The Best of the ICFW Archives: Operation Christmas Child in Papua New Guinea

Narelle here. I’d like to welcome my dear friend, Marie Barendrecht, to our blog today. Marie (far right in the photo) has recently returned from a Discovery Trip with Samaritan’s Purse in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Narelle: What drives your passion for Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child?

Marie: I grew up in Namibia and South Africa, and I’ve seen extreme poverty up close. The kids in receiving countries of Operation Christmas Child boxes are very poor, and the shoe boxes open doors for Samaritan’s Purse church partners to plant churches and provide clean water systems, sanitation, health training and emergency relief. Every country has different needs and Samaritan’s Purse works with local churches to enable the local people to work in their community.

Narelle: Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a small country to the north of Australia. Tell us about the children you met in PNG and their living conditions.

Marie: In Port Moresby, the children live in settlements, which are tin shacks with poor sanitation and limited access to running water (see photo above). There are so many orphaned and abandoned children in the settlements.

Read more at the following link:

http://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/operation-christmas-child-in-papua-new.html