primary meaning is “to rescue, save, or draw out” and “to snatch or drag out of danger.” We need to be delivered because we are powerless to save ourselves. Jesus is our Rescuer, our Savior. In extravagant love, the Father sent His Son to deliver us from the darkness and dead-end ways of sin and transfer us into the Kingdom of light and liberty. This eternal transaction is true for all who receive His gracious offer of life and salvation. Deliver also carries the idea of making an announcement or handing over a message. Amazingly, God has invited us to help share the Good News. Through Operation Christmas Child, we have the privilege of delivering this wonderful message to children and their families. The gift-filled boxes that volunteers handle in the Relay, Collection and Processing Centers will find their way around the world and provide an opportunity for children to hear and respond to the life-changing proclamation of God’s love. 

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love.” Colossians 1:13, NKJV 

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 15

Pray for the children participating in The Greatest Journey discipleship program to have a clear understanding of what it means to have a relationship with Christ as well as how to share what they have learned and experienced with others.  Two children every minute accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior because of The Greatest Journey! 

The Greatest Journey - Haiti

The Greatest Journey - Panama

The Greatest Journey is an exciting discipleship program that teaches children to become faithful followers of Christ. The program is offered to children who have received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.

Did you know that last year, over 209,000 children learned about Jesus Christ through the Bible study offered to children and their families after we distributed gift-filled shoeboxes in their communities?

This Bible study is called The Greatest Journey, and it is offered freely to children by local churches in the days following a shoebox distribution event, provided we have their parents’ or guardians’ approval, and permission from local authorities.

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 14

Today pray for the 2015 Call to Prayer during National Collection Week to engage as many as possible to pray for Operation Christmas Child.  Sign up for the 2015 Call to Prayer!

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18, NASB)

Your prayers are essential to the work of Operation Christmas Child. Our goal this year is to collect 11 million shoebox gifts from the United States and nine other countries. During National Collection Week, Nov. 16-23, we will pray for the people packing the boxes, the volunteers who will be collecting, processing, and delivering the gifts, and for the children receiving them.

Please sign up at

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/call-to-prayer/  

by selecting the dates and times you would like to pray, and your location will be added to the map where you can see where others around the world are joining you in prayer. You may choose as many dates and time slots as you like. Please make sure you see the specific prayer requests for each day, below: Please email occprayer@samaritan.org with questions. 

Please remember the following requests while you pray for Operation Christmas Child during your chosen time slot(s). 

Monday, November 16 - Ask God to bless the volunteers who serve to collect, process, transport, and deliver shoebox gifts around the world.
Tuesday, November 17 - Pray that the Lord will use Operation Christmas Child to bring joy to boys and girls who face difficult circumstances such as poverty, disease, famine, and war.
Wednesday, November 18 - Pray that every child who receives a shoebox gift will be open to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thursday, November 19 - Pray that every girl and boy who receives a shoebox will experience God’s unconditional love through the gifts.
Friday, November 20 - Pray that the children who enroll in The Greatest Journey follow-up discipleship program will come to faith in Jesus, and share the Good News with their friends and family.
Saturday, November 21 - Pray for the safety of Operation Christmas Child volunteers who are serving in areas of the world that may be hostile toward Christians.
Sunday, November 22 - Thank God for blessing Operation Christmas Child with more than 124 million shoebox gifts over the past 22 years. Pray that millions more children will experience the love of Jesus Christ through these simple gifts.
Monday, November 23 - Pray for the seamless transportation of the shoebox gifts as they are transferred from local drop-off sites to regional Processing Centers.

FOR MORE PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES: click to join the Operation Christmas Child Prayer Network 

31 Days of Prayer for Operation Christmas Child - Day 13

Today pray for the safety of Operation Christmas Child staff as they travel to the Processing Centers to serve this season.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, is the world’s largest Christmas outreach of its kind. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to over 124 million children affected by war, poverty, natural disasters, and other crises in more than 150 countries and territories. We partner with local churches to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who receive shoebox gifts and offer a 12-lesson discipleship program, The Greatest Journey, that helps boys and girls learn what it means to follow the Lord and share their faith with others.

O Father,

You are always there,

For your love reaches everywhere.

Above the clouds,

Beneath the sea,

I know your hand will cover me.

Through the darkened starry night.

Again at dawn when all is bright.

Upon the heavens, or over bridges,

Deepest valleys, rocky ridges.

You beside me, o so close,

Knowing when I need you most.

Through different lands of war or peace,

Where suffering stirs or riches twist

I choose to walk the path you tread.

And carry your wisdom where I'm led.

To leave your love in every place

I rest my head or dine or wait.

You keep me safe, watch over me.

I choose to put my trust in thee.

"Travellers Prayer" by Julie Palmer

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him." Psalm 91:14-15