Ever wonder how an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift changes the life of its recipient?
You can find out April 21 when Elizabeth Groff shares how a simple yoyo inside her shoebox gift changed her life as an orphan.
She will speak at 7 p.m. at the Purchase Line United Methodist Church, 17107 PA-286, Commodore, Pa.
Elizabeth was born in Ukraine, but it wasn’t long before her family was completely torn apart.
She felt her heart break. She was left an orphan feeling so hopeless and alone. And that is where Jesus met her.
He showed His love for her through a simple gift that came in the form of an Operation Christmas Child shoebox.
At age 13, Elizabeth was adopted by a family from Williamsburg, Va., and later reunited with her sister, Tonya, in Ukraine in November 2021 after 20 years apart.
Her very own gift has sparked her passion for this global ministry and desire for other children to know that “Jesus loves me.”
She went on to study at Virginia Tech where she began a campus Shoebox Club that grew with support from the Hokie football team.
More recently, Elizabeth was given the very special opportunity to deliver Operation Christmas Child’s 200 millionth shoebox.
She hand-delivered the milestone gift to 8-year-old Natalya in war-torn Ukraine in late January.
For more information on the speaker event or to RSVP, please contact Karla Sunderlin, volunteer regional area coordinator/Mid-Atlantic North.
Sunderlin can be reached by phone at 814-496-4456 or e-mail at ksunderlinocc93@outlook.com.
About Operation Christmas Child
Across the United States, Operation Christmas Child collected over 9.3 million shoebox gifts in 2022. Combined with those collected from partnering countries, it’s now sending nearly 10.6 million shoebox gifts to children worldwide.
Through shoeboxes—packed with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—volunteers deliver joy and a tangible expression of God’s love. It’s often the first gift these children have ever received.
Through the continued generosity of donors since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories.
This year, the ministry delivered its milestone 200 millionth shoebox, which was packed on a country-wide tour and then hand-delivered to a young girl in war-torn Ukraine in January.
Since 2009, more than 35.4 million children have participated in the 12-lesson discipleship course, The Greatest Journey.
More than 24.9 million children have graduated from this program with over 17.5 million boys and girls making decisions for Christ.
In 2023, Samaritan’s Purse also marks the 50 millionth child discipled through The Greatest Journey and previously The Mailbox Club.
This year, shoeboxes from western and central Pennsylvania are reaching children in places like Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, Ukraine, Malawi, South Africa and The Philippines.