I recently had the chance to talk with Anita Brady and Veronica Miranda from Operation Christmas Child. Anita is the area coordinator and Veronica has an incredible story to share about being a recipient of a shoebox when she was a child.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Veronica was placed in foster care at age 8 when her parents went to jail on drug-related charges. Veronica and her sister were separated from their two brothers for six months before their mother relocated with them to Mexico. Their father remained in prison.
While living in Mexico, one of Veronica’s brothers fell from a bunk bed, dying of brain injuries. Two months after the accident, their mom was arrested for illegal activity—sentenced to 40 years in prison. Veronica and her siblings went to live in a Christian orphanage. At age 13, Veronica received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift there on Christmas Day.
Her favorite item was the letter she received from the family who had packed the shoebox with gifts. It gave her hope and comfort to read, “Know that you have a family here that is praying for you.”
During a service where some children at the orphanage were giving testimonies about following Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Veronica gave her life to Him. She began mentoring the younger children there, including helping them to learn more about Jesus through The Greatest Journey, the follow-up discipleship program for shoebox recipients.
Listen to Veronica tell her incredible story below and learn how you can make a difference in a child's life.