YOUR LEGACYPlease consider including Samaritan's Purse in your estate planning. Leave a legacy that will continue to bless those in need in Jesus’ name.

For further information please contact our office on 1300 884 468.

GET INVOLVED Volunteer for Operation

Christmas Child.

Volunteer for Disaster Relief.

Fundraise - Make your birthday a day of change with donations instead of gifts at mydayofchange.org.au.

GIVE Get your resources

now and pack a shoebox for a child in need.

Give a donation.

Become a Samaritan partner and give a monthly donation.

PRAY... That we reach 340,000 children this

year with gift-filled shoeboxes from Operation Christmas Child.

That The Greatest Journey continues to grow and give joy to children and their families.

That we may be able to identify and resource other needs in the communities we reach with Operation Christmas Child.

For new schools and churches to become involved with Operation Christmas Child this year.

For more information, visit samaritanspurse.org.au.

OUR MISSIONSamaritan’s Purse is a non-profit, Christian organisation providing emergency relief and development assistance to suffering people around the world. Samaritan’s Purse is meeting the physical needs of victims of war, famine, natural disaster, poverty and disease with the aim of demonstrating God’s love and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. The aid and assistance are given without regard to the race, creed, gender, religion, or ethnicity of the beneficiaries.

C O N N E C T

A WORD FROM JORGE ...

THROUGH SAMARITAN’S PURSESHARE GOD’S LOVE

AUSTRALIASamaritan’s Purse Australia Limited ABN 84 070 722 404Samaritan’s Purse Australasia-Operation Christmas Child Ltd ABN 80 162 895 623Postal: PO Box 346, Penrith NSW 2751 Phone: 1300 884 468 Email: info@samaritanspurse.org.au Web: samaritanspurse.org.au

NEW ZEALANDSamaritan’s Purse Australia Limited NZ CCRN CC36649Postal: PO Box 870, Shortland St, Auckland 1140 Phone: 0800 726 274 Email: info@samaritanspurse.org.au Web: samaritanspurse.org.nz

As we prepare for the upcoming Operation Christmas Child season, we are already feeling a swell of support for this amazing program that we hope will reach 340,000 disadvantaged children in a most exciting way.

As you will have read in this newsletter, nine radio stations have offered to promote Operation Christmas Child by advertising for free on air local churches that agree to become Operation Christmas Child Drop Off Points — please tell your Minister/Pastor about this opportunity!

We need all the help we can get as we try to reach more children with Good News and Great Joy this year. We are especially looking forward to reaching 5,000 children with an Operation Christmas Child shoebox in the worst disaster-affected areas of Vanuatu. As we plan to rebuild schools in Vanuatu, we want children to be blessed with the gift of a lifetime — a gift-filled shoebox.

Last month, we had the huge privilege of participating in the opening celebrations of five beautiful, brand new schools for Cambodian kids in remote villages. Our Australian and New Zealand supporters certainly love children and we are so grateful that besides the shoebox program, we are able to do so much for those who have so little.

I’m asking you for a little assistance by explaining to your friends the importance of Operation Christmas Child in reaching out to kids and why it is so essential for us to receive a gift of $9 per shoebox to cover the costs of the project.

We feel so blessed when we hear of stories like Sokmey’s in Cambodia, who received a Cinderella picture book in a shoebox and now delights in reading that fairytale to her younger sister. Or the story of Ngo Thi Binh from Vietnam, who was excited to find new clothes in her Operation Christmas Child shoebox for this year’s Tet Holiday. Thank you for reaching out to kids like this and so many others.

Since Operation Christmas Child started in Australia/New Zealand, people like you have enabled us to touch the lives of over 3.6 million kids over the years. Right now, we have a target in mind of reaching 4 million super-excited kids. Please encourage others to help us achieve and surpass that goal!

God bless you

Jorge Rodrigues Executive Director Samaritan’s Purse Australia/New Zealand

Operation Christmas Child and Christian Media Australia Radio Stations are partnering to send people to your church on Shoebox Sunday – October 25!

Make sure your church registers to be a Shoebox Sunday drop off point on 25th October 2015. It doesn’t cost a cent and your local Christian station will send people to your church to drop off their shoeboxes on Shoebox Sunday.

