Dear Covenant Partners,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Word from the Lord for 2009 is that this will be a year of VICTORY.  I John 5:4 says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”.  We pray for you - our partners, on a daily basis.  We pray that God’s presence would surround you and help you, as you walk with the Lord in obedience to His Word, and stand strong in faith.  We believe His victory will be manifested in your life and ministry!  We are also expecting God to move and work on our behalf, so an abundant harvest of souls can be brought into the Kingdom of God! 

As you may be aware, through Operation Shoebox, our goal is to share new toys and other new items with needy children in Guatemala, and Central America.  These children are much like ours….They need love and care just like our children do.  Some live in orphanages, some are in hospitals, and some even live on the streets.  Most importantly, these children need to know that there is a real God who loves them, and cares for them…A God who will be with them and help them through life’s struggles.  Operation Shoebox does just that. 

 Operation Shoebox presents the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ in each place that we distribute toys.  We give these children (and adults) the opportunity to pray to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior! 

Through this outreach each year, we are able to bring joy, hope, and love to thousands of people during the Christmas season.

This past Christmas, with the help of our covenant partners, 12,542 children were blessed with new toys and other items, during our 54 toy distributions in the countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama.  As a result of sharing the Gospel with these precious people, 3,097 children and adults were born again!       

Dear partners, will you please pray about helping us with Operation Shoebox, this year? 

There are several ways that you can help:

1.)    You may give new toys and bulk items. (Stuffed animals, cars & trucks, dolls, coloring books & crayons, baby items, teen items, pens & pencils, toothbrushes, hair brushes & barrettes, journals, purses/wallets, etc. 

2.)    You may fill shoeboxes with age, and gender appropriate, new items. (Toys, coloring books & crayons, etc. Please remember shoeboxes need to be at least ¾ full.  Also, please send the suggested donation of $5 per box to help with shipping and related expenses.

3.)   Send a financial gift to help the children. (Please write your designation on the memo line of your check:  “Toys”, “Shipping”, or “General Fund”.  If you wish to give funds for toys, or shipping, it is best to send in these financial gifts this summer, to allow time to purchase toys before our international shipping date.

4.)    Participate in our Operation Shoebox mission trip.  (For more information on mission trips, please contact Lisa Clark, our Trip Coordinator, by calling toll free 877-269-5283, or contact her via email at lisac@lwtusa.org.) 

To help lower your shipping costs, you may ship your shoeboxes, or bulk items, to one of our Shoebox Drop-Off points located around the US.  This may cost less than shipping shoebox items directly to Texas.  (For more details see the “Shoebox Drop-Off” information sheet.) 

If you need any additional information, or if you wish to request shoeboxes, please contact Brenda Holsinger, our stateside shoebox coordinator, by calling toll free 877-269-5283, or email her at brendah@lwtusa.org.  Thank you for allowing us to present this opportunity to you.  We appreciate your faithful support and prayers for these children and this outreach.  With your help, we are reaching Central America with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In His love and mine,

Marion Zirkle Wright

President and Co-Founder