Editor’s Note: As we participate in Operation Christmas Child again this Christmas season, we’re revisiting the experiences and stories shared by longtime volunteer Terri Schumpert during last year’s collection campaign. Collection totals and specific events described in this article reflect previous years, but the heart of this ministry remains the same.
Inside the shoebox was a brand-new pair of size-10 shoes. Not toys. Not stuffed animals. Shoes.
They were orange and white, clearly chosen by someone with a love for Clemson, and they were so large that hardly anything else could fit inside the box. For the volunteers inspecting shoeboxes at the Operation Christmas Child Processing Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, it was an unexpected discovery.
Terri Schumpert, a longtime Operation Christmas Child volunteer, remembers the moment vividly.
The shoes were intended for an older boy, one of the age groups she says is most often overlooked when people pack shoeboxes. And as the volunteers admired the gift, Terri couldn’t help thinking about the child who would eventually receive it.
Somewhere in the world, there might be a boy who had spent his entire life without a proper pair of shoes. Perhaps he had been praying for something as simple as being able to walk to school without going barefoot. And now, thousands of miles away, someone had packed a shoebox containing exactly what he needed.
Terri imagined the possibility of that gift becoming an answer to prayer. It’s a thought that has stayed with her, and one that captures the heart of Operation Christmas Child.
Because while we may never know where our shoeboxes end up or whose hands eventually open them, we can trust that God knows the children who will receive them.
For many of us, our involvement in Operation Christmas Child ends when we drop off a shoebox at church. We shop for gifts, carefully pack them into a box, and bring it to First Baptist, knowing it will eventually reach a child somewhere in the world.
But what happens after that? Terri has spent years helping answer that question.
More than 15 years ago, former Children’s Minister Eric Alfrey invited her to help expand First Baptist’s involvement in Operation Christmas Child by establishing the church as a regional drop-off location.
Terri eagerly agreed, and over the years, her service grew into two important roles: serving on the year-round prayer team and helping coordinate the logistics of receiving and transporting shoeboxes. She’s had the opportunity to witness the remarkable journey these gifts take, from the moment they’re collected to the preparations that send them across the world.
After shoeboxes are dropped off at First Baptist or other collection locations, they’re transported to regional collection facilities and eventually to one of Operation Christmas Child’s processing centers. At these facilities, volunteers inspect each box, remove any items that cannot be shipped internationally, and prepare the gifts for transportation overseas.
During the 2025 season, Terri invited eight women from her Sunday School class to join her at the Charlotte Processing Center. For many, it was their first opportunity to experience the ministry on such a large scale.
Christmas music filled the building. Volunteers worked shoulder to shoulder, inspecting boxes, checking labels, and preparing cartons for shipment. Throughout the day, the work would pause as volunteers lifted shoeboxes into the air and prayed for the children who would eventually receive them. Terri had prepared the women for what to expect, but watching them experience it firsthand was something special.
“They were dancing around like little kids,” she recalled with a laugh. “To stand back and watch that experience unfold … it was precious.”
For Terri, the joy wasn’t simply in seeing thousands of boxes move through the facility. It was watching people discover the significance of what they were doing. Each box represented the life of a child. And every life represented an opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ.
Once the shoeboxes have been inspected and packed into shipping cartons, their journey continues. They’re loaded onto pallets, transported by truck, and eventually shipped to countries around the world. But getting those boxes into the hands of children isn’t always easy.
There are international borders to cross, customs inspections to navigate, and remote communities that can be difficult to reach. Sometimes, the journey comes to an unexpected halt.
Terri recalled receiving an urgent prayer request from Operation Christmas Child after a shipment of shoeboxes became stuck in customs in Ethiopia. A local pastor reported that officials were refusing to release the boxes and threatening to destroy them. For the volunteers and ministry partners who had spent months preparing those gifts, the situation was heartbreaking.
But instead of giving up, they prayed. Terri and other members of the Operation Christmas Child prayer team stopped what they were doing and began asking God to intervene. Then, according to the report Terri received, something changed.
The official who had been refusing to release the shipment suddenly gave permission for the boxes to continue. The shoeboxes were released, and their journey continued.
For Terri, experiences like that reinforce why prayer is such an essential part of Operation Christmas Child. “Everything about Operation Christmas Child is steeped in prayer,” she explained.
And that prayer doesn’t stop when the boxes arrive at their destinations.
When children receive Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, they receive much more than toys, school supplies, and personal care items. Through partnerships with local churches, Samaritan’s Purse uses these gifts as opportunities to share the Gospel with children and families around the world.
Children are also invited to participate in The Greatest Journey, a 12-lesson discipleship program designed to help them learn more about Jesus, grow in their faith, and share what they’ve learned with others.
Local churches and trained volunteers continue building relationships with children and their families long after the gifts have been distributed. For Terri, this is what makes the ministry so meaningful.
