Reach 1000

AS a result of offerings at the July meeting, Pembrokeshire Prayer for the Suffering Church has given £150 to the Samaritan’s Purse Reach 1,000 appeal, blessing and discipling five children in persecuted church countries.

One in seven Christians around the world lives in a place where following Jesus is restricted - or even illegal. Christian charity Samaritan’s Purse aims to reach 1,000 children in countries like this with the Good News that Jesus loves them.

Every £30 given provides one child with a seat on The Greatest Journey discipleship programme and an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift specially packed to make it through customs in their location.

In places where the church is under pressure, and where open Christian activity can be dangerous, these gifts can open the door for the Gospel to break through. In fact, shoeboxes donated online are often the only way the charity can reach children in these communities.

Each shoebox gift sent is lovingly filled with toys, school supplies, and personal care items appropriate for each child’s age. Every box is delivered alongside a message of hope in the person of Jesus Christ. Children are also invited to join The Greatest Journey.

“Hooray, Daddy! Jesus is our Lord!”

At an Operation Christmas Child outreach in the Middle East, one little boy received a shoebox gift and heard the Gospel for the very first time. Overjoyed, he ran home shouting: “Hooray, Daddy! Jesus is our Lord!”

But his father was furious. He told his son to be quiet—and banned him from going back.

When Ilsa*, who runs the centre where the outreach took place, heard what happened, she didn’t panic. She mobilised her team, and they fasted and prayed. Just one week later, the father quietly returned—bringing his son and asking to observe one of The Greatest Journey discipleship classes.

That day, his heart was opened to the Gospel. Over tea, he told Ilsa: “Thank you. You are teaching these children the right things.”

As Ilsa put it: “When this young boy proclaimed, ‘Hooray, daddy! Jesus is our Lord!’ it caused uproar in the house! But this uproar didn’t bring harm—it brought salvation.”

The Greatest Journey

After receiving their shoebox gift, children can enrol in The Greatest Journey—12 fun and interactive Bible lessons—where they have the opportunity to discover who Jesus is, begin their journey of faith, and receive a New Testament in their own language.

The video below was created in 2022 to show how God used The Greatest Journey to transform lives and entire communities in Mongolia.

Note: The Greatest Journey is offered free of charge, without obligation, and with the consent of the child’s parent or guardian.

(*Name changed for security reasons.)

Editorial adapted from the Samaritan’s Purse website