Samaritan's Purse https://www.samaritanspurse.org News Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:43:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://users.feedblitz.com/ec17766dabfb882064cc1903e3224114/SP-logo.jpg Samaritan's Purse https://www.samaritanspurse.org https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/strengthening-the-faithful-in-ukraine/ Strengthening the Faithful in Ukraine https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/952762100/0/samaritanspurse~Strengthening-the-Faithful-in-Ukraine/ Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:48:09 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269368 Samaritan's Purse staff pack emergency winter kits into bags labeled with 'God loves you' in UkrainianAndriy*, like many Ukrainians, continues to endure cold and conflict as winter drags on, defying the calendar’s declaration of spring. But with the help of a sleeping bag, thermos, power bank, and other essential items from Samaritan’s Purse, he is among hundreds who now have hope as they battle winter without heat and electricity. “The constant [conflict] takes its toll. The nerves can’t handle it,” said 51-year-old Andriy. The resident of Kyiv lives with his 91-year-old mother and served as her caregiver until two years ago when he suffered from a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body. With mother and son now both confined to their beds, they cannot make it to shelters when things get worse. “We stay at home and pray,” Andriy said. Even in these conditions, he refuses to give in, waking each day at 5:00 a.m. “I work on my arm and leg, read, and try to recover. I pray to God that one day I can walk again,” Andriy said. “Earlier, I wasted so much nervous energy. Then I took my example from my mother—she read the Bible and trusted God. Now I do the same. I only pray—nothing helps me more than the Lord.” “Now I know for certain that I can get through the winter with your kit and God’s help.” The Lord’s provision is evident to Andriy. The family has a social worker who brings food, helps with household tasks, and provides encouragement. The emergency kit from Samaritan’s Purse is another blessing. The sleeping bag, power bank, and more become a lifeline for the family when the power, water, and heat go out. “I am very grateful for your help. I never even imagined this! Now I know for certain that I can get through the winter with your kit and God’s help,” Andriy said. Sustaining Prayer Maria*, 73, also lives in Kyiv, and twice in the last nine months, her windows have shattered in the conflict. “It was loud and frightening. I kept praying,” she said. “The only thing that helps and sustains me is prayer to God.” She frequently lets Psalm 90 guide her petitions: “Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil” (13-15). Maria’s family endured the communist era in Ukraine, where it was dangerous to profess their faith in Jesus Christ. “My parents were also believers, but in the USSR, you could not openly say that you believed in God. So, we hid, but we quietly prayed at home,” she said. As she grew, Maria was shunned for her faith at school, and when teachers joined in the taunts, she came home distressed. Her father, who had endured significant persecution himself, reassured her that God sees everything, is always near, and there is no reason to be afraid. Those words became a foundation for Maria that she’s carried with her through the years. Now Maria gets around on crutches as her lifelong struggle with mobility has worsened. She finds comfort in the supplies provided to her by Samaritan’s Purse, including a sleeping bag, thermos, hot water bottle, rinse-free body wash, portable handwashing container, wet wipes, six liters of water, disposable hand warmers, power bank, and battery-powered flashlight with spare batteries. These practical items provide relief and remind her that God cares and she is not alone in her difficulties. Please pray for Andriy, Maria, and the many Ukrainians who are suffering. Ask God to strengthen believers by His power as they continue to hold out the light of Christ for their fellow countrymen even as Samaritan’s Purse staff and church partners come alongside them with supplies given in Jesus’ Name. *Name changed for security ]]> Samaritan's Purse staff pack emergency winter kits into bags labeled with 'God loves you' in UkrainianAndriy*, like many Ukrainians, continues to endure cold and conflict as winter drags on, defying the calendar’s declaration of spring. But with the help of a sleeping bag, thermos, power bank, and other essential items from Samaritan’s Purse, he is among hundreds who now have hope as they battle winter without heat and electricity. “The constant [conflict] takes its toll. The nerves can’t handle it,” said 51-year-old Andriy. The resident of Kyiv lives with his 91-year-old mother and served as her caregiver until two years ago when he suffered from a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body. With mother and son now both confined to their beds, they cannot make it to shelters when things get worse. “We stay at home and pray,” Andriy said. Even in these conditions, he refuses to give in, waking each day at 5:00 a.m. “I work on my arm and leg, read, and try to recover. I pray to God that one day I can walk again,” Andriy said. “Earlier, I wasted so much nervous energy. Then I took my example from my mother—she read the Bible and trusted God. Now I do the same. I only pray—nothing helps me more than the Lord.” “Now I know for certain that I can get through the winter with your kit and God’s help.” The Lord’s provision is evident to Andriy. The family has a social worker who brings food, helps with household tasks, and provides encouragement. The emergency kit from Samaritan’s Purse is another blessing. The sleeping bag, power bank, and more become a lifeline for the family when the power, water, and heat go out. “I am very grateful for your help. I never even imagined this! Now I know for certain that I can get through the winter with your kit and God’s help,” Andriy said. Sustaining Prayer Maria*, 73, also lives in Kyiv, and twice in the last nine months, her windows have shattered in the conflict. “It was loud and frightening. I kept praying,” she said. “The only thing that helps and sustains me is prayer to God.” She frequently lets Psalm 90 guide her petitions: “Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil” (13-15). Maria’s family endured the communist era in Ukraine, where it was dangerous to profess their faith in Jesus Christ. “My parents were also believers, but in the USSR, you could not openly say that you believed in God. So, we hid, but we quietly prayed at home,” she said. As she grew, Maria was shunned for her faith at school, and when teachers joined in the taunts, she came home distressed. Her father, who had endured significant persecution himself, reassured her that God sees everything, is always near, and there is no reason to be afraid. Those words became a foundation for Maria that she’s carried with her through the years. Now Maria gets around on crutches as her lifelong struggle with mobility has worsened. She finds comfort in the supplies provided to her by Samaritan’s Purse, including a sleeping bag, thermos, hot water bottle, rinse-free body wash, portable handwashing container, wet wipes, six liters of water, disposable hand warmers, power bank, and battery-powered flashlight with spare batteries. These practical items provide relief and remind her that God cares and she is not alone in her difficulties. Please pray for Andriy, Maria, and the many Ukrainians who are suffering. Ask God to strengthen believers by His power as they continue to hold out the light of Christ for their fellow countrymen even as Samaritan’s Purse staff and church partners come alongside them with supplies given in Jesus’ Name. *Name changed for security ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/transforming-a-nation-one-child-at-a-time/ Transforming a Nation One Child at a Time https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/952441226/0/samaritanspurse~Transforming-a-Nation-One-Child-at-a-Time/ Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:11:38 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269350 We praise God that He uses Operation Christmas Child to turn many young people to Himself!