My name is Veronica, and I am grateful for the intentional and transformational discipleship I received along my life’s journey that shaped who I am today. I was raised by a family where love was never guaranteed. My childhood was marked by rejection, which came from my absent father and my mother, whose words were isolating and distant.
I was born in San Antonio, Texas, and at the age of eight, I was placed in foster care after my parents were imprisoned for drug-related charges. My sister and I were separated from our two brothers for six months before our mother relocated us all to Mexico, while our father remained in prison.
During my childhood, my mother also struggled with depression. At such a young age and having already been separated from my parents once, I longed to feel safe with my mother. Sadly, she did not provide that security. There were many times growing up when I went to give her a hug, and the response I often received was “go away, I don’t love you.”
Living in Mexico, life did not get easier. When I was 12, one of my brothers fell from a bunk bed and died from brain injuries. Dealing with the weight of losing my brother, just two months after the accident, my mom was arrested for illegal activity that sentenced her to 40 years in prison.
With both of my parents gone, my siblings and I were given the opportunity to live at an orphanage run by a local pastor. We had Bible study groups at this orphanage, and although I kept hearing “God loves you,” I was indifferent. I wrestled with understanding why all this would happen to me if God really loved me. All the pain, rejection, and lack of love in my life filled me with anger toward God because I did not understand how He could allow these hardships to happen to my family.
Then, on Christmas Day, during our first year at the orphanage, I finally experienced God’s love for me in a way I could not ignore! That day, every child in the orphanage heard the true meaning of Christmas, the Good News of Jesus Christ, and received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift.
When I opened my shoebox, I saw so many different items inside—school supplies and fun toys. But when I got to the bottom of the shoebox, I discovered a card. Inside this Christmas card was written, “God bless you, and Merry Christmas! Over here you have a huge family that loves you and is praying for you!” Reading these words, I started to cry. Those words were exactly what I needed and what I truly wanted. The walls I built around my heart were breaking down, and I began to feel God’s love in a tangible way. The card I held in my hand was proof of the love for which I longed.
After receiving this shoebox gift, a desire sparked inside me to know more about this Jesus. So, I spent time studying the Bible, learning from my pastor, and discovering more of who Jesus is and what He has done for me. At the age of 13, I accepted Jesus into my heart and determined to follow Him.
Discipleship became a way of life as the pastor at the orphanage invested in me, and I began to have a strong desire to show love to others. I did not want other children to experience the same deep void that left me feeling unloved. At the orphanage, I started caring for the 270 boys and girls by serving them in the soup kitchen. Through serving, I began to recognize the incredible opportunity I had to disciple these children the way I was being discipled by my pastor. When the opportunity arose to teach The Greatest Journey, a 12-lesson follow-up discipleship program for shoebox recipients, I knew this was exactly what God was calling me to do. Teaching The Greatest Journey classes gave me tangible ways to grow in faith together with the children under my care. Biblical principles were woven into daily living as we fed the children, prayed with them, and shared the love of Jesus with them. But we didn't stop there. The goal was to make disciples who would disciple others. I marveled as these beautiful children didn't just accept the love of Jesus but actively shared it.
God used those years to reach me by demonstrating His love for me and then used me to showcase His love to many other children around me. After five years at the orphanage, God continued to show His love through a family that chose us, loved us, and welcomed us into their home in the United States.
After going through many painful years and questioning why God would allow me to experience so much suffering, one Scripture verse has impacted me deeply. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Through every trial, God has always been with me.
Years after receiving my shoebox, while in college, I had my first opportunity to pack shoeboxes with my small group. It was now my turn to be the catalyst in someone else's discipleship journey. I went from receiving the love of God through a shoebox, to leading The Greatest Journey discipleship program, to now having the blessing of packing a shoebox for another child. God brought me full circle. Through Operation Christmas Child, God changed my life, and now I continue sharing that blessing.
We do not know how God will use each of us in the lives around us. For me, a shoebox became a tangible representation of God's love. I received a love I never expected. Walls around my heart crumbled, and the beginning of my discipleship journey was ignited. For millions of children, a simple shoebox gift can break barriers that make them feel hopeless, unseen, or unloved. A simple toy, a personal letter, a family picture, or the shoebox itself can demonstrate God’s love in beautiful ways. Every shoebox brings hope and joy to a child. Every shoebox is an opportunity for the seed of the gospel to be planted. As you lead in ministry or in your own family, you can show God's love to others, be part of someone’s discipleship journey, and equip children around the world to face the challenges of living for Christ.
To learn more about how you can get involved with a child's discipleship journey through Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.
