How many operation christmas child boxes

Fact Sheet: Operation Christmas Child

What is Operation Christmas Child?

The Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child collects shoebox gifts‑filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—and delivers them to children in need around the world to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way. For many of these children, the gift—filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, has collected and delivered more than 198 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, the project expects to collect its 200 millionth gift-filled shoebox!

Process

Anyone can pack a shoebox. Individuals, families, churches and groups fill empty shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys, such as dolls or soccer balls.

During National Collection Week (Nov. 14–21, 2022), Samaritan’s Purse will collect the gift‑filled shoeboxes at nearly 5,000 drop‑off locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Learn how to pack a shoebox, view gift suggestions, get your Follow Your Box label and find the nearest drop‑off location at samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Do not include candy; toothpaste; used or damaged items; war‑related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; seeds; chocolate or food; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items, such as snow globes or glass containers; or aerosol cans.

Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through Follow Your Box and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.

Participants who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.

Shoebox gifts are prepared for overseas shipment at eight major processing centers across the U.S.—Atlanta; Baltimore/Washington; Boone, North Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas/Fort Worth; Denver; Chicago; and Fullerton, California.

Scope

Shoebox gifts are collected in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.

After collecting 10.5 million shoeboxes globally in 2021, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoeboxes to reach 11 million children in 2022, with 9.4 million of these boxes coming from the U.S.

Over 498,000 volunteers worldwide—with nearly 200,000 of those in the U.S.—are involved in collecting, shipping and distributing shoebox gifts.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Samaritan’s Purse currently works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty and famine.

Eternal Impact

Delivered into the hands of children through local churches, every shoebox gift is an opportunity to share about Jesus Christ and God’s love.

Since 2009, more than 30.9 million children who have received a shoebox gift have participated in The Greatest Journey—a 12‑lesson discipleship program. Children learn from trained, local volunteers what it means to follow Jesus and share their faith with friends and family.

Social Media

To spread the word, tag Operation Christmas Child on any social media posts related to the project. You can also share your shoebox stories and photos by emailing them to [email protected]. Your content may be used on national social media pages. Be sure to like, comment and share Operation Christmas Child posts.

Operation Christmas Child on Social Media

Facebook @OperationChristmasChild
Twitter @occ_shoeboxes
Instagram @operationchristmaschild

Multimedia Resources

high-res photos
broadcast-quality b-roll

Samaritan’s Purse is an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Since 1993, more than 198 million Operation Christmas Child gift‑filled shoeboxes have been distributed to children in more than 170 countries and territories. To learn about year‑round and seasonal volunteer opportunities or to serve with Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ.

Operation Christmas Child 2019 Special Report

“Every box is an opportunity to reach a child with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ”—Franklin Graham
President, Samaritan's Purse

Bahamas

Liberia

Moldova

Colombia

Thailand

Your Shoebox Gifts Travel to the Ends of the Earth!

Many children around the world have never heard the Gospel message of eternal life in Jesus Christ. They live in hard-to-reach, impoverished communities where parents struggle to provide the basics. Rarely, if ever, do the children receive a present that's just for them.

This year, more than 10. 5 million children in over 100 countries and territories received shoeboxes full of special gifts. And, for the first time, these children heard that God loves them. This has resulted in evangelism, discipleship, and multiplication across the world!

Shoeboxes were packed by individuals and families in 10 countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Island Nations Receive the Gospel

Just a few months before children on the island of Saipan received shoebox gifts, they were in the middle of a terrifying typhoon that damaged and destroyed thousands of homes. Some families lost all their personal belongings and could not return home for weeks or months.

The shoebox gifts brought joy, hope, and excitement to children who had survived this powerful typhoon. Most importantly, the children heard that God loves them and had not forgotten them.

The distribution on Saipan was part of an initiative launched by Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham to distribute shoeboxes to 1,000 Pacific islands in the next five years.

Some of the same local churches that worked with us during our disaster response partnered with us again and hosted these shoebox outreach events in areas hit hard by the storm. Read the Full Story →

“Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!”—Isaiah 42:10

Saipan

Kiribati

Saipan

A Family Transformed by the Gospel

Bryce's mother couldn't believe that someone she had never met would send her 4-year-old son a shoebox filled with books, cars, and hygiene items. She was so moved by this incredible generosity that she encouraged her son to attend the church where he received the shoebox.