“When we need God, He always rescues us. God sent Jesus to save us from our sin and shame. What do you all see here?” Janeysi asks, directing the room full of children to an illustrated presentation of the Gospel. The children attentively watch and respond as they learn about Jesus Christ during an Operation Christmas Child outreach event in their community. Today is a special day for Janeysi and her church here in Belize because these children not only receive their Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts, but they are also hearing about the greatest gift ever given—Jesus Himself. After Janeysi finishes sharing with the group, she joins other team members in joyfully giving each child a shoebox gift. Soon the room is buzzing with laughter, whistles, and chatter as boxes are opened and children discover the contents of their box. They pull out toys, school supplies, and hygiene items lovingly packed by families and individuals from far away. “The soccer ball is my favorite item,” a little boy named Edward says. “I love playing soccer with my friends.” For Edward and many of the children around him, this may be the first time they have received a gift of their own. For some of those same children, it may be the first time they’ve heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. “Today, I learned how God takes care of us, and how He gave His only Son to die for us to protect us from sin,” Edward says. It is evident he is leaving the event with more than a new soccer ball. One in Millions The Central American country of Belize, bordered by Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean Sea, is a country of immense beauty with tropical jungles, Mayan ruins, and coastal villages. Sadly, many of its communities are gripped by intense poverty, gangs, and drug trafficking. Around half of the children in Belize find themselves caught in the middle of this multidimensional poverty and uncertain of what their futures hold or where to place their security. “A lot of the kids come from single parent homes. One of the major issues I've seen is that their parents aren't telling them anything about who Jesus is, so they're growing up just believing whatever the world has to say,” Shinell, a local partner with Operations Christmas Child, explains. “I'm glad that the Lord led me here to pray for them and to be an example.” This is why Shinell and many others are grateful to stand in the gap, working to bring hope to communities and their country by the transforming power of God’s Word. Edward is one of more than 12.2 million children this year who will receive a shoebox gift, and each gift serves as an invitation to know God’s love for them. We praise God that He uses the ministry of Operation Christmas Child to remind each child they are seen and loved by Him. We pray that each child might hear the Gospel, believe, and become a part of God’s work of transforming their family and community. God’s Full Circle Story Moneque was 12 years old when she experienced this transformation. She received a shoebox gift, received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and now she is teaching her son and other children in the Operation Christmas Child discipleship course called The Greatest Journey. Each child who attends an outreach event is invited back to go through this 12-lesson discipleship class to learn more about Jesus and how to have a personal relationship with him. “I remember opening my shoebox. I got a ball, a teddy bear, and a letter. It was a pen pal letter, and I was excited,” Moneque shares, recounting the day she received her shoebox gift. “I wrote to my pen pal who was a little girl from Texas, and she wrote back to me. It was life-changing for me.” The shoebox gift and the letter came at just the right time in Moneque’s life. Through it, God provided her with the comfort she needed to face her parent’s separation as well as the affirmation she longed for in her identity during precarious teenage years. “It's just amazing how God works. He started off with a little box and someone writing to tell me it's going to be okay,” Moneque says. “I accepted Jesus at a very young age and I'm glad that through all of that, His love surrounded me.” Just as the Lord used a simple shoebox gift and a pen pal, He is using Moneque to speaking into this new generation of children, teaching them that they are not only known by God, but called to live differently through His Son. “I want to say to the little girl (Moneque’s pen pal) thank you. To all the donors, all the people who sacrifice, all the volunteers: ‘Thank you for your support,’” Moneque says. “You are touching people.” Central to the Mission Operation Christmas Child has been working in Belize since 1999, and this year, over 7,000 children in Belize will receive shoebox gifts. “The country of Belize is doing a fantastic job in reaching their children for Christ,” Jonatan says. Jonatan is the assistant director of the partnerships and promotions team at Operation Christmas Child. “What Jesus did is that He showed us that God doesn't treat children as a distraction from the mission, but as central to the mission,” Jonatan explains. And this is part of what excites teachers like Janeysi, who sees each outreach event and lesson in The Greatest Journey as an opportunity for growing God’s Kingdom locally and transforming Belize as a whole. “We always say that the kids are the future of the church; they are the future of the whole country,” she says. We are grateful for the many churches in Belize who have faithfully partnered with Operation Christmas Child for decades to see see families turn to Christ and reach the farthest corners of Belize with the Gospel. Please continue to pray for churches in Belize as they continue to reach their communities and for the local and national Operation Christmas Child teams as they work to reach each child with the hope of the Gospel. ]]> We praise God that He uses Operation Christmas Child to turn many young people to Himself!“When we need God, He always rescues us. God sent Jesus to save us from our sin and shame. What do you all see here?” Janeysi asks, directing the room full of children to an illustrated presentation of the Gospel. The children attentively watch and respond as they learn about Jesus Christ during an Operation Christmas Child outreach event in their community. Today is a special day for Janeysi and her church here in Belize because these children not only receive their Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts, but they are also hearing about the greatest gift ever given—Jesus Himself. After Janeysi finishes sharing with the group, she joins other team members in joyfully giving each child a shoebox gift. Soon the room is buzzing with laughter, whistles, and chatter as boxes are opened and children discover the contents of their box. They pull out toys, school supplies, and hygiene items lovingly packed by families and individuals from far away. “The soccer ball is my favorite item,” a little boy named Edward says. “I love playing soccer with my friends.” For Edward and many of the children around him, this may be the first time they have received a gift of their own. For some of those same children, it may be the first time they’ve heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. “Today, I learned how God takes care of us, and how He gave His only Son to die for us to protect us from sin,” Edward says. It is evident he is leaving the event with more than a new soccer ball. One in Millions The Central American country of Belize, bordered by Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean Sea, is a country of immense beauty with tropical jungles, Mayan ruins, and coastal villages. Sadly, many of its communities are gripped by intense poverty, gangs, and drug trafficking. Around half of the children in Belize find themselves caught in the middle of this multidimensional poverty and uncertain of what their futures hold or where to place their security. “A lot of the kids come from single parent homes. One of the major issues I've seen is that their parents aren't telling them anything about who Jesus is, so they're growing up just believing whatever the world has to say,” Shinell, a local partner with Operations Christmas Child, explains. “I'm glad that the Lord led me here to pray for them and to be an example.” This is why Shinell and many others are grateful to stand in the gap, working to bring hope to communities and their country by the transforming power of God’s Word. Edward is one of more than 12.2 million children this year who will receive a shoebox gift, and each gift serves as an invitation to know God’s love for them. We praise God that He uses the ministry of Operation Christmas Child to remind each child they are seen and loved by Him. We pray that each child might hear the Gospel, believe, and become a part of God’s work of transforming their family and community. God’s Full Circle Story Moneque was 12 years old when she experienced this transformation. She received a shoebox gift, received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and now she is teaching her son and other children in the Operation Christmas Child discipleship course called The Greatest Journey. Each child who attends an outreach event is invited back to go through this 12-lesson discipleship class to learn more about Jesus and how to have a personal relationship with him. “I remember opening my shoebox. I got a ball, a teddy bear, and a letter. It was a pen pal letter, and I was excited,” Moneque shares, recounting the day she received her shoebox gift. “I wrote to my pen pal who was a little girl from Texas, and she wrote back to me. It was life-changing for me.” The shoebox gift and the letter came at just the right time in Moneque’s life. Through it, God provided her with the comfort she needed to face her parent’s separation as well as the affirmation she longed for in her identity during precarious teenage years. “It's just amazing how God works. He started off with a little box and someone writing to tell me it's going to be okay,” Moneque says. “I accepted Jesus at a very young age and I'm glad that through all of that, His love surrounded me.” Just as the Lord used a simple shoebox gift and a pen pal, He is using Moneque to speaking into this new generation of children, teaching them that they are not only known by God, but called to live differently through His Son. “I want to say to the little girl (Moneque’s pen pal) thank you. To all the donors, all the people who sacrifice, all the volunteers: ‘Thank you for your support,’” Moneque says. “You are touching people.” Central to the Mission Operation Christmas Child has been working in Belize since 1999, and this year, over 7,000 children in Belize will receive shoebox gifts. “The country of Belize is doing a fantastic job in reaching their children for Christ,” Jonatan says. Jonatan is the assistant director of the partnerships and promotions team at Operation Christmas Child. “What Jesus did is that He showed us that God doesn't treat children as a distraction from the mission, but as central to the mission,” Jonatan explains. And this is part of what excites teachers like Janeysi, who sees each outreach event and lesson in The Greatest Journey as an opportunity for growing God’s Kingdom locally and transforming Belize as a whole. “We always say that the kids are the future of the church; they are the future of the whole country,” she says. We are grateful for the many churches in Belize who have faithfully partnered with Operation Christmas Child for decades to see see families turn to Christ and reach the farthest corners of Belize with the Gospel. Please continue to pray for churches in Belize as they continue to reach their communities and for the local and national Operation Christmas Child teams as they work to reach each child with the hope of the Gospel. