Evangelist Franklin Graham told Newsmax on Monday that the outreach of Operation Christmas Child helps make sure children around the world know God's love.
On "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Graham said that this year's Operation Christmas Child effort is on pace to deliver more than 12 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children around the world, calling the project a work that "God has done" since its launch in 1993.
Graham said that the program, which began with 11,000 shoeboxes, has distributed more than 230 million.
"It's something God has done. It's incredible. God has done it," he said.
He described a worldwide network of churches that help deliver the gifts, including in Jamaica where 250 congregations are distributing about 25,000 shoeboxes to children affected by a recent hurricane.
"Those 250 churches will be responsible for taking those shoeboxes and giving them to the children that have been devastated," Graham said.
"It's all over the world. It's the churches giving out these boxes, and we do it in Jesus' name."
Graham said the goal is to remind children facing hardship that "God hasn't forgotten them. He loves them. He cares for them."
He pointed to Ukraine as one example where the need is especially great and said roughly 250,000 shoeboxes will be sent there this year.
"The children there don't understand the problems of the world," he said. "All they know is that they're being bombed, their families are being killed, their schoolmates are being killed."
He said many children have never received a gift before and are surprised to learn the contents of the shoebox belong entirely to them.
"Some children open up a box, and they'll just take one thing out and then close the lid and hand it back," Graham said.
"No. You don't have to hand it back. That's all yours."
Graham said the response is often overwhelming.
"The smiles and the joys and the giggles," he said, noting that Van Susteren and her husband have seen distribution events. "It's an incredible thing that God does with these boxes, and it opens up a great opportunity for us as Christians to share God's love with them."
Operation Christmas Child is an outreach of Graham's Samaritan's Purse International Relief.
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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