It’s a great cause! Every shoebox dropped off will be sent overseas by Samaritan’s Purse to be given to a child in poverty.

When your church registers you will receive free resources and support to make your Shoebox Sunday a fantastic event and an opportunity to connect with your local community!

Register now at: shoeboxsunday.operationchristmaschild.org.au.

We are praying and planning to hand-deliver 340,000 gift-filled shoeboxes to children in seven nations this year. Yes, hand-deliver! Distributing shoeboxes is not as simple as sending a parcel across the country through Australia Post or another carrier.

Why We Need Per Shoebox

DROP OFF YOUR SHOEBOXES AT

West Ryde NSW

Penrith NSW

Port Macquarie NSW

Armidale NSW

Newcastle NSW

Woolloongabba QLD

Toowoomba QLD

Mooloolaba QLD

Springwood QLD

Blackburn VIC

Hobart TAS

Launceston TAS

Fyshwick ACT

Mt Lawley WA

Adelaide SA

PARTICIPATING STATIONS:

Have Christian Radio Advertise Your Church - For FREE!

ends of the EarthBringing joy to the

CMYK RICH BLACK: C:30 M:20 Y:10 K:100

RED: C:0 M:100 Y:100 K:0

GREEN: C:100 M:0 Y:100 K:0

Good News and Great Joy After Disaster

SPECIAL EDITION OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD 2015

SAMARITANTHE

HELPING IN JESUS' NAME

Every year, 6-year-old Amelie and her family pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes with their church. Her mum, Larissa, says Amelie often speaks with great excitement about the kids overseas who will receive the shoeboxes.

Amelie’s enthusiasm for the project led to St John’s Grammar in South Australia getting involved when she started school there in 2014. Amelie and her mum ordered some Operation Christmas Child brochures and prepared a few sample shoeboxes and a short PowerPoint presentation. They presented Operation Christmas Child

to the kids in Amelie’s class and another class.

The presentation was very enthusiastically received by the children and they began fundraising for items to pack in the shoeboxes. They did a great job with a cupcake stall, teacher shoeshine and a car boot sale.

It was a proud moment at the school assembly when the children from the two classes presented over 50 shoeboxes they had packed for children in need overseas. This year, they’re hoping to get even more classes involved.

BIG MOMENT! – A Volunteer’s Story

One of the areas hardest hit by Cyclone Pam was Tanna Island.

“ONE MORE BOX” CAMPAIGNLast year we reached 321,526 kids. We want to reach out to more kids this year. You can help us by packing one extra shoebox. Tell your friends on Facebook or Instagram by posting a photo of the extra box with the hashtag, #onemorebox

When Cyclone Pam devastated much of Vanuatu in March 2015, one of the hardest hit areas was

Tanna Island, where 50% of the homes and 147 schools were badly damaged or destroyed. Thousands of people, many of them women, children and babies, were left in desperate need of shelter, water and food. Samaritan’s Purse provided emergency supplies for more than 30,000 people a month (including the distribution of World Food Programme food parcels) during the three months after the disaster while crops were re-established.

Now that the first crops are coming to market, the end of our emergency food distributions is in sight and we are busily preparing for the recovery phase — helping people to rebuild and recover what was lost in the storm.

This shoebox season, we are planning to send 5,000 Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to bring joy and hope to the children of Tanna Island who have nothing, and have suffered so much.

While shoeboxes are vital in giving kids hope,

education is vital if they are to have a bright future.

With this in mind, in September we are launching a project to rebuild as many schools as we can on the island that were destroyed. Our “Build Back Better” project aims to build stronger schools that can withstand fierce storms and provide the children

with a safe, happy, quality learning environment.

Timber from trees that were blown down in the storm is being harvested for the project. Students from a local trade school will prepare the

timber and work alongside our construction teams, gaining valuable skills and experience in the process.

It’s an exciting future for families who have suffered so much. Out of devastation comes good news, great joy and an education that promises the hope of a brighter future.

WHILE SHOEBOXES ARE VITAL IN GIVING KIDS HOPE, EDUCATION IS VITAL IF THEY ARE TO HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE.