A few years later, Bryce accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. He boldly shared the Gospel with his family and now his parents and brothers are Christians, too!

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”—Romans 10:13

“I am so grateful for the one who packed the shoebox that changed our lives—as a whole family,” his mother said.

Shoebox gifts collected in 2019 will be distributed to 118 countries and territories, including 27 hard-to-reach countries not named for security reasons.

Pacific Islands 80,000+ Shoeboxes 8 Countries

South America 1,575,000+ Shoeboxes 12 Countries

Central America
& Caribbean 1,860,000+ Shoeboxes 14 Countries

Europe 792,000+ Shoeboxes 16 Countries

Africa 4,009,000+ Shoeboxes 36 Countries

Asia* 994,700+ Shoeboxes 5 Countries *We are working in many Asian countries that cannot be named.

Countries not named
for security reasons 1,226,000+ Shoeboxes 27 Countries

Helping the Next Generation Follow Christ

4.3 Million Enrolled in The Greatest Journey 2.2 Million Reported Decisions for Jesus Christ

Queen lives in a poor village in Botswana where children rarely receive presents, not even on their birthdays or Christmas. So, Queen was thrilled when she opened her Operation Christmas Child shoebox and saw all the wonderful gifts.

Her favorite item was a toothbrush—she had never had a toothbrush.

The young girl put her faith in Jesus Christ after learning through The Greatest Journey lessons that God created her and loves her. Now, Queen wants to become a Sunday School teacher and help others grow in their faith.

“I want to help my friends by teaching them about God and what He has done.” Read the Full Story →

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”—1 Timothy 4:12

The Greatest Journey Celebrates 10 Years

2009 The Greatest Journey Begins 23.3 Million Children Enrolled 11. 2 Million Reported Decisions for Jesus Christ

The Greatest Journey began in 2009 in Ecuador, and now, 10 years later, children in Ecuador and all over the world are still being taught God’s Word and how to share their faith with family and friends.

The remote jungle village of Sicha Puma in Ecuador has no electricity or running water. Children must walk almost one hour to reach the nearest school. Jobs are scarce, and poverty fuels desperation and despair.

Yet, Flor and other members of the village's small church refused to give up hope of a better life for the children. They had been praying for a way to teach the children about God. They wanted them to learn to follow God and avoid the pitfalls of alcoholism that so tightly gripped many of their parents.

Their prayers were answered when an Operation Christmas Child outreach event came to the community and children were excited to participate in The Greatest Journey. The children needed a place to meet, and all Flor had to offer was her simple wood and tin house along a dusty road, but she was eager to do so.

Ecuador Children who participated in The Greatest Journey still meet at Flor’s home for weekly Bible study.

The children enjoyed the discipleship lessons so much that although the program is finished, they still gather on Flor's porch every week for Bible study.

“My entire heart is in The Greatest Journey,” Flor said. “Having the children here in my home is the greatest thing because they have a chance to be saved.”

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.”—Deuteronomy 6:6–7

Ecuador

Botswana

Georgia

South Africa

Starting Churches Where There Are None

For 20 years, Pastor Jose trekked up and down a curvy, steep, and often flooded mountain road to share God's love with the indigenous Nahuatl people. Although his journey was dangerous, and the people were not interested in the Gospel, he did not give up—he believed that God had a special plan for this remote mountain community.

When the pastor heard that an Operation Christmas Child outreach event was coming to the village he knew this was the answer to many years of praying. He rejoiced when God used Operation Christmas Child to bring dozens of children to faith. The community did not have a church building, so Pastor Jose taught the children The Greatest Journey discipleship lessons under a mango tree.

Mexico Edward Graham, right, youngest son of Franklin Graham, met with Pastor Jose Benitez while in La Laguna for the church dedication celebration.

Pastor Jose has had polio since age 2 and uses a scooter to get around since he can't walk. He wears a glove on the one hand that he uses to push the scooter. “This has not been an impediment in any way to take the Gospel to those who need it,” he said. “It's God who brought me to this place.”

