ROCHESTER N.Y. – A shoebox full of gifts changed someone’s life forever.

“We needed something simple to remind us that we have not been forgotten," said shoebox recipient Alex Nsengimana, who shared his testimony at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship in Brockport Saturday afternoon.

He talks of childhood days at the orphanage following the Rwandan genocide and how at 6 years old, a box of goodies gave him hope.

“When I saw the school supplies, the hygiene items, the little toy cars and the bouncy balls – these items reminded me that someone out there was thinking about me and that I was special,” says Nsengimana. “I was not forgotten because of everything that happened in my life.”

It’s called ‘Operation Christmas Child,’ a Samaritan's Purse project.

The organization collects and delivers millions of gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 150 countries and territories, since starting in 1993.

Joel Slesak, area coordinator of the Finger Lakes West Operation Christmas Child, said, “The message is to bring the hope and love of Jesus to the children all over the world and we do that in a very tangible way; really exciting to be able to see how people really resonate in that message and how they reflect on it.”

Odyssey Academy student and shoebox maker Patsy Oberholzer, 13, said Nsengimana’s story spoke to her.

“The story was so powerful,” said Oberholzer. “It all starts with you and many more of that can happen by just packing a single box.”

Slesak says Finger Lakes West includes Monroe, Wayne, Livingston and Ontario Counties.

They have already reached 20,000 boxes. As part of the project’s 25th anniversary, it is the hope to receive 5,000 more.

For more information on how to get involved, visit the Finger Lakes West website and Samaritan's Purse's website.