At a church in Nicaragua, 12-year-old Bismarck received a Christmas shoebox gift that changed his life, and through him, the lives of many others. 

“Before that gift, I didn’t know what a gift was” he said. “The gifts helped us understand that we were special to God and that people in Canada cared for us”.

The shoebox contained a soccer ball, and at 16 he set out to share the love of Christ that he had discovered with other children in the poorest communities. He established relationships with the street kids through community soccer games, and shared the Good News about Jesus with all who would listen.

Bismarck has now pastored 5 churches in Nicaragua, and looks forward every year to being the giver of shoeboxes not the recipient. “A shoebox can move not just the heart of a child or a family, but the whole community” he says. “I consider it a miracle”.