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/meeting-our-neighbors-needs-in-western-north-carolina/ Meeting Our Neighbors’ Needs in Western North Carolina https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/952226702/0/samaritanspurse~Meeting-Our-Neighbors%e2%80%99-Needs-in-Western-North-Carolina/ Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:13:43 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269473 Marco is one of many patients who received care during a Samaritan’s Purse Community Medical Outreach in Burnsville, North Carolina, March 28-29. He received eye glasses and met with Samaritan's Purse COO Edward Graham.Marco did not need to say anything—the instant smile that burst across his face when he put on his new glasses let everyone know he was overjoyed. Although he’d suffered with poor vision for years, Marco had never been able to afford a visit to the eye doctor. His first opportunity for an eye exam came during the Samaritan’s Purse Community Medical Outreach at West Burnsville Baptist Church in western North Carolina. The March 28-29 event provided free vision, dental, and medical care in Jesus’ Name. More than 100 of our medical volunteers, hailing from 16 states, showed God’s love to 294 patients. Marco drove two hours to our clinic. He said that since he commutes to work, the glasses he received from Samaritan’s Purse will make his drive much easier. Every eye patient picks out their frames while their lenses are made on site. Upon completion, the glasses are fitted to the patient. Marco’s experience at our clinic was unique because his new glasses were presented to him by Edward Graham, Samaritan’s Purse chief operating officer. Graham walked through the lens-crafting process with our opticians and then blessed Marco with his first-ever pair of glasses. Graham also saw the work of our dental and medical teams and encouraged them as they served people in need from Burnsville and other nearby areas. “Burnsville is a community I’ve been in several times since Hurricane Helene,” Graham said. “Samaritan’s Purse came here with helicopters and disaster relief, and then we started rebuilding homes that were destroyed. We want people to know that God loves them so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ.” Larry Raymond, Community Medical Outreach program manager, said that caring for spiritual needs is just as important as meeting physical needs. At every step of the patient experience—check-in, the waiting room, the exam, and being discharged—staff members, chaplains, and volunteers are ready to listen, pray, and share the eternal hope of the Gospel. “We’re seeing God moving, and we’re just following His footsteps,” Raymond said. “He keeps giving us new opportunities to reach people.” Welcomed with Love Elvia and her son Eddy called Burnsville home for many years. But after a tree sliced through their house during Hurricane Helene, they moved about an hour away to Morganton. Elvia still commutes to Burnsville for work, and her worsening eyesight was turning the drive into a stressful and potentially dangerous situation. Financial struggles had kept her from seeing an eye doctor for nearly four years. She had to pay the funeral expenses for both her mother and father, and then other bills started piling up. “I have needed glasses for a long time,” Elvia said. “I’m very excited to be here today.” Eddy was only at the clinic because he drove his mother and had not planned to receive any medical services. But after encouragement from the team, he decided to have his vision checked and discovered that his prescription needed updating. Like his mother, he also left the clinic with new glasses. Eddy is thankful for the doctor who prayed with him and helped ease his nerves. He said that he and his mother felt loved from the moment they walked through the church doors. “It feels like a family here. We felt really welcomed. Everyone wants to get to know you.” In addition to vision screenings, patients were thankful for our dental team that provided cleanings, fillings, and extractions. Marilyn Stanley is a dental hygienist from Boone who served in Burnsville, as well as in Marshall last year, because she knows what it means to be in need—and not know where to turn. She thanks the Lord for sending Samaritan’s Purse volunteers to help after her home was damaged by a mudslide during Hurricane Helene in 2024. Stanley was thrilled when she learned about the opportunity to use her skills to serve people through Community Medical Outreach. She especially enjoyed doing dental cleanings for children, as her background in pediatric dentistry helped her put the boys and girls at ease. “I’m so thankful to be able to give back,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the next outreach.” Felix Martin del Campo, a dentist and Samaritan’s Purse board member, has served during multiple Community Medical Outreaches. He continues to volunteer because he wants to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ. “Everyone who is seen here has had someone share the Gospel with them. Sharing the Gospel is why we’re here.” Coming Alongside Local Churches Every Community Medical Outreach starts with a local church partnership. “We want to empower churches to serve the community, to wrap their arms around the community, and to expand the outreach that they’re already doing,” Raymond said. “The goal is that the church reaches their neighbor.” Samaritan’s Purse partnered with West Burnsville Baptist in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. We are now at work building a facility on the church property that will help serve as a base for our U.S. Rebuild teams that are rebuilding, replacing, and repairing homes in the region. The Community Medical Outreach is a continuation of our partnership and our commitment to come alongside local congregations as they stand as faithful witnesses for Christ. “I was in awe when Samaritan’s Purse staff said they wanted to do this community outreach clinic here. I was just elated,” said Chris Fox, pastor of West Burnsville. “We’ve had a lot of prayers and preparation. We did a 40-day prayer focus and prayed for God’s will to be done during this time.” Pastor Fox had been at the church less than two years when Helene hit. Despite the horrific devastation, he was overwhelmed with gratitude to God for how his congregation worked together to care for their community in the Name of Jesus. He sees the recent medical outreach as a way for the church to continue building relationships and investing in the people around them. “We’re here to reach out to the least of these. People are hurting, and they’re wounded spiritually and in terms of their health needs,” he said. “My prayer is that after this outreach event, people will truly see the love and the light of Jesus Christ and how much His people care for them. Ultimately, I pray that they would come to have a relationship with Him.” ]]> Marco is one of many patients who received care during a Samaritan’s Purse Community Medical Outreach in Burnsville, North Carolina, March 28-29. He received eye glasses and met with Samaritan's Purse COO Edward Graham.Marco did not need to say anything—the instant smile that burst across his face when he put on his new glasses let everyone know he was overjoyed. Although he’d suffered with poor vision for years, Marco had never been able to afford a visit to the eye doctor. His first opportunity for an eye exam came during the Samaritan’s Purse Community Medical Outreach at West Burnsville Baptist Church in western North Carolina. The March 28-29 event provided free vision, dental, and medical care in Jesus’ Name. More than 100 of our medical volunteers, hailing from 16 states, showed God’s love to 294 patients. Marco drove two hours to our clinic. He said that since he commutes to work, the glasses he received from Samaritan’s Purse will make his drive much easier. Every eye patient picks out their frames while their lenses are made on site. Upon completion, the glasses are fitted to the patient. Marco’s experience at our clinic was unique because his new glasses were presented to him by Edward Graham, Samaritan’s Purse chief operating officer. Graham walked through the lens-crafting process with our opticians and then blessed Marco with his first-ever pair of glasses. Graham also saw the work of our dental and medical teams and encouraged them as they served people in need from Burnsville and other nearby areas. “Burnsville is a community I’ve been in several times since Hurricane Helene,” Graham said. “Samaritan’s Purse came