Hendersonville Presbyterian Church hosts “Operation Christmas Child” spokesperson July 20

Press release:

HENDERSONVILLE FAMILIES CELEBRATE GLOBAL CHRISTMAS CHARITY REACHING MILLIONS OF CHILDREN EACH YEAR

Special Guest to Share About the Personal Impact of Receiving a Gift in a
Developing Country 

What:  Hendersonville kids, families, churches and groups will celebrate the upcoming collection season for Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, which has a goal of collecting enough gift-filled shoeboxes to reach 12 million children in 2016. 


Who:  Hendersonville Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville will host a special event featuring shoebox gift recipient, Dania Yadago. 

Subjected to severe poverty, Yadago and her family lived in three Middle Eastern countries while she was growing up. Her family prayed for everything they needed. One year they began praying specifically for a radio. That year Yadago received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift. As she and her family carefully went through each item in the gift, they shrieked in disbelief as they pulled out a fully-functional radio. That day Yadago learned that with God all things are possible and there is power in prayer.

Eventually Yadago moved to the U.S.  She now serves as a national spokesperson for Operation Christmas Child, encouraging people to send hope to a child in need through a shoebox gift.

When:  July 20, 2016 6:30 p.m.

Where:  Hendersonville Presbyterian Church

699 North Grove Street, Hendersonville

During the week of November 14 – 21, Hendersonville residents can drop off shoeboxes packed with a “Wow!” item—like a doll or soccer ball—and other fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items at Hendersonville Presbyterian Church. The Hendersonville collection center will be the first stop on a journey across the world for thousands of gifts packed by local residents. The boxes are then prepared and delivered to children overseas using whatever means necessary— boats, airplanes, trains and even elephants.  

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 135 million children in more than 150 countries and territories. In 2016, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 12 million children, with 19,272 coming from the Blue Ridge Area that includes Hendersonville.

For more information about how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call Denise Gravely at 828-553-0883. With a computer or mobile device, anyone can conveniently pack a personalized Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift on the Samaritan’s Purse website. These gifts will go to children in some of the hardest-to-reach countries. Go to samaritanspurse.org/occ to select toys and gift items, write a note of encouragement, and “pack” them in a shoebox. Using special tracking technology, participants can discover where in the world their gifts will be delivered to children in need. To register a shoebox gift, use the online donation form at samaritanspurse.org/occ.