Amie Winstead, Year-Round Volunteer, Tennessee
“Everything we do with Operation Christmas Child, we meet it with prayer,” said year-round volunteer Amie Winstead. Members of her church in Maynardville, Tennessee, intercede for each shoebox recipient and receiving country, including the national teams and local churches who distribute the boxes. These Tennesseans even intercede for logistics, such as the journey shoeboxes take to various drop-off locations and a processing center before heading overseas.
Ravina Kumar, Volunteer National Discipleship Coordinator, Fiji
“I witnessed one outreach event, which touched my heart a lot,” said Ravina. “Children were walking barefoot and from far they came. They were very respectful children and listened to the Gospel presentation. When the time came to open the shoeboxes, I saw a child holding his box, hugging it, and then he started to cry loudly. I asked, ‘My son, why are you crying?’ He said, ‘Auntie, I go to school barefoot. I don’t have flip flops. I share with my sister a pair of shoes. When I go to school, some children come with their expensive shoes and they show off. All the time, I pray. Even today, I asked Jesus to please give me shoes as a gift.’ He opened the box and showed me a pair of brand-name shoes with fancy lights. He was so happy he was kissing the shoes. Maybe the whole of his life he’ll remember it. The Lord gives more through these gift boxes than what the children ask.”