Thanks to the support of many Forks churches, this year’s Operation Christmas Child was another heart-warming success. A total of 736 shoeboxes filled with gifts and a Gospel tract were recently shipped to Port Angeles—their first stop on a journey to children around the world.

Many of these children have never received a Christmas present, and the impact continues to be remarkable. Since 1970, more than 220 million children in over 170 countries have received shoebox gifts and heard the Gospel.

The Congregational Church hosted a multi-church packing effort, and for the third year, First Baptist Forks served as the local drop-off center. Special thanks to Mike Reeves for loaning his trailer and to Joe Soha for transporting the load to Port Angeles. Many others helped behind the scenes, and their efforts are deeply appreciated.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, partnering with churches in the U.S. and 10 other countries to collect and pack gifts. Internationally, volunteers work with local churches to share the Gospel, distribute shoeboxes, and make disciples—sometimes even helping plant new churches in areas where none exist.