PAPUA NEW GUINEANew Britain, PNG enquires about Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse has been invited to attend a meeting with Papua New Guinean Members of Parliament and other dignitaries to explore the possibilities of beginning Operation Christmas Child shoebox distributions and development projects in the province/island of New Britain. These initial talks have been initiated by senior Papua New Guinean leaders.

CAMBODIAAt just 11 years old, Sokmey carries the burden of looking after her siblings every day while her parents work. One day a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child brought unexpected joy and delight to the young girl’s life. As she opened her box, Sokmey was overwhelmed to see what was inside and carefully examined every item. Her eyes lingered on the dolls and then on a Cinderella picture book, which quickly became her favourite possession. “I had never received a gift before, I was so excited,” Sokmey said. Her new favourite pastime is sitting in a hammock reading the fairytale to her younger sister!

VIETNAMWhen Ngo Thi Binh, a student in Year 4 at the Le Dinh Chinh School in Vietnam received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift she exclaimed, “Since I was a baby, I haven’t got gifts from anyone."

"It is the first time I have got a gift from an unknown friend from a faraway country; moreover, there are so many things in the gift box. I am so excited! Now I have new clothes for this Tet Holiday.” Binh had dreamed of owning a dress for a long time, but she couldn’t afford it. She praised God for providing the gift of her dreams. Children in Vietnam and other impoverished countries often long for a simple gift that is beyond their reach. Trapped in crushing poverty, their parents struggle daily to earn enough to feed the family, so things like buying gifts for the children is a distant dream. For kids like Ngo Thi Binh, the impact of receiving a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child will never be forgotten.

The Greatest Journey is helping church leaders in Fiji teach children about following Christ.

In an open-air classroom under a mango tree outside the town of Tavua, a group of children gather to learn about Jesus.In February 2015, Pastor Rohit Krishna started the classes with a group of almost 50 boys and girls who had received a shoebox gift about a month earlier and now wanted to do The Greatest Journey. He was delighted that a new generation of children was learning about Jesus.“I tried to reach [them] before but I didn’t know how,” he said. “Operation Christmas Child has shown me how to minister to children.” In another area of Fiji, more than 240 km north of Tavua on a red dirt hill, 25 kids are gathered on a large reed mat under a mango tree with Pastor Waisea. They are children who received Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes and now want to do The Greatest Journey.Pastor Waisea, the National Coordinator for The Greatest Journey in Fiji, is excited that kids in Fiji who have received shoeboxes are now enrolling in The Greatest Journey and learning about Christ. He is eager to see how the discipleship program will improve his nation for future generations.

FIJI - Mango Tree Classrooms for TGJ!

Pastor Waisea teaching The Greatest Journey under a mango tree.

LOCAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! There is a role for you in your area right now. Join our merry band of volunteers. Apply at operationchristmaschild.org.au/volunteer or operationchristmaschild.org.nz/volunteer.

$9

In every receiving country, we have large teams of well organised and well trained volunteers who effectively hand-deliver the shoeboxes to children gathered in groups of anywhere between 10 and 200 in villages, slums and towns across these nations.

The cost of funding the training, logistics and sea freight to the receiving countries is enormous. In Australia and New Zealand, we also carry very substantial costs to pay for the rental of processing centres and a team of 14 paid Operation Christmas Child staff. Added to this, we have some inevitable fundraising, resource material and administration costs. Our administration costs for Samaritan’s Purse as a whole came to only 7.9% of our total expenditure in 2014.

This year, we have taken strong measures to reduce our costs further by closing down our processing centre in South Australia and replacing it with a three-month only rental of temporary premises during processing season. We are also planning to halve the size of our

Perth-based processing centre to reduce costs. We have changed the supplier of our pre-printed shoeboxes and changed the design of our Operation Christmas Child pamphlets and posters, some of which are now available to schools and churches in digitised format to save on costs.

Operation Christmas Child does not own any buildings, nor does it have any cash reserves whatsoever. In fact, generally from the period April through to September every year, it has to borrow money to keep the project going until the donations that arrive with shoeboxes flow into our processing centres.

