Dear Friends and Family: We would like to share with you an amazing opportunity in our lives. We have been invited to travel to Ecuador in early June this year to participate in an Operation Christmas Child (OCC) vision trip. We will visit churches and schools to observe how God is using trained Ministry Partners to share the Gospel message, utilizing OCC shoebox gifts and discipleship materials. The trip schedule includes five outreach events, where shoebox gifts will be distributed to children and one “The Greatest Journey” (TGJ) program, as well as presentations and training sessions. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. The mission of OCC is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Through this project, Samaritan’s Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make disciples of the nations. We have served together as a year-round OCC volunteer for 10 years; we serve as Area Coordinators in the Inland Empire Area of Southern California. As Area Coordinators, we have the privilege of serving alongside 26 volunteers in our area to pack and collect shoebox gifts with local partners that are sent all over the world. By participating in this OCC vision trip, we will be able to experience first-hand the joy that shoebox gifts bring to children, paired with the eternal hope of the Gospel message presented in a culturally appropriate manner by local Ministry Partners. We will see the long-term impact of the ministry through The Greatest Journey, OCC’s 12-lesson discipleship course, as we have a chance to see children attending lessons or a graduation celebration. We intend to use this experience to deepen our volunteer role with OCC to provide more Gospel opportunities for children and return with a testimony of how God is working in Ecuador. The cost of the trip is $1,950 per person and covers domestic and international airfare, lodging, meals and ground transportation. If God is leading you and you’re able to support our journey to Ecuador, we would be very grateful. This will be a “faith-stretching” experience to rely on God by stepping out into the unknown and allowing Christ to work in and through us. Would you join us in asking God to show us exactly how to deepen our role with OCC for the sake of the Gospel? With Love and Blessings, Sam & Yvette Lama