here with helicopters and disaster relief, and then we started rebuilding homes that were destroyed. We want people to know that God loves them so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ.” Larry Raymond, Community Medical Outreach program manager, said that caring for spiritual needs is just as important as meeting physical needs. At every step of the patient experience—check-in, the waiting room, the exam, and being discharged—staff members, chaplains, and volunteers are ready to listen, pray, and share the eternal hope of the Gospel. “We’re seeing God moving, and we’re just following His footsteps,” Raymond said. “He keeps giving us new opportunities to reach people.” Welcomed with Love Elvia and her son Eddy called Burnsville home for many years. But after a tree sliced through their house during Hurricane Helene, they moved about an hour away to Morganton. Elvia still commutes to Burnsville for work, and her worsening eyesight was turning the drive into a stressful and potentially dangerous situation. Financial struggles had kept her from seeing an eye doctor for nearly four years. She had to pay the funeral expenses for both her mother and father, and then other bills started piling up. “I have needed glasses for a long time,” Elvia said. “I’m very excited to be here today.” Eddy was only at the clinic because he drove his mother and had not planned to receive any medical services. But after encouragement from the team, he decided to have his vision checked and discovered that his prescription needed updating. Like his mother, he also left the clinic with new glasses. Eddy is thankful for the doctor who prayed with him and helped ease his nerves. He said that he and his mother felt loved from the moment they walked through the church doors. “It feels like a family here. We felt really welcomed. Everyone wants to get to know you.” In addition to vision screenings, patients were thankful for our dental team that provided cleanings, fillings, and extractions. Marilyn Stanley is a dental hygienist from Boone who served in Burnsville, as well as in Marshall last year, because she knows what it means to be in need—and not know where to turn. She thanks the Lord for sending Samaritan’s Purse volunteers to help after her home was damaged by a mudslide during Hurricane Helene in 2024. Stanley was thrilled when she learned about the opportunity to use her skills to serve people through Community Medical Outreach. She especially enjoyed doing dental cleanings for children, as her background in pediatric dentistry helped her put the boys and girls at ease. “I’m so thankful to be able to give back,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the next outreach.” Felix Martin del Campo, a dentist and Samaritan’s Purse board member, has served during multiple Community Medical Outreaches. He continues to volunteer because he wants to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ. “Everyone who is seen here has had someone share the Gospel with them. Sharing the Gospel is why we’re here.” Coming Alongside Local Churches Every Community Medical Outreach starts with a local church partnership. “We want to empower churches to serve the community, to wrap their arms around the community, and to expand the outreach that they’re already doing,” Raymond said. “The goal is that the church reaches their neighbor.” Samaritan’s Purse partnered with West Burnsville Baptist in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. We are now at work building a facility on the church property that will help serve as a base for our U.S. Rebuild teams that are rebuilding, replacing, and repairing homes in the region. The Community Medical Outreach is a continuation of our partnership and our commitment to come alongside local congregations as they stand as faithful witnesses for Christ. “I was in awe when Samaritan’s Purse staff said they wanted to do this community outreach clinic here. I was just elated,” said Chris Fox, pastor of West Burnsville. “We’ve had a lot of prayers and preparation. We did a 40-day prayer focus and prayed for God’s will to be done during this time.” Pastor Fox had been at the church less than two years when Helene hit. Despite the horrific devastation, he was overwhelmed with gratitude to God for how his congregation worked together to care for their community in the Name of Jesus. He sees the recent medical outreach as a way for the church to continue building relationships and investing in the people around them. “We’re here to reach out to the least of these. People are hurting, and they’re wounded spiritually and in terms of their health needs,” he said. “My prayer is that after this outreach event, people will truly see the love and the light of Jesus Christ and how much His people care for them. Ultimately, I pray that they would come to have a relationship with Him.” ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/relief-supplies-airlifted-to-lebanon/ Relief Supplies Airlifted to Lebanon https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/951818774/0/samaritanspurse~Relief-Supplies-Airlifted-to-Lebanon/ Sat, 28 Mar 2026 20:18:46 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269272 A second Samaritan's Purse airlift arrived in Lebanon this weekend.UPDATE (March 28): Our 767 aircraft recently delivered more than 52 tons of relief supplies to Beirut for hurting Lebanese families. This second airlift contained essential emergency health kits for clinics and hospitals to serve up to 10,000 people for three months. Like our airlift earlier in the week, this cargo flight also contained medicines, family tents, and thousands of solar lights, blankets, hygiene kits, and kitchen sets to be distributed to the vulnerable through our church partners in Lebanon. In total, we have airlifted more than 100 tons of relief so far to Lebanon. Please pray for those who have had their lives disrupted by the turmoil in the region and for peace to come to the Middle East. Samaritan’s Purse sent more than 48 tons of relief supplies aboard our 767 aircraft to Beirut, Lebanon, earlier this week. These supplies will help meet the urgent needs of more than 1 million people who have left their homes in recent weeks due to spreading turmoil in the southern part of the country. Pallets delivered include shelter material and pharmaceutical supplies, such as heart medicine, as well as thousands of kitchen and hygiene kits, blankets, jerry cans, and solar lights. These everyday items will provide significant relief to people who left their homes with little more than the clothes on their back and are now living with relatives or in abandoned buildings, makeshift camps, or hotels. Samaritan’s Purse is working in close partnership with churches in Lebanon to see that this aid is delivered in Jesus’ Name. We are serving the country’s diverse religious population including many Muslims, Christians, and Druze. “We are grateful to support the efforts of local churches in Lebanon who are serving their community," said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. “Please join me in praying that God will bring peace to the Middle East.” This recent airlift of relief supplies comes in addition to food parcels we delivered through church partners to over 500 families in the weeks prior, containing rice, pasta, lentils, beans, milk, and oil. Samaritan’s Purse has also already purchased urgently needed diapers, hygiene supplies, and crutches in Lebanon and distributed the items to disabled and vulnerable populations. Please pray for the more than 1 million people who are on the move in Lebanon as Samaritan’s Purse and our church partners serve them in Jesus’ Name. Samaritan’s Purse has a long history of working in Lebanon. For over four decades, we have partnered with local churches to distribute aid and relief to families in need. Additionally, Samaritan’s Purse deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team to Lebanon in 2020 after a deadly explosion rocked the nation—distributing relief supplies to more than 5,000 vulnerable families and providing medical care to hundreds who were wounded in the blast. ]]> A second Samaritan's Purse airlift arrived in Lebanon this weekend.UPDATE (March 28): Our 767 aircraft recently delivered more than 52 tons of relief supplies to Beirut for hurting Lebanese families. This second airlift contained essential emergency health kits for clinics and hospitals to serve up to 10,000 people for three months. Like our airlift earlier in the week, this cargo flight also contained medicines, family tents, and thousands of solar lights, blankets, hygiene kits, and kitchen sets to be distributed to the vulnerable through our church partners in Lebanon. In total, we have airlifted more than 100 tons of relief so far to Lebanon. Please pray for those who have had their lives disrupted by the turmoil in the region and for peace to come to the Middle East. Samaritan’s Purse sent more than 48 tons of relief supplies aboard our 767 aircraft to Beirut, Lebanon, earlier this week. These supplies will help meet the urgent needs of more than 1 million people who have left their homes in recent weeks due to spreading turmoil in the southern part of the country. Pallets delivered include shelter material and pharmaceutical supplies, such as heart medicine, as well as thousands of kitchen and hygiene kits, blankets, jerry cans, and solar lights. These everyday items will provide significant relief to people who left their homes with little more than the clothes on their back and are now living with relatives or in abandoned buildings, makeshift camps, or hotels. Samaritan’s