Unfortunately, in the past, large numbers of shoeboxes have been given to us without the $9 contribution, which has caused us to have to make appeals to donors to help us cover the costs of this program. We find ourselves in an unsustainable situation and we are desperate to see the $9 donation come in with every shoebox to enable us to run this project on a breakeven basis.

ORDER RESOURCES NOW!Get your resources early. Available now at operationchristmaschild.org.au or operationchristmaschild.org.nz.

Good News. Great Joy.S A M A R I TA N ’ S P U R S E ®

Every shoebox gift you pack helps Samaritan’s Purse to reach children worldwide with the good news of God’s love and the true meaning of Christmas.

CMYK RICH BLACK: C:30 M:20 Y:10 K:100

RED: C:0 M:100 Y:100 K:0

GREEN: C:100 M:0 Y:100 K:0

For more information, stories, videos and downloadable resources, go to www.operationchristmaschild.org.au

Operation Christmas Child® is a project of Samaritan’s Purse® Franklin Graham, International President

ADD YOUR CONTACT DETAILS HERE

Like us on Facebook! facebook.com/operationchristmaschild.anzSamaritan’s Purse Australasia-Operation Christmas Child ABN: 80 162 895 623

AUSTRALIA Donations and Enquiries: 1300 884 468Speak to a Local Representative: 1800 684 300 operationchristmaschild.org.au

NEW ZEALAND Donations and Enquiries: 0800 726 274 Speak to a Local Representative: 0800 684 300 operationchristmaschild.org.nz

Visit operationchristmaschild.org.au or operationchristmaschild.org.nz and learn how to bless a child overseas through a gift-filled shoebox.

how to packa shoebox gift!

learn

Order more of these

brochures online at

operationchristmaschild.org.au

or operationchristmaschild.org.nz

OR call 1800 684 300 (AU)

or 0800 684 300 (NZ)

CMYKRICH BLACK: C:30 M:20 Y:10 K:100

RED: C:0 M:100 Y:100 K:0

GREEN: C:100 M:0 Y:100 K:0

Good News. Great Joy.

S A M A R I TA N ’ S P U R S E ®

how to pack

a shoebox

Plea

se a

ccep

t my

paym

ent i

n th

e fo

llow

ing

amou

nt:

$

.

$AU

D

$N

ZD (T

ick

one)

Nam

e on

Car

d/C

hequ

e

Car

d N

umbe

r

//

/

Che

que

(mak

e pa

yabl

e to

Sam

arita

n’s P

urse

Aus

trala

sia-O

pera

tion

Chris

tmas

Chi

ld).

Cre

dit C

ard

Vis

a

Mas

terC

ard

A

mer

ican

Exp

ress

D

iner

sC

hequ

e/C

redi

t Car

d

/

Expi

ry D

ate

Toda

y’s D

ate

CVV

Num

ber

//

M M

Y

Y

D D

M

M

Y Y

Mo

ney

Ord

er P

lace

Mon

ey O

rder

insi

de a

n

enve

lope

and

sea

l. P

leas

e m

ake

paya

ble

to S

amar

itan’

s

Pur

se A

ustr

alas

ia-O

pera

tion

Chr

istm

as C

hild

.

Cas

h W

e re

com

men

d th

at y

ou u

se a

met

hod

othe

r

than

cas

h fo

r pay

men

t. If

you

are

usin

g ca

sh, p

lace

insi

de

your

sho

ebox

with

this

form

.

Don

atio

ns to

Sam

arita

n’s P

urse

Aus

tral

asia

-Ope

ratio

n Ch

ristm

as

Child

are

not

tax

dedu

ctib

le.

Sam

arita

n’s P

urse

Aus

tral

asia

-Ope

ratio

n Ch

ristm

as C

hild

ABN

: 80

162

895

623

othe

r opt

ions

FO

LD T

HE

TO

P D

OW

N A

ND

SE

AL

WIT

H T

AP

E

COMPLETE EACH FORM, INCLUDE YOUR DONATION,

FOLD UP BOTTOM FLAP AND SEAL SIDES WITH TAPE

COMPLETE EACH FORM, INCLUDE YOUR DONATION,

FOLD UP BOTTOM FLAP AND SEAL SIDES WITH TAPE

my d

etai

ls

in

clud

e

per s

hoeb

ox

$9

give

onl

ine

to

follo

w y

our

box

PLEA

SE P

RINT

CLEA

RLY

USIN

G

DARK

INK.

