International student shares firsthand account of shoebox ministry’s impact, encourages others to donate

For many Liberty University students, participating in the annual Operation Christmas Child collection through Samaritan’s Purse is a way to get involved with global mission work. But for some, it’s a way to give back to the very ministry that impacted their lives at a young age.

Junior business administration and data analysis student Anu Ayurzana grew up in Bayankhongor, Mongolia, in a traditional “ger” — a tent-style one-room family dwelling. Mongolia’s climate can be extreme during the hottest and coldest parts of the year. Even after moving out of the ger into a more common home, her family relied on a coal stove for heat.

“The coal stoves contributed significantly to the air pollution in my area, so going to school early in the morning was a struggle because there was really heavy air pollution and it would be dark and cold,” Ayurzana said. “Sometimes it felt like I was in a horror movie scene.”

Christmas celebrations were a novelty to Ayurzana; the holiday is not commonly celebrated in Mongolia. She was 5 years old when she was handed a shoebox gift from Operation Christmas Child and remembers her first thought was that she had been handed to hold it temporarily or to give to somebody else. Instead, she found out it was intended for her.

“The woman told me, ‘This is a gift from God, just for you. God loves you and sees you, and He loves you so much that He wants you to have something so special,’” Ayurzana said. “When she told me that, it just opened my eyes and my heart to recognize that there was a God who knew me personally and who loves me.”

She said the experience, combined with her naturally curious and outgoing mindset growing up, prompted her to learn English and attend school in the U.S. so she could learn more about God.

“That was one of the best things possible that could happen to me in my life because that was a seed that God planted in my heart,” she said. “That was actually the foundation of my faith and love for God, because since then I have never doubted God’s existence.”

Ayurzana did not encounter Operation Christmas Child again until several years later, when she was at Liberty and saw the logo on a table manned by Samaritan’s Purse representatives participating in the school’s annual Global Focus Week. She struck up a conversation with them, sharing her memories of receiving a shoebox and thanking them for their work in the ministry. Now, having reconnected with the ministry that changed her life all those years ago, she serves as an official spokesperson for Operation Christmas Child, traveling to different churches to share about the ministry.

As a student, Ayurzana is involved with Liberty’s OCC Club on campus, helping to create the same life-changing encounter that she experienced for other children around the world. The club coordinates with other Liberty clubs, organizations, departments, and residence halls to distribute and collect shoebox gifts on campus. The club has even had other members throughout the years who, like Ayurzana, received shoeboxes earlier in life.

Last year, Liberty collected 2,250 shoeboxes, but this year’s goal is a bit more ambitious: 10,000 boxes.

Abby Salmon, a senior business administration student and president of the OCC Club, said the club members “saw the potential of Liberty and wanted to grow (the project) a lot more.”

The club is working with multiple departments across campus, including the Office of Spiritual Development, to raise awareness and encourage residence halls and commuter students to participate. The campuswide drop-off date is Nov. 11, when shoeboxes will be collected during Campus Community on the Vines Center concourse. The Liberty community group that packs the most boxes will receive a private catered dinner with Chancellor Jonathan Falwell, Vice President of OSD Josh Rutledge, and President Dondi E. Costin.

The OCC Club will host a packing party, where students, faculty, and staff can sign up for time slots to pack boxes with donated materials from 3-8 p.m. Nov. 13 at the LaHaye Courts 6-9.

“We’re trying to remind students and put them in the mindset of being generous and stewarding what the Lord has blessed us with,” Salmon said. “Being able to impact the nations from our campus is really cool, and to do that with your friends and community and come together to pray for the people who are going to be receiving boxes just goes far beyond what we could even ask for.”