In 2019, the community dedicated its first church building and celebrated the baptisms of children who became Christians during Operation Christmas Child.

The Nahuatl are considered to be unreached because their population is less than 2 percent evangelical Christian.

“And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”—Romans 10:14

The Gospel Comes to the Himba

The Himba in Namibia are also unreached and in 2019 they, too, dedicated their first ever church to God's glory.

Namibia The church in Ombaka grew as shoebox recipients spread the Gospel among their family and friends.

The church started after children heard the Gospel and placed their trust in God during an Operation Christmas Child event and The Greatest Journey. As the children shared the Good News with family and friends, more people came to faith and the church continued to grow.

“Before Operation Christmas Child came, we had never heard of Jesus. Now, we have abandoned witchdoctors and seek God alone in prayer and worship,” said Pastor Kuyelia.

Namibia

Mexico

They Got a Shoebox, Now They’re Giving Back

40,740 Shoeboxes given in Georgia 140,000 Children Enrolled 53,000 Reported Decisions for Jesus Christ

Darina grew up in a home where her father was often drunk. He abused her mother and beat Darina and her siblings. Darina's father spent all of his money to feed his drinking habit, leaving the family unable to buy enough food.

One day, she prayed to God: “If you really exist, please help me and change my life.”

A year later, Darina received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift during a distribution in her small village in the country of Georgia. She began attending Bible studies at the church where she received the shoebox. She learned more about God and committed her life to Jesus Christ at age 15.

“I will never forget that day,” Darina said. “I was the happiest person.”

As she grew in faith, she began telling her neighbors about Jesus. She also made the decision to forgive her father for his actions.

Darina continued to see God at work in her life when she met her husband at a Christian camp. Now, they serve the Lord together with their young daughter.

Georgia About 140,000 children have learned more about God and His Word through The Greatest Journey.

Darina is helping her church distribute Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts and she also teaches The Greatest Journey discipleship course to the boys and girls who receive these gift-filled shoeboxes.

Ecuador Diana received a shoebox gift when she was 8 years old. Now, she helps host outreach events and teaches The Greatest Journey.

Across the world in Ecuador, Diana, 28, hosts shoebox distribution events at the Christian camp and conference center where she and her husband are coordinators and counselors. They also teach The Greatest Journey.

Diana received a shoebox when she was 8 years old: “That day I felt loved because people who didn't know me gave me a gift. It changed my life. It was a beautiful gift from God.”

Diana began attending church and a few years later she gave her heart to Jesus. Diana prays that the children she reaches now through Operation Christmas Child will also grow up to serve God.

“Everything they receive in the shoeboxes may get lost, but what they won't lose, which is something I have never lost, is the love of God. ”

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”—2 Corinthians 5:17

Georgia

Ecuador

The Right Box for the Right Child

Duke had prayed many years for one thing—something to protect his feet as he ran and played on the blistering, dusty, and dirty ground. He had to borrow shoes because he had never owned any of his own. During an outreach event in Duke's community in South Africa, the young boy was thrilled to open his shoebox and find a pair of red flip-flops!

South Africa Duke found a pair of flip-flops in his shoebox—the very gift he had prayed to receive!

And when Vanessa found a Bible in her shoebox, she knew God was at work in her life. Vanessa had come to faith in Christ a few months earlier and desperately wanted a copy of God's Word. She starting reading the Scriptures right away, went through The Greatest Journey, and grew in her relationship with God.

South Africa Vanessa, center, received a certificate and New Testament Bible after graduating from The Greatest Journey

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights. ”—James 1:7

Working Together to Bring Good News and Great Joy

4,713 Drop-off Locations 84,543 Drop-off Location Volunteers 8 Processing Centers 112,000 Processing Center Volunteers

“As we touch each shoebox, we’re lifting them up in prayer—the child that will get it, the country it's going to, the impact it will have,” said Mary Moore, shoebox drop-off location team leader in Belle, Missouri.

U.S.A. Volunteers prepare shoeboxes for international shipment at eight processing centers across the country.

