In addition to telling the Christmas story of Jesus to children local churches offer them The Greatest Gift, a story book that shares Jesus’ invitation to follow Him. Narrated by Jesus’ special follower John, the booklet tells 11 Bible stories and invites children to discover Jesus Christ. Children take this home to share with family and friends. It is used in more than 80 languages.

Local Christians are taught to host a successful shoebox outreach event through the Ministry Partner Guide, a 36-page resource that outlines how to organise a distribution, share the good news of Jesus and invite children to participate in a follow-up Bible discovery programme called The Greatest Journey.

This resource is full of colourful pictures and Bible verses to help them tell the children about Jesus in a loving way that respects local culture. After this presentation, boys and girls receive their shoebox gift which may be their first gift ever. They hold in their hands a tangible expression of God’s love. More than 75,000 of these shoebox outreach events take place every year.

Through 12 fun and interactive lessons taught by teachers within their communities and churches, children will discover who Jesus is, the hope He brings and the importance of sharing their faith in Christ with family and friends. More than 14.9 million children have enrolled in this programme since 2009.

After completing The Greatest Journey, children attend a graduation celebration and receive a certificate.

Most importantly, they are given a Bible that includes the New Testament and selected Old Testament stories along with a dictionary of biblical terms and a map of Bible lands. Complete with illustrations, it is often the first Bible that the child or their family will own.

Family and friends who attend the ceremony hear the good news of Jesus Christ and students share publicly what they have learnt. This reinforces the changes family and friends have seen in their loved ones’ lives, and often they too come to faith in Christ.