“We get lost in the packing of a shoebox, filling that shoebox up, and we forget about the eternal ramifications of that shoebox.”
What we don’t always see is what happens after those gifts arrive. A child hears about Jesus. A family connects with a local church. A young believer begins learning what it means to follow Christ.
And a gift that began in someone’s living room becomes part of a much larger story.
Over the years, Operation Christmas Child has become a familiar tradition at our church. But even familiar traditions can take on new meaning when we’re reminded of the purpose behind them.
Last year, our church celebrated a remarkable milestone, collecting more than 1,900 shoeboxes—the largest total in First Baptist’s history. It was a significant increase from previous years, and Terri believes the renewed enthusiasm came from people across the church taking personal ownership of the ministry.
Senior adults, students, young professionals, Sunday School classes, and individual families all found ways to participate. Some packed one box. Others packed dozens. One church member even contributed 500 shoeboxes through OCC’s online packing program.
But the success of that season wasn’t simply about reaching a new record. It was about a growing understanding of why those boxes mattered.
Terri credited a dedicated group of ministry leaders and volunteers who worked throughout the year to keep the mission in front of the congregation.
And she believes that enthusiasm can continue to grow as more people discover the impact of their participation. There’s something encouraging about realizing that not everyone has to give in the same way.
Some can pack dozens of boxes. Others may only be able to pack one. Some can volunteer at processing centers. Others can help organize supplies, encourage friends to participate, or pray for the children who will receive the gifts.
Every act of service has a place in the larger mission. And sometimes, the smallest act of generosity can leave the greatest impression. Terri knows that firsthand because of a woman who unexpectedly walked into Higher Grounds several years ago.
Terri was sitting at a table, folding hundreds of empty shoeboxes in preparation for Operation Christmas Child. Her hands were tired from assembling box after box when a woman walked through the door.
The woman was experiencing homelessness and walked with a cane. She had never been inside Higher Grounds before, and she was curious about what Terri was doing. After pulling up a chair, she began asking questions.
Terri explained the purpose of Operation Christmas Child, how the gifts traveled around the world, and how the ministry helped introduce children to Jesus. The woman listened carefully.
Then she asked whether anyone could participate or if the ministry was only for people who attended First Baptist. Terri assured her that anyone could pack a shoebox. That’s when the woman said something Terri wasn’t expecting.
“I have $5 left. It’s all I’ve got. Will that cover a box?”
Terri was stunned. She couldn’t bring herself to accept the woman’s last five dollars, so she offered to help her pack a shoebox using donated supplies instead. But the woman looked her straight in the eyes and asked a question Terri would never forget.
“You gonna steal my blessing?”
Terri began to cry. Here was a woman who had almost nothing, joyfully offering what little she had to bless a child she would never meet.
Terri helped her select gifts for an older girl, and together they prepared a shoebox. The woman handed over her five dollars and left, but about 30 minutes later, she returned.
This time, she was waving another five-dollar bill. She had borrowed it from a friend because she wanted to pack a second shoebox.
For Terri, the experience was humbling.
She had always been proud of the many shoeboxes she personally packed each year. But this woman had demonstrated a kind of sacrificial generosity that challenged her to examine her own heart.
“Heaven rejoiced over her $5,” Terri reflected.
That experience inspired Terri to pray more intentionally about her own generosity and helped fuel her desire to encourage others to participate in Operation Christmas Child.
What began as one woman’s simple act of giving had created a ripple effect.
And years later, that story continues to challenge us.
It’s easy to measure the success of Operation Christmas Child by counting shoeboxes. We celebrate the milestones, set new goals, and rejoice when more people participate. And those things matter.
But the real beauty of this ministry is found in the individual acts of faith and generosity behind every gift.
A pair of shoes carefully chosen for a boy on the other side of the world. A group of Sunday School friends giving their time to prepare gifts for children they’ll never meet. A woman offering her last five dollars because she refuses to miss an opportunity to bless someone else.
Each story reminds us that giving isn’t simply about what we can afford or how much we can accomplish. It’s about the willingness of our hearts.
As we participate in Operation Christmas Child again this Christmas season, may we remember that our shoeboxes represent more than gifts. They represent opportunities to share the love of Christ with children and families around the world.
We may never meet the children who receive them or see the ways God uses those gifts in their lives. But we can give faithfully, pray expectantly, and trust Him with everything that happens next.
Because the greatest gift we can share isn’t something that fits inside a shoebox. It’s the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes are due this Sunday, November 15. You can drop them off in the foyer at the connection desk or at the Washington Street lobby.
Whether you’re packing your first shoebox or continuing a longtime family tradition, there’s still an opportunity to be part of this year’s mission.
Learn more about Operation Christmas Child and how to pack a shoebox at samaritanspurse.org/occ.