Mary attends First Baptist Church, which is the drop-off location for Belle community. For the past 23 years, the church has hosted an Operation Christmas Child dedication service and churches from the area come together and pray over the shoeboxes they have packed.

Shoebox gifts collected at First Baptist and at nearly 5,000 other drop-off locations across the country are then transported to one of eight processing centers where volunteers will inspect and prepare the boxes for international shipment.

In addition to processing center and drop-off location volunteers, God is also using our year-round volunteers who serve in a number of unique roles, such as community relations, logistics, prayer mobilization, student relations, and church relations.

During the 2019 Shoebox Roadshow we met a number of shoebox packers who are sending great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ across the globe. Our team traveled to different stops across the country to see how individuals, families, and churches are being creative as they support the ministry of Operation Christmas Child! Read the Full Story →

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.”—Ephesians 2:10

Thank you for your faithful prayers and continued support of Operation Christmas Child. Please join us in praying for boys and girls all over the world to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and for their lives to bring Him much glory.

60 years ago two planes collided over New York

On December 16, 1960, two passenger planes collided over New York. 134 people died, including six on the ground. In terms of the number of victims, the plane crash was the largest for its time.

On December 16, 1960, two aircraft collided in the sky over New York City - a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 (UAL 826 flight) and a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation (TWA 266 flight). The first airliner crashed into the Park Slope area of Brooklyn and caught fire. Its fragments only miraculously did not get into the wooden houses and the school.

Second plane crashed on Staten Island. As one of the eyewitnesses noted, the state of emergency reminded him of the bombing and burning villages during the Korean War. The fire on the ground killed six people. The total number of victims was 134.

It was the largest air crash for its time.

100%

With just over a week left until Christmas, the Americans were busy with pre-holiday activities. On that Friday morning, the sky was overcast with clouds: it was snowing with rain. Around 10 a. m., the roar of aircraft engines was heard over the heads of New Yorkers. One of the cars flew so low that you could see the face of the co-pilot.

The two flights were not supposed to meet in the air. UAL 826 with 76 passengers on board was on its way from Chicago to Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy Airport). The second aircraft was flying from Dayton with a stop in Columbus and was carrying 39 passengers. He was supposed to land at LaGuardia Airport.

Shortly before the planned landing, at 1021 hours, the commander of the Douglas DC-8 reported the failure of the second navigation receiver.

This made it difficult to navigate in space under instrument flight conditions. At the same time, Lockheed was preparing for landing. Suddenly, a flare appeared on the radar screen at the New York Air Traffic Control Center, heading towards him.

The wreckage of a United Airlines airliner on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, December 16, 1960 The aftermath of the crash of a Douglas DC-8 aircraft on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, December 16, 1960 Extinguishing a fire caused by a plane crash in Brooklyn, New York, December 16, 1960 Eyewitnesses to the crash of a Douglas DC-8 belonging to United Airlines at the scene of the tragedy, December 16, 1960 Extinguishing a fire that arose as a result of a plane crash in Brooklyn, New York, December 16 1960

You can see the full gallery
in a separate report

See photo

The dispatcher saw her. He tried to warn the crew, although he was not completely sure of the threat of a collision: the radars of that time did not display altitude. The controller mistook the Douglas DC-8 for a fighter from the Miller Field airbase, which Lockheed was flying past at that moment. He put this assumption on the air. The PIC of Flight TWA 266 was asked to turn right. However, the controller did not receive confirmation of the command from the crew. For several minutes, he unsuccessfully tried to contact the cockpit of the aircraft.

In turn, the UAL 826 crew made a mistake with the coordinates transmitted to the ground: they reported approaching Preston, although they were already far behind it. At 10 hours 33 minutes and 33 seconds, 18 km northeast of the indicated point at the western end of Miller Field, a Douglas DC-8 rammed a Lockheed at a speed of 557 km / h at an altitude of 1600 m.

Jet engines penetrated its fuselage . One of the passengers of TWA Flight 266 was sucked into the far right engine of the DC-8. The damage to Lockheed was more serious. Moments later, he fell to the ground, while the second airliner flew with a burning wing. At the last moment, the DC-8 pilots managed to get him away from the school building. It crashed into the church with its right wing and exploded. The left wing entered a residential building, the severed tail fell at the crossroads. As the newspapers wrote the next day, the consequences could have been even more serious, since there were two gas stations on the trajectory of Douglas: the airliner only miraculously did not ram them.

