By Church Planter Valmori Zelaya 

Chinameca, El Salvador

Through Everlasting Smiles Shoebox Ministry, thousands of children have heard the message of Jesus Christ. Each year thousands of shoeboxes are packaged by BMA church members to be distributed to children, many who have never experienced the joy of a Christmas gift.  These small inexpensive items in each box not only bring incredible joy but also open the hearts of children and their parents to hear the saving message of Jesus through local BMA missionaries. Thank you for your support for Everlasting Smiles. Here are some ways your gifts are being used:

Chinameca is a rural area in El Salvador with approximately 45 to 50 families dedicated mainly to agricultural work. In 2020, my family had the opportunity to have the first outreach with the children through the delivery of shoeboxes to celebrate Christmas. Thanks to the support of the Everlasting Smiles ministry, we were able to bring many gifts to these children who come from low-income families. Most have never received such a beautiful gift on this special date at Christmas. 

It is worth mentioning that they received not only a material gift, but also the best gift of all: They heard about Jesus, our almighty Savior.  From that moment, God placed a heavy burden on our hearts to begin working with all the children in this place. Without a doubt, God used this activity to guide us to make the decision to go as missionaries and reach this community for God and continue to enlarge his kingdom by making disciples. 

Not everything has been easy. To do this ministry, we had to make the hard decision to change our jobs so we can fully dedicate our lives to make His name known not only in this community but also throughout this region of our country. We give glory to God for allowing us to be part of the first Life Center Mission in east El Salvador. We have received God’s calling on our lives and we pray that He will use us as instruments that bring blessings to others.

Under the leadership of Pastor Rigoberto Jiménez Cruz, and the support of BMA Missions, we will continue to make the name of Jesus famous in this place. God bless you. We ask for your prayers for us, for our community of Chinameca, and especially for the children. We have no doubt about the great need for Jesus that they and their families have.

By Oscar Gaitan

BMA Missionary
Nicaragua

Nicaragua is one of the many countries that has been blessed with Everlasting Smiles shoeboxes. The journey does not begin in a port; it begins in each heart that decides to share this miracle of happiness with thousands of children. It begins the moment you decide to pack a box and start choosing the toys. The brightness of joy on each child’s face is inexplicable, when in their hands they get not only a box containing toys, but a box backed by prayers and satisfaction by sharing these toys. 

It is not only carrying and giving away a box, but it is the means we use to open hearts and to be able to carry with it the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as the continuity of visits, contacts, and doors that are opened to spread the gospel. 

We thank the shoebox ministry and each hand that carefully packs these beautiful gifts. With them we have been able to reach with joy the more than thirty churches and missions of our association, hospitals, schools, orphanages, cleaning workers in towns, teachers, and police officers. By proudly carrying those boxes to be delivered, it makes me think of our Lord and Master Jesus carrying with them the boxes, but more important, the gospel just as Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” in Matthew 9:35. 

There is a place in Nicaragua that takes about eighteen hours to get to and where we leave these boxes it is tiring and very long, but seeing the happiness of the children, eighteen hours is not a long way. Thank you for continuing to support the shoeboxes and being part of the blessings that God gives us to continue expanding the kingdom of God and establishing new missions.