Purse is working in close partnership with churches in Lebanon to see that this aid is delivered in Jesus’ Name. We are serving the country’s diverse religious population including many Muslims, Christians, and Druze. “We are grateful to support the efforts of local churches in Lebanon who are serving their community," said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. “Please join me in praying that God will bring peace to the Middle East.” This recent airlift of relief supplies comes in addition to food parcels we delivered through church partners to over 500 families in the weeks prior, containing rice, pasta, lentils, beans, milk, and oil. Samaritan’s Purse has also already purchased urgently needed diapers, hygiene supplies, and crutches in Lebanon and distributed the items to disabled and vulnerable populations. Please pray for the more than 1 million people who are on the move in Lebanon as Samaritan’s Purse and our church partners serve them in Jesus’ Name. Samaritan’s Purse has a long history of working in Lebanon. For over four decades, we have partnered with local churches to distribute aid and relief to families in need. Additionally, Samaritan’s Purse deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team to Lebanon in 2020 after a deadly explosion rocked the nation—distributing relief supplies to more than 5,000 vulnerable families and providing medical care to hundreds who were wounded in the blast. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/samaritans-purse-is-meeting-needs-on-oahu/ Samaritan’s Purse Is Meeting Needs on Oahu https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/951970925/0/samaritanspurse~Samaritan%e2%80%99s-Purse-Is-Meeting-Needs-on-Oahu/ Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:28:30 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269416 Please pray for residents on Oahu's North Shore where flooding damaged homes and property and displaced many families.Samaritan's Purse is responding to communities on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, after days of heavy rain resulted in severe flooding. The flooding has affected many neighborhoods, disrupting lives and forcing some to evacuate. Churches and many Oahu residents have already started helping their neighbors with cleanup and providing other support during this difficult time. A team of Samaritan's Purse disaster relief staff have been sent to work alongside local congregations to identify needs and assist families. We are preparing to meet short-term needs by supplying building materials, appliances, and furnishings to help families get back on their feet in the wake of damaging floodwaters. Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains will join these efforts in the days ahead to provide spiritual comfort and emotional support from God’s Word as we help hurting communities in Jesus’ Name. Please keep the affected families of Oahu's North Shore in your prayers, and ask that God would give our team clear direction and open doors to share the Gospel as we serve these hurting people. ]]> Please pray for residents on Oahu's North Shore where flooding damaged homes and property and displaced many families.Samaritan's Purse is responding to communities on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, after days of heavy rain resulted in severe flooding. The flooding has affected many neighborhoods, disrupting lives and forcing some to evacuate. Churches and many Oahu residents have already started helping their neighbors with cleanup and providing other support during this difficult time. A team of Samaritan's Purse disaster relief staff have been sent to work alongside local congregations to identify needs and assist families. We are preparing to meet short-term needs by supplying building materials, appliances, and furnishings to help families get back on their feet in the wake of damaging floodwaters. Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains will join these efforts in the days ahead to provide spiritual comfort and emotional support from God’s Word as we help hurting communities in Jesus’ Name. Please keep the affected families of Oahu's North Shore in your prayers, and ask that God would give our team clear direction and open doors to share the Gospel as we serve these hurting people. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/volunteers-still-serving-as-communities-continue-winter-storm-recovery/ Volunteers Still Serving as Communities Continue Winter Storm Recovery https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/951909215/0/samaritanspurse~Volunteers-Still-Serving-as-Communities-Continue-Winter-Storm-Recovery/ Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:42:16 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269322 April 2 Update: Our ice storm response has now finished in Louisiana. Our work in Mississippi will be ending soon (currently scheduled to complete on April 10). Check spovolunteer.org for more information. March 26: Samaritan’s Purse volunteers are still hard at work in Louisiana and Mississippi after late-January ice storms left communities with a mess of fallen trees and damaged homes. While our relief work in Tennessee has closed, many more volunteers are still needed to serve hundreds of homeowners in devastated parts of West Monroe, Louisiana, and in the hard-hit Mississippi communities of Corinth, Oxford, and New Albany. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, and we need more volunteers to come alongside us and serve this community,” said Jason Kimak, the vice president of our U.S. Disaster Relief Programs. “As we serve, we’re sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ and reminding people that they have not been forgotten.” VOLUNTEER: MISSISSIPPI To date, our volunteers have served more than 3,300 families during this ice storm response and 144 individuals have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Hundreds of homeowners still need help. We praise God for the volunteers who’ve helped in this ongoing effort, including a group of students in Louisiana who joined our work to help fellow residents of the Bayou State. These young volunteers experienced the unique opportunity our teams have to show God’s love and share the hope of the Gospel with homeowners after disaster strikes. “Spreading love can be through your voice or through what you’re able to do, but showing Jesus’ love is just being His hands and feet more than anything,” said Lindsay, a student volunteer who joined the 14-member team of youth from Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana. “The easiest way of showing someone that I care is by showing them that I am willing to take the time out of my day for you. We are doing something that is going to matter.” Lindsay and the group from Cypress Baptist met homeowner Patricia Neal who said she’s never seen a storm like that in her 78 years in Monroe, Louisiana. The winter storm bore down on her community leaving layers of thick ice, causing a frenzy of snapping limbs in the peaceful canopy of trees around her house. Blessed By the Younger Generation “You could hear the limbs around here go, ‘CRACK! BAM! BAM!’ They were hitting the house and I just prayed,” Patricia said. A tree uprooted nearby and a large oak to the right of her home scattered large limbs across the yard. She takes pride in her property where she’s lived since 1971 but felt hopeless that help would ever come to restore it. “I asked God to send me help,” Patricia said. “He did: Samaritan’s Purse.” The group of students from Cypress Baptist Church spent a Saturday at Patricia’s home and other homes across the town. They hauled entire tree trunks and removed broken limbs that had been scattered across yards. “I don’t ever do this stuff, so I was a little bit nervous because I am not qualified, but now that I am doing it, it’s fun!” said another student named Brylee. “I’m out of my comfort zone and it’s something different that I don’t typically get to do.” After completing their work at Patricia’s home, the students and other volunteers filled Patricia’s living room where they joined hands in a circle to pray. They also presented her with a special Billy Graham Training Center Bible signed by each volunteer. Patricia says she’ll read it each time she sits down in her armchair. “I feel blessed. There’s no other word for it but blessed,” Patricia said. “I’m stunned that there are so many young ones. That’s what really got me. I don’t know why I doubted because He’s done it for me before. Oh, hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!” Partnering with Student Leadership University For Wesley, a senior who will study apologetics and theology at Liberty University starting this fall semester, volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse in Louisiana was a way to put his faith into action. SIGN UP TO SERVE IN JESUS’ NAME “I’ve done missions trips, but I’ve never done something where it’s just about being the hands and feet of Jesus, and that’s it,” Wesley said. “It’s encouraging to serve the Lord, but it’s all about serving because God has called us to love those around us.” Wesley and his fellow students are also planning to join Student Leadership University, a ministry partner with Samaritan’s Purse that seeks to equip students to become Christian leaders in their schools, communities, and around the world. Through Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief responses, SLU hopes to give their students an opportunity to lead as Jesus did: by serving others. “The thing we love about Samaritan's Purse is that they