A set of juggling balls – how about that for an unusual gift? And, as happens time and again with such inspired choices, they landed in the right hands.

Raya lives with her young family in her parents’ house in a village in Moldova. She has three small children, and the youngest is only six months old. The baby often cries, and Raya feels exhausted from housework and caring for the children. Their home is basic, with few comforts. Sometimes they don’t have enough food.

Her husband takes any job he can find in the village, one day in the cornfield, the next day picking plums. He makes 300 lei a day (about £13), but the money is quickly spent on food and basic needs.

Valentina, a volunteer from the Bethany Church in Chisinau, visited Raya’s family at Christmas, bringing them food and Blythswood shoeboxes. “It’s hard not to cry when I see their situation,” Valentina says. “For Raya, your gifts were like a light in the dark, a sign that she is not alone and that someone remembers and prays for her.

“The tears of thankfulness on Raya’s face said more than words ever could. Your kindness reminded her that even in the hardest times, God has not forgotten her.”

Raya’s daughter explores a shoebox: “your gifts were like a light in the dark”.