Support Charlene Gapen's OCC Mission Trip to Romania

Dear Family & Friends,

As many of you know, I’ve had the opportunity to serve the Lord in many arenas. This has been a passion of mine to be used by God wherever He calls me. The Lord has blessed our family abundantly allowing me to serve as an Area Coordinator with Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Christmas Child (OCC) that since 1993, 220 million shoebox gifts have been delivered worldwide. This means 220 million Gospel opportunities have been given to children in need and our local community has been a part of that.

I am excited to share with you an upcoming opportunity in my life. I will be traveling to Cluj-Napoca, Romania in April, 2025 to participate in an Operation Christmas Child vision trip. I will have an opportunity to visit churches and schools to observe how God is using trained Ministry Partners to share the Gospel message, utilizing OCC shoebox gifts shared 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.

I have served as a year-round OCC volunteer for 11 years. In my role as an Area Coordinator, I develop and lead an Area Team to mobilize and equip individuals, churches and groups in designated areas to become actively involved in sharing the hope of Jesus Christ through Operation Christmas Child. By participating in this OCC vision trip, I 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. I will see the long-term impact of the ministry through The Greatest Journey, OCC’s 12-lesson discipleship course, as I have a chance to see children attending lessons or a graduation celebration. I intend to use this experience to deepen my volunteer role with OCC to provide more Gospel opportunities for children and return with a testimony of how God is working in Romania.

The cost of the trip is $2,950 and covers domestic and international airfare, lodging, meals and ground transportation. Since I am reimbursing Samaritan’s Purse for these costs, contributions towards this trip are not eligible for tax deductible receipts. If you are able to support my journey to Romania, I would be very grateful. All contributions should be given directly to me, as I am responsible for making a final payment to Samaritan’s Purse by March 30th. You are welcome to contact the OCC Vision Trips team. See me for the email if you have any questions about contributions for this trip.

This will be a faith-stretching experience to rely on God by stepping out into the unknown and allowing Christ to work through me.

In His Name,

Charlene Gapen