Stories From Serbia

Refugees in Serbia

Several years ago at a Centre for Asylum Seekers, Operation Christmas Child ministry partners in Serbia were given special permission to distribute shoebox gifts to refugees. On arrival, they discovered that although the refugees were from Syria, all of the children there were Afghani and only spoke Farsi. The team leader spoke to the children and their families in Serbian, and was translated into Farsi. It was heart-breaking to see the pain, sorrow, grief, uncertainty, fear, and despair in their eyes, but it was also heart-warming to see the joy, happiness, and genuine thankfulness in the children’s eyes when we opened the big brown boxes containing the colourful presents for them. The children excitedly helped the team leader open the boxes.

At this point, the language barrier disappeared and all of a sudden we all spoke with smiles, hand gestures and tearful eyes. They patiently listened to what the team leader shared with them, learning about God’s love and the hope He has for them in the midst of their despair. One girl got a big shoebox, so heavy she couldn’t carry it by herself! A volunteer helped her open it and when she saw a toy owl, she beamed with joy!

A Mother’s thank you

“My 6-year-old son got a Christmas box today at school and he was very excited about it. I would like to say thank you for making children all over the world happy and smiling. God bless you all!”

– A delighted mother in Serbia.

School’s Shoebox Joy!

“We distributed a lot of shoeboxes and experienced many nice things. In a little village school the children sang and read poems for us. After patiently standing in line, each child received a shoebox and they all went to their class with their teachers. They let us see the children’s joy at opening the gifts. Some of those children live on the brink of poverty and this shoebox meant a lot to them. This event will always be a part of my life and the lives of our team members.”

– Local Ministry Partner

Matea’s Prayer

Matea received a shoebox gift at a local outreach event and began praying that all her friends at school would too. After three years God answered her prayers when the local Operation Christmas Child team reached her school. She was overjoyed that all the children in her class got to see the puppet show, hear about God’s love for them and receive shoebox gifts just as she had.

Southampton to Serbia

This sweet little girl was delighted to receive a shoebox gift from Lighthouse Community Church in Southampton.