100%

At around 10:40 one of the photographers was walking to work on the Park Slope. He saw the fall of Lockheed, grabbed his camera and took the first pictures from the scene of the tragedy.

“Some time ago, a large United Airline plane fell out of the sky onto residential buildings. Right now, fire is bursting out of buildings and flaring up thanks to the wind and cold. Several bodies have already been removed from the scene. Cars parked in the middle of the street burned down. They are being evacuated,” a WNYC Radio reporter reported from the scene.

He asked the rescue officer some questions. He said that this was one of the worst disasters he had ever seen. The reporter broadcast that firefighters were "pouring tons of water on burning structures," and "charred bodies" were lying on the street.

“Looking up, I saw something silvery, rapidly diving,” said the priest who witnessed the tragedy. “Then there was an explosion. I ran around the corner of the house, I saw that the whole street was on fire. The flame rose to a height of 15 meters. Obviously, people were killed in the houses on both sides of the street.”

New Yorkers reacted immediately to the incident. Approximately 200 firefighters, police and Red Cross volunteers, as well as Boy Scouts, rushed to the scene. Hospitals sent ambulances to Miller Field. A military helicopter arrived to transport the wounded.

However, there was no one to save. Only one passenger survived the crash - 11-year-old passenger on UAL 826 flight Steven Baltz. He flew alone to New York to celebrate Christmas with his family. When the plane broke into pieces, the boy was thrown into a snowdrift. The residents who came running quickly knocked the flames off him. Balts was urgently hospitalized. In the hospital, he came to his senses and managed to tell everything that he remembered about the moment preceding the disaster. Later, a nurse on duty at the child's bedside claimed that when he woke up, he spoke to her in a healthy voice.

Still, Balz's injuries were too severe to hope for recovery. After the tragedy, he lived only a day, dying at 10 am on Saturday from pneumonia caused by lung burns.

Six people died on the ground: a 90-year-old church caretaker, a snow-shoveling janitor, two Christmas tree dealers, a store clerk, and a doctor walking a dog.

For the first time in the investigation of the crash, data from the black boxes were studied. The final report was released in the summer of 1962 years old. The experts concluded that the Douglas DC-8 crossed the permitted borders during the landing approach, leaving the airspace assigned to it. The reason for this was the high speed of the aircraft when approaching Preston, combined with a change in clearance, which reduced the distance along the route by 18 km.

Christmas story | IT management

The idea for this article came from nowhere. During the VII CIO summit in the Moscow region, on the sidelines, I was unexpectedly puzzled by the question: “What would you be interested in reading about in the next issue of IT Manager?”.

I thought about it, and decided to start by listing what it would be completely uninteresting for me to read about. This, at least, will not limit anyone's imagination. And I quite honestly answered that I was very tired of reading articles in the style of Jerome Montmorency. Remember? "Oh, how bad this world is, and how I would like to make it just a little bit better. "

The list looks like this:
• "Yaroslavna's Cry" on the topic "well, why does the" business "do not understand the CIO, and how to achieve" mutual love ".
• "Hunting stories" about what is ERP or ITSM or virtualization or something else, and how the author successfully implemented all this.
• How free software differs from free software, and why you need to think first before doing anything.
• Articles by developers, integrators, sellers and implementers on the topic of what you need to buy from them in order for world peace to come.

Not knowing the ford is more likely to drown yourself

I mentioned that lately I have been interested in strategic management and systems psychology. And what, in general, as Anatoly Tenzer wisely said in his time, “The IT director must solve strategic and personnel issues. And if he decides any other issues, it's time to solve the personnel issue.

“Very good,” the Editor replied. - We decided to dedicate the New Year's issue to sex in the life of CIO. Will you write an article for us? Only extreme fatigue can explain why I thoughtlessly nodded my head. And, I swear, it happened during the day, and I have not taken a drop of alcohol for more than a week. Apparently, this state of regular systematic underdrinking caused a low blood alcohol content. Which, combined with checking OU management student tests while reading a couple of books by Bert Hellinger, plus the prospect of reading OU strategy course textbooks, caused a temporary clouding of consciousness. Anyway, I agreed.