are taking the Gospel to the four corners of the globe and ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to experience Scripture,” said Jeff Wallace, the chief strategic officer with SLU who also donned an orange shirt to work alongside the students. “And we love our partnership with them because it gives us an opportunity not just to teach our students about leadership, but also to give them an opportunity to be mobilized to be the hands and feet of Jesus.” Cypress Baptist student pastor Jacob Linder is a graduate of SLU and wants other young people in the program to volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse in future disaster responses. “One of the cool things about Jesus and His ministry is that He would meet people’s physical need and then meet their spiritual needs,” he said. “Come, be a part of what Samaritan’s Purse is doing. It allows you to flex the leadership muscle that God has given you.” Faith Working through Love Leading the group of students was no ordinary couple. Yolanda and Miguel Gomez, site leaders with our U.S. Disaster Relief Programs, know that it’s the Lord who put them where they are today. Miguel served in the Unites States Marine Corps for over 21 years, and he and Yolanda felt the emotional toll of deployments on their marriage. “My husband left but a different husband came back,” she said. The Gomezes signed up for Operation Heal Our Patriots, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse that provides a Biblically based marriage program in Alaska where veterans and their spouses can experience healing and refuge in the Lord. Miguel accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in Alaska, was baptized by our chaplains, and the couple rededicated their marriage to God. “Our foundation is now Christ. That’s why we’re out here doing this because what else would we do?” Yolanda said as they now lead volunteer teams. “We come out here because this is where the Lord sends us.” Employing leadership skills honed by decades in the military, Miguel is grateful that he gets to organize volunteer teams to help homeowners after disasters with Galatians 5:6, “faith working through love,” as a driving truth behind his work. “This is how I worship the Lord,” Miguel said. “Operation Heal Our Patriots was a huge eye-opener to how I was failing as a leader of my household. It’s not that these works make me more favored by the Lord. Rather doing this is my response to Jesus.” Please pray for families still recovering as we continue to work in communities in Louisiana and Mississippi. Please prayerfully consider serving with Samaritan’s Purse in these hard-hit areas, helping hurting residents in Jesus’ Name and serving as His hands and feet. Visit spvolunteer.org to sign up to volunteer today. ]]> April 2 Update: Our ice storm response has now finished in Louisiana. Our work in Mississippi will be ending soon (currently scheduled to complete on April 10). Check spovolunteer.org for more information. March 26: Samaritan’s Purse volunteers are still hard at work in Louisiana and Mississippi after late-January ice storms left communities with a mess of fallen trees and damaged homes. While our relief work in Tennessee has closed, many more volunteers are still needed to serve hundreds of homeowners in devastated parts of West Monroe, Louisiana, and in the hard-hit Mississippi communities of Corinth, Oxford, and New Albany. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, and we need more volunteers to come alongside us and serve this community,” said Jason Kimak, the vice president of our U.S. Disaster Relief Programs. “As we serve, we’re sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ and reminding people that they have not been forgotten.” VOLUNTEER: MISSISSIPPI To date, our volunteers have served more than 3,300 families during this ice storm response and 144 individuals have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Hundreds of homeowners still need help. We praise God for the volunteers who’ve helped in this ongoing effort, including a group of students in Louisiana who joined our work to help fellow residents of the Bayou State. These young volunteers experienced the unique opportunity our teams have to show God’s love and share the hope of the Gospel with homeowners after disaster strikes. “Spreading love can be through your voice or through what you’re able to do, but showing Jesus’ love is just being His hands and feet more than anything,” said Lindsay, a student volunteer who joined the 14-member team of youth from Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana. “The easiest way of showing someone that I care is by showing them that I am willing to take the time out of my day for you. We are doing something that is going to matter.” Lindsay and the group from Cypress Baptist met homeowner Patricia Neal who said she’s never seen a storm like that in her 78 years in Monroe, Louisiana. The winter storm bore down on her community leaving layers of thick ice, causing a frenzy of snapping limbs in the peaceful canopy of trees around her house. Blessed By the Younger Generation “You could hear the limbs around here go, ‘CRACK! BAM! BAM!’ They were hitting the house and I just prayed,” Patricia said. A tree uprooted nearby and a large oak to the right of her home scattered large limbs across the yard. She takes pride in her property where she’s lived since 1971 but felt hopeless that help would ever come to restore it. “I asked God to send me help,” Patricia said. “He did: Samaritan’s Purse.” The group of students from Cypress Baptist Church spent a Saturday at Patricia’s home and other homes across the town. They hauled entire tree trunks and removed broken limbs that had been scattered across yards. “I don’t ever do this stuff, so I was a little bit nervous because I am not qualified, but now that I am doing it, it’s fun!” said another student named Brylee. “I’m out of my comfort zone and it’s something different that I don’t typically get to do.” After completing their work at Patricia’s home, the students and other volunteers filled Patricia’s living room where they joined hands in a circle to pray. They also presented her with a special Billy Graham Training Center Bible signed by each volunteer. Patricia says she’ll read it each time she sits down in her armchair. “I feel blessed. There’s no other word for it but blessed,” Patricia said. “I’m stunned that there are so many young ones. That’s what really got me. I don’t know why I doubted because He’s done it for me before. Oh, hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!” Partnering with Student Leadership University For Wesley, a senior who will study apologetics and theology at Liberty University starting this fall semester, volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse in Louisiana was a way to put his faith into action. SIGN UP TO SERVE IN JESUS’ NAME “I’ve done missions trips, but I’ve never done something where it’s just about being the hands and feet of Jesus, and that’s it,” Wesley said. “It’s encouraging to serve the Lord, but it’s all about serving because God has called us to love those around us.” Wesley and his fellow students are also planning to join Student Leadership University, a ministry partner with Samaritan’s Purse that seeks to equip students to become Christian leaders in their schools, communities, and around the world. Through Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief responses, SLU hopes to give their students an opportunity to lead as Jesus did: by serving others. “The thing we love about Samaritan's Purse is that they are taking the Gospel to the four corners of the globe and ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to experience Scripture,” said Jeff Wallace, the chief strategic officer with SLU who also donned an orange shirt to work alongside the students. “And we love our partnership with them because it gives us an opportunity not just to teach our students about leadership, but also to give them an opportunity to be mobilized to be the hands and feet of Jesus.” Cypress Baptist student pastor Jacob Linder is a graduate of SLU and wants other young people in the program to volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse in future disaster responses. “One of the cool things about Jesus and His ministry is that He would meet people’s physical need and then meet their spiritual needs,” he said. “Come, be a part of what Samaritan’s Purse is doing. It allows you to flex the leadership muscle that God has given you.” Faith Working through Love Leading the group of students was no ordinary couple. Yolanda and Miguel Gomez, site leaders with our U.S. Disaster Relief Programs, know that it’s the Lord who put them where they are today. Miguel served in the Unites States Marine Corps for over 21 years, and he and Yolanda felt the emotional toll of deployments on their marriage. “My husband left but a different husband came back,” she said. The Gomezes signed up for Operation Heal Our Patriots, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse that provides a Biblically based marriage program in Alaska where veterans and their spouses can experience healing and refuge in the Lord. Miguel accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in Alaska, was baptized by our chaplains, and the couple rededicated their marriage to God. “Our foundation is now Christ. That’s why we’re out here doing this because what else would we do?” Yolanda said as they now lead volunteer teams. “We come out here because this is where the Lord sends us.” Employing leadership skills honed by decades in the military, Miguel is grateful that he gets to organize volunteer teams to help homeowners after disasters with Galatians 5:6, “faith working through love,” as a driving truth behind his work. “This is how I worship the Lord,” Miguel said. “Operation Heal Our Patriots was a huge eye-opener to how I was failing as a leader of my household. It’s not that these works make me more favored by the Lord. Rather doing this is my response to Jesus.” Please pray for families still recovering as we continue to work in communities in Louisiana and Mississippi. Please prayerfully consider serving with Samaritan’s Purse in these hard-hit areas, helping hurting residents in Jesus’ Name and serving as His hands and feet. Visit spvolunteer.org to sign up to volunteer today. