Peru
Peru is located on the western coast of South America. It contains a part of the Amazon rainforest as well as Andes mountains, where the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu is a popular tourist attraction. Samaritan’s Purse began distributing gift-filled shoeboxes there in 1997 and launched The Greatest Journey, our follow-up discipleship program, in this nation in 2010.
Dominican Republic
Located in the Caribbean Sea, the Dominican Republic occupies the eastern side of Hispaniola, the island it shares with Haiti. It is known for its tourism and the merengue dance. Samaritan’s Purse began delivering Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to children here in 1999. Ten years later, we launched The Greatest Journey follow-up discipleship program for shoebox recipients in the nation.
Hard-to-Reach Areas
Your shoebox gift is a critical link to sharing God’s love in a tough place! Whether you built a shoebox online or whether your traditional shoebox gift was selected for this special purpose, it is headed to bring Good News and great joy to a boy or girl in a hard-to-reach area. Customs and cultural or religious reasons can make access difficult, but these gift-filled shoeboxes give local believers a sensitive way to initiate ongoing relationships with those who may not know Christ. The gift you provided helps equip Christian brothers and sisters to take great risks to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are deeply grateful for your partnership. Through your generosity, you are calling out “His praise from the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 42:10)!