The taste and color of all felt-tip pens are different!

The next time we met was at my place, at the Kay headquarters. "So what about the article?" the Editor inquired. I asked what aspects of sex in life the CIO wanted to know about the respected publication. The editor explained that the magazine "IT Manager" is not a yellow press, and something is needed ... "sort of." There was one last chance. “But why me?!” “Well, you…” The editor made an inimitable rotational gesture with his left hand at his temple. "You are... a philosopher!" Do you mind if we put your photo on the cover? “Wow, sex symbol CIO,” I thought. And when did I manage to earn the appropriate reputation? But it was too late to retreat, and to show fear is not worthy of a man. “Not in a suit, please,” was all I could say. - I hate costumes. Besides, I don't have any."

Have you tried taking an encephalogram on potatoes?

The deadline for submitting the article was inexorably approaching along with the vacation. Okay, what are the options?
For example, CIO Kama Sutra. Installing the operating system, pose "server from below"? Excellent! But who is on top? BUT? Won't go. Directors do not install servers.

Okay, then, for example, “Seducing the board of directors. How to put articles in the budget already at the first meeting? But such hard porn, and even with elements of BDSM, the editors simply will not miss. In addition, I have never done this myself, I am generally outside strong family relationships.

And if “How to build relationships with users. Pickup in practice? Hmm... Where am I and where is the pickup?
As the holidays approached, so did the stress at work. Three projects entered the final stage. And everyone who has completed projects knows perfectly well that this is the “sex in the life of a CIO”. Moreover, with elements of violence, because the leg falls off to kick everyone in the appropriate places. But I did not want to write about it at all.

It was only on the plane, after about 23 hours of flight, when I filled out a tricky entry form and ticked the box "sex - male", it dawned on me. Sex is just sex. I mean, gender.

And I decided to write a Christmas story. About how beautiful fairies from the customer support entered the life of our all-male IT department. According to the canonical recipe: at first everything is bad, then a fairy appears, and everything becomes good.
So, a Christmas story

Rake running as a sport

Key's IT department is almost as old as Key itself. For a long time it consisted of me, and in three guises: sales assistant - programmer - sysadmin, then store administrator - programmer - sysadmin, then chief accountant - programmer - sysadmin. As the CEO said at the time, “In order to automate something, you need to instruct Weinberg to do it by hand. For more than three days he is not able to do something with his hands, on the fourth he will begin to automate it.
The company grew, the IT department grew. As now, it was a close-knit team of tough guys who, sometimes “up to the elbows in blood” and day and night, ensured the operation of the company’s infrastructure. I will never forget how, in response to my request to buy a couple of patch panels, the commercial director delicately advised me not to engage in nonsense. And just take nails and a hammer and nail as many RJ45 sockets to the board as I see fit. In this struggle, we have hardened and were quite confident that we can cope with all conceivable and unimaginable problems.

There were no ideas to somehow dilute this male community. It was obvious to everyone that the IT girl was something like a guinea pig, which, as you know, is neither a guinea pig nor a pig. In addition, freedom of speech and expression reigned in the department, which we valued very much. Ideas and opinions were expressed directly, in exactly the same words with which they were born in men's heads. Any piece of iron or program consisted of their crap, bullshit and cross-cutting, and all parts were absolutely interchangeable. The work was organized simply. When something went awry, users called a “familiar” engineer, and he either solved the problem himself or redirected the user to colleagues. We never heard of any ITSM and ITIL at that time.

Fantastic is the essence of reality

However, as the number of workstations in the network began to approach 500, we began to notice that more and more of our time is spent on telephone conversations and correspondence with users, and less and less - on the actual work. By the end of the day, we tumbled out of the office in a state of "the work is completely satisfying, because after it the girls no longer want to." But at the same time, they understood that less and less had been done. As one Persian shah, not otherwise an “IT specialist,” said, tired of wandering around the harem, choosing a wife on duty: “It’s not work that tires, but the fuss around it.”