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/a-willing-heart/ A Willing Heart https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/951795212/0/samaritanspurse~A-Willing-Heart/ Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:33:38 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=268829 Mother-daughter nursing team Jody and Skylar Lund served in Rwanda with World Medical Mission.Jody and Skylar Lund are professionally trained nurses blessed with fulfilling careers, but one thing they had not crossed off their bucket lists was the opportunity to work together. With more than 40 years of experience, Jody has served in intensive care, the operating room, labor and delivery, hospice, and as a helicopter flight nurse. She currently works in the OR at a hospital in Tucson, Arizona. “I love working one-on-one with the patients. I’m the last voice they hear before they go to sleep, and I’m often the first voice they hear when they wake up,” said Jody. “Except for my roles as a wife and a mother, I never wanted to do anything other than be a nurse.” Jody’s middle child and only daughter, Skylar, followed in her footsteps and received an RN degree a few years ago. In third grade, one of Skylar’s best friends died of leukemia. That tragedy helped set her on a path to specialize in pediatric oncology. “It was always in the back of my mind to be able to try to prevent that heartache for other families,” Skylar said. Now she has found her niche in the bone marrow transplant unit at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Nursing is Skylar’s second degree. She also has a heart for overseas children’s ministry, and her first degree in kinesiology and exercise science opened the door for her to do sports ministry for three summers throughout Europe. Additionally, she has gone on a church missions trip to Cuba and participated in numerous U.S. disaster relief deployments, including a Samaritan’s Purse tornado response. Jody had always wanted to serve internationally, but the daily responsibilities of family and career kept her schedule booked. “I’m so proud of Skylar. She carries the Lord with her. I wanted to take Jesus with me somewhere,” she said. Jody felt a sense of urgency. Her longing to go on a mission trip “came to a fever pitch. … I needed to pack and go,” she said. The two had previously contemplated serving together, but it didn’t seem plausible due to their different nursing specialties. Jody contacted World Medical Mission, and the staff found a match for them at Kibogora Hospital in Rwanda, where nurses were needed with experience in the OR and in pediatrics. “At Kibogora, I eventually got the opportunity to go into the OR. So we worked together as nurses for the first time when we were in Africa, and we had so much fun,” said Skylar. ‘Absolutely Stoked’ Despite the depth and breadth of Jody’s experience in American hospital settings, her introduction to nursing care in a small bush hospital held some surprises. “I am a circulating nurse in Tucson. So I’m the one who gets patients ready and gets them positioned. And I do all the charting. If anybody needs anything, I run and get it while the surgeon and the first assist scrub up,” she said. “On the first day at Kibogora, I walked into the OR and introduced myself as the nurse. The surgeon said, ‘OK, go get scrubbed.’ I had never gowned and gloved off the back table, but he showed me how,” recalled Jody. “Then I assisted with surgery. I got the instruments ready. When it came time to pull traction on broken bones, I pulled traction. I helped every way I possibly could.” That valuable session prompted Jody a few days later to ask the surgeon if her daughter could watch them work. They were preparing a patient for hand surgery. The doctor welcomed Skylar into the OR, but not for the purpose to casually observe. It was a case of déjà vu when he began meting out instructions. Jody paraphrased the surgeon’s no-nonsense challenge to both women: “Your daughter’s got hands too, doesn’t she? Get her scrubbed and bring her in.” “So I took Skylar out in the hall and we scrubbed her up and brought her in, and she gowned and gloved. She got to assist the surgeon too,” Jody said. Skylar’s moment of truth came when the surgeon asked her to begin suturing. Perhaps he already knew that as a young nurse she would have limited experience. “Well, I don’t know how, but will you teach me?” Skylar replied. “OK, I will talk you through one suture, and then I’ll do one while you talk me through it, and then you’ll do the rest,” he answered. These were some pressure-filled moments, but Skylar was learning the essentials of loading a needle, closing the wound, and knotting the ties. “As a mother and a nurse, watching Skylar do those sutures, even though she had a mask on, I could see in her eyes that she was absolutely stoked,” Jody recalled. The surgeon stepped back and let Jody and Skylar work together. At one point Jody announced to her daughter, who was intently concentrating on the immediate task: “Not to make you nervous, but he just took his gloves off and left the room.” Skylar was unfazed. “We did it! We got the sutures done and we bandaged the hand up and one of the techs put the cast on,” she said. “It was a really cool experience being able to work with my mom and especially in that kind of setting.” Hands of Faith Throughout their three-week stay at Kibogora, the Lunds witnessed many “God moments.” From marveling at His healing power to their admiration for the hospital staff’s fierce dedication to patients, both felt humbled serving in the austere but Christ-centered environment. Jody was impressed by the staff’s expertise in caring for a young man who had sustained serious injuries in a road accident. His motorbike was struck by, of all things, an ambulance. The man’s femur was shattered in about 10 pieces. Unlike a hospital in the U.S., Kibogora is not equipped with extensive imaging or laparoscopic technology. “I watched the surgeon use only his hands to put the pieces of that patient’s leg back together again. We screwed and pinned the femur. The staff does so much with so little,” Jody said. “To me, it was like watching the hands of God. It was one of the most memorable things I have ever seen.” The patient’s case was a success story in spite of the low-tech environment and the frequent lapses in electricity during surgical procedures. The staff are accustomed to such challenges and are not hampered by them. Jody believes their resilience comes from a combination of faith and learning to make do. “The things that we take for granted, they have faith for. They react with faith. It’s the most wonderful thing,” she said. The Lunds met a woman whose family members had been slaughtered in front of her during Rwanda’s dark period of genocide in 1994. At that time she was four years old. Instead of harboring hatred toward the men who killed her family, she expressed gratitude for God’s merciful love. “I am glad we had the opportunity to pray with this glorious soul,” said Jody. “She told us, ‘I am thankful to God every day because He saved me and I have Him. And I am grateful He sent you.’” The youngsters that Skylar saw in the pediatric wards were similarly cheerful. She was particularly moved by the kindness of a 5-year-old boy in the burn unit who provided a ray of sunshine for his fellow patients. Burns from an electrical cord injury covered his neck and part of his right arm. Although necessary, Skylar hated to put him through the agony of dressing changes. Otherwise the child was upbeat and gregarious. “He talked to all of the patients on the ward. He wanted to be everybody’s friend,” Skylar said. “He was always smiling and happy, and he really brought up the mood in the burn unit. Even though the patients were in pain themselves, that little guy lifted their spirits.” He lifted Skylar’s spirits too, and a few days before their trip concluded, she and her mom brought their own rays of sunshine by handing out crocheted stuffed animals and baby hats in several of the patient wards. The gifts were handmade by friends in Arizona and their home state of Washington. The Lunds are already talking about a return trip to Kibogora. Their time in Rwanda offered an amazing learning experience for both women, and they encourage other parent-child teams to venture out into the mission field. The most important prerequisite, they say, is a willing heart. “I believe that God doesn’t always call the qualified. Instead, He qualifies the called,” Skylar said. ]]> Mother-daughter nursing team Jody and Skylar Lund served in Rwanda with World Medical Mission.Jody and Skylar Lund are professionally trained nurses blessed with fulfilling careers, but one thing they had not crossed off their bucket lists was the opportunity to work together. With more than 40 years of experience, Jody has served in intensive