CU

T H

ER

E

DO

NO

T U

SE

TH

E L

AB

ELS

ON

TH

IS B

RO

CH

UR

E

IF D

ON

ATIN

G O

NLI

NE

Dow

nloa

d ex

tra

labe

ls a

t ope

ratio

nchr

istm

asch

ild.o

rg.a

u

or m

ake

colo

ur p

hoto

copi

es.

OCCOCCTOBERNATIONAL COLLECTION MONTH

my d

onat

ion

ES

SE

NTIA

L!

1 C

ut o

ff fo

rm a

long

dot

ted

line

(abo

ve)

2 C

ompl

ete

deta

ils b

elow

3 F

old

the

form

clo

sed

and

seal

with

stic

ky ta

pe

If do

natin

g $9

per

box

by c

ash

or c

hequ

e, in

sert

paym

ent b

efor

e se

aling

.

ORDO

NATE

$9

PER

BOX

ONLI

NE AT

oper

ation

chris

tmas

child

.org.a

u

Encl

osed

is m

y $9

per

box

to h

elp

cove

r

proj

ect c

osts

incl

udin

g sh

ippi

ng.

$

.

Ple

ase

tick

this

box

if y

ou h

ave

mad

e a

dona

tion

to S

amar

itan’

s Pu

rse

or O

pera

tion

Chr

istm

as C

hild

in th

e pa

st.

No.

of b

oxes

don

ated

If yo

u or

you

r fam

ily a

re p

repa

ring

mor

e th

an o

ne

shoe

box,

ple

ase

mak

e on

e co

mbi

ned

dona

tion.

I hav

e en

clos

ed a

n ad

ditio

nal d

onat

ion

to

be u

sed

whe

re m

ost n

eede

d.

$

.

TOTA

L E

NC

LOS

ED

$

AUD

$

NZD

$

.

Sam

arita

n’s Pu

rse A

ustra

lasia

-Ope

ratio

n Chr

istm

as Ch

ild is

a re

giste

red c

harit

y and

reta

ins y

our p

erso

nal in

form

atio

n as c

onfid

entia

l. If y

ou pr

ovid

e inf

orm

atio

n

it will

be us

ed on

ly to

info

rm yo

u of p

rogr

ams a

nd pr

ojec

ts of

Sam

arita

n’s Pu

rse an

d to p

rovid

e you

with

oppo

rtuni

ties t

o be i

nvol

ved i

n and

supp

ort o

ur w

ork.

I req

uire

a re

ceip

t in

the

follo

wing

nam

e:

Yes

N

o

Shoe

box

fille

d by

Age

0

-12

1

3 -17

A

dult

Parti

cipa

ting

thro

ugh

C

hurc

h

Sch

ool

Bus

ines

s

Oth

er

Firs

t nam

e

Surn

ame

Nam

e of

or

gani

satio

n

Emai

l

Con

tact

num

ber

PLEA

SE P

RINT

CLE

ARLY

USI

NG D

ARK

INK.

(Don

atio

ns to

Sam

arita

n’s Pu

rse A

ustra

lasia

-Ope

ratio

n Ch

ristm

as C

hild

are

not t

ax de

duct

ible)

.CM

YK

RIC

H B

LAC

K:

C:3

0 M

:20

Y:1

0 K

:100

RE

D:

C:0

M:1

00 Y

:100

K:0

GR

EE

N:

C:1

00 M

:0 Y

:100

K:0

2-4 Ye

ars Ol

dM

ark

the

corre

ct a

ge c

ateg

ory:

Mar

k th

e co

rrect

age

cat

egor

y:

5-9 Ye

ars Ol

d

10-14

Years

Old

2-4 Ye

ars Ol

d

5-9 Ye

ars Ol

d

10-14

Years

Old

CM

YK

RIC

H B

LAC

K:

C:3

0 M

:20

Y:1

0 K

:100

RE

D:

C:0

M:1

00 Y

:100

K:0

GR

EE

N:

C:1

00 M

:0 Y

:100

K:0