Salvation came in the form of an on-duty invitation to attend a course on organizing the work of the IT department with unknown abbreviations ITIL-ITSM. After three days of “listening”, I was inspired by the idea to organize at least a single point of reception for all incident reports and change requests.
In my imagination, there were female students communicating with users. And engineers busily engaged in highly professional engineering work.

However, when I described this blissful picture to my tough guys, their skepticism knew no bounds. Girl-"IT specialist"?! It can't be, because it can never be! She must: know the organizational structure of the company, users, information infrastructure, be intelligent, be able to communicate . .. In short, as the Strugatskys wrote, “it doesn’t happen.” All I could retort with was the phrase: “But, if it works out, then no calls from users.” And, oddly enough, it worked.

Transferring this blissful picture to paper in the form of a report to the board of directors and coloring the opening prospects in blue and pink tones, I quickly received a vague resolution from the board of directors: "You know better." The budget was allocated very modestly.

Athlete, Komsomol member and simply beautiful!

One fine morning, one of our system administrators reported that in the Far Far Away Kingdom, in the Far Far Away ... er ... well, in one of our stores there is a girl who is already very tired of working as a salesperson and is ready even for that to earn less. "Pretty?" I asked automatically. "Well, you mean smart?" The sysadmin smiled enigmatically.
A day later, the door opened, and She entered the large room where we all lived. Blonde. Short, slender, with a stunning figure. Legs from under the shoulder blades. Gait "softer from the hip". A narrow top on a fantastically beautiful bust. Huge, on the floor of the face, eyes, with long eyelashes. Small upturned nose and charming lips. Behind the SysAdmin grinned rather. I don’t know what she thought of us when she heard the dull thud of five jaws that had fallen off. A barely audible, but clearly perceptible rustle of straightened shoulders, retracted stomachs and protruding strong-willed chins swept through the room.

"Well... hmmm... mmm... uh..." I finally said very resourcefully. "And... uh.. mmm... ahh... what do we actually... know-can do?". And here the jaws fell on the table a second time. Because the girl "knew and knew how." Red Diploma of LETI, postgraduate study, teaching. By the very, that neither is, IT specialty. Attempts to intimidate with the burden of work and the specifics of the team did not bring success. The jaws were picked up again, the girl was sent home for the subject: "You think about why you need it, and we'll think about why we need you. "

I have gathered a pack council. The flock unanimously decided that we were taking it. I, as a leader, took the floor and "spoke to the disorder of the day." Observing the dreamy expression on the faces of the fighters, I briefly said that, firstly, if someone sends a girl on maternity leave, he himself will stand watch for her, and on a voluntary basis. Secondly, I strictly warned that we DO NOT use abstentive vocabulary with girls, so I will ask you to carefully choose expressions. I didn’t know what to come up with “in the third”, and a wonderful creature has firmly entered our lives. An internal, unified telephone number for the whole of Russia * 9 was used11, internal messenger login 911 and mailbox with the same name. The user support service is up and running.

Hello, garage? Call the modem!

The first test, as it should be in a real Christmas fairy tale, took place on the very first day. One of the guys awkwardly turned around and brought down a pile of computer cases on his comrade. The roar subsided. There was dead silence. And she heard the voice of the victim. “Colleague,” he said gloomily, “how awkward you are today.”

And then everyday life flew by. Another fairy appeared, with luxurious golden hair and an amazing sense of humor. There was no way we could limit ourselves to one, because no fairy can work 7 days a week for 12 hours a day. Then we had to delicately explain to individual users that the rules of good manners are the same for everyone, regardless of position. And that we are very careful about our girls, and everyone will have to take this into account. Then we engaged in self-discipline and disciplined users, weaning them from calling directly to their “favorite engineers” instead of contacting 911. It was a viscous mantra: “Good-day-I will-now-pass-the-pipe-to-the-operator-and-you-to-her-tell-everything-and-if-it-is-urgent-then-I-pass-the-pipe-very- fast". By the way, a method that irresistibly acts even on the most stubborn. You patiently listen to the description of the problem, and then you say: “Uh-huh.