care, the operating room, labor and delivery, hospice, and as a helicopter flight nurse. She currently works in the OR at a hospital in Tucson, Arizona. “I love working one-on-one with the patients. I’m the last voice they hear before they go to sleep, and I’m often the first voice they hear when they wake up,” said Jody. “Except for my roles as a wife and a mother, I never wanted to do anything other than be a nurse.” Jody’s middle child and only daughter, Skylar, followed in her footsteps and received an RN degree a few years ago. In third grade, one of Skylar’s best friends died of leukemia. That tragedy helped set her on a path to specialize in pediatric oncology. “It was always in the back of my mind to be able to try to prevent that heartache for other families,” Skylar said. Now she has found her niche in the bone marrow transplant unit at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Nursing is Skylar’s second degree. She also has a heart for overseas children’s ministry, and her first degree in kinesiology and exercise science opened the door for her to do sports ministry for three summers throughout Europe. Additionally, she has gone on a church missions trip to Cuba and participated in numerous U.S. disaster relief deployments, including a Samaritan’s Purse tornado response. Jody had always wanted to serve internationally, but the daily responsibilities of family and career kept her schedule booked. “I’m so proud of Skylar. She carries the Lord with her. I wanted to take Jesus with me somewhere,” she said. Jody felt a sense of urgency. Her longing to go on a mission trip “came to a fever pitch. … I needed to pack and go,” she said. The two had previously contemplated serving together, but it didn’t seem plausible due to their different nursing specialties. Jody contacted World Medical Mission, and the staff found a match for them at Kibogora Hospital in Rwanda, where nurses were needed with experience in the OR and in pediatrics. “At Kibogora, I eventually got the opportunity to go into the OR. So we worked together as nurses for the first time when we were in Africa, and we had so much fun,” said Skylar. ‘Absolutely Stoked’ Despite the depth and breadth of Jody’s experience in American hospital settings, her introduction to nursing care in a small bush hospital held some surprises. “I am a circulating nurse in Tucson. So I’m the one who gets patients ready and gets them positioned. And I do all the charting. If anybody needs anything, I run and get it while the surgeon and the first assist scrub up,” she said. “On the first day at Kibogora, I walked into the OR and introduced myself as the nurse. The surgeon said, ‘OK, go get scrubbed.’ I had never gowned and gloved off the back table, but he showed me how,” recalled Jody. “Then I assisted with surgery. I got the instruments ready. When it came time to pull traction on broken bones, I pulled traction. I helped every way I possibly could.” That valuable session prompted Jody a few days later to ask the surgeon if her daughter could watch them work. They were preparing a patient for hand surgery. The doctor welcomed Skylar into the OR, but not for the purpose to casually observe. It was a case of déjà vu when he began meting out instructions. Jody paraphrased the surgeon’s no-nonsense challenge to both women: “Your daughter’s got hands too, doesn’t she? Get her scrubbed and bring her in.” “So I took Skylar out in the hall and we scrubbed her up and brought her in, and she gowned and gloved. She got to assist the surgeon too,” Jody said. Skylar’s moment of truth came when the surgeon asked her to begin suturing. Perhaps he already knew that as a young nurse she would have limited experience. “Well, I don’t know how, but will you teach me?” Skylar replied. “OK, I will talk you through one suture, and then I’ll do one while you talk me through it, and then you’ll do the rest,” he answered. These were some pressure-filled moments, but Skylar was learning the essentials of loading a needle, closing the wound, and knotting the ties. “As a mother and a nurse, watching Skylar do those sutures, even though she had a mask on, I could see in her eyes that she was absolutely stoked,” Jody recalled. The surgeon stepped back and let Jody and Skylar work together. At one point Jody announced to her daughter, who was intently concentrating on the immediate task: “Not to make you nervous, but he just took his gloves off and left the room.” Skylar was unfazed. “We did it! We got the sutures done and we bandaged the hand up and one of the techs put the cast on,” she said. “It was a really cool experience being able to work with my mom and especially in that kind of setting.” Hands of Faith Throughout their three-week stay at Kibogora, the Lunds witnessed many “God moments.” From marveling at His healing power to their admiration for the hospital staff’s fierce dedication to patients, both felt humbled serving in the austere but Christ-centered environment. Jody was impressed by the staff’s expertise in caring for a young man who had sustained serious injuries in a road accident. His motorbike was struck by, of all things, an ambulance. The man’s femur was shattered in about 10 pieces. Unlike a hospital in the U.S., Kibogora is not equipped with extensive imaging or laparoscopic technology. “I watched the surgeon use only his hands to put the pieces of that patient’s leg back together again. We screwed and pinned the femur. The staff does so much with so little,” Jody said. “To me, it was like watching the hands of God. It was one of the most memorable things I have ever seen.” The patient’s case was a success story in spite of the low-tech environment and the frequent lapses in electricity during surgical procedures. The staff are accustomed to such challenges and are not hampered by them. Jody believes their resilience comes from a combination of faith and learning to make do. “The things that we take for granted, they have faith for. They react with faith. It’s the most wonderful thing,” she said. The Lunds met a woman whose family members had been slaughtered in front of her during Rwanda’s dark period of genocide in 1994. At that time she was four years old. Instead of harboring hatred toward the men who killed her family, she expressed gratitude for God’s merciful love. “I am glad we had the opportunity to pray with this glorious soul,” said Jody. “She told us, ‘I am thankful to God every day because He saved me and I have Him. And I am grateful He sent you.’” The youngsters that Skylar saw in the pediatric wards were similarly cheerful. She was particularly moved by the kindness of a 5-year-old boy in the burn unit who provided a ray of sunshine for his fellow patients. Burns from an electrical cord injury covered his neck and part of his right arm. Although necessary, Skylar hated to put him through the agony of dressing changes. Otherwise the child was upbeat and gregarious. “He talked to all of the patients on the ward. He wanted to be everybody’s friend,” Skylar said. “He was always smiling and happy, and he really brought up the mood in the burn unit. Even though the patients were in pain themselves, that little guy lifted their spirits.” He lifted Skylar’s spirits too, and a few days before their trip concluded, she and her mom brought their own rays of sunshine by handing out crocheted stuffed animals and baby hats in several of the patient wards. The gifts were handmade by friends in Arizona and their home state of Washington. The Lunds are already talking about a return trip to Kibogora. Their time in Rwanda offered an amazing learning experience for both women, and they encourage other parent-child teams to venture out into the mission field. The most important prerequisite, they say, is a willing heart. “I believe that God doesn’t always call the qualified. Instead, He qualifies the called,” Skylar said. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/offering-warmth-as-winter-lingers-in-ukraine/ Offering Warmth as Winter Lingers in Ukraine https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/951444728/0/samaritanspurse~Offering-Warmth-as-Winter-Lingers-in-Ukraine/ Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:56:31 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269216 Food distribution outside tent in KyivHeat, water, and electricity are in short supply right now in Kyiv. With energy grids damaged by continual air attacks, this year’s bitter winter has been harder than ever on suffering residents. To help alleviate this growing crisis, Samaritan’s Purse set up two warming centers outside of churches in the capital in late February. We have already served over 3,000 people by providing hot meals, beverages, and the opportunity to charge a mobile device. Staffed by church partners and chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the tents also offer the warmth of human connection and Biblical truth, with dozens of Bibles distributed so far. Sofia*, a devout 70-year-old Christian, used to live in an apartment right next to a church so she could participate in services or ministry almost every day. But when her water stopped flowing and her heat stopped working, she was forced to leave the city for her home in the countryside. Nevertheless, she regularly returns to the tent near where her old apartment was in order to serve her fellow Ukrainians. “I try to come here at least a few times a week,” she said. “I am grateful to Samaritan’s Purse for establishing this warming center. I will gladly come here, help others, and warm my soul.” As visitors gather around a warm drink or meal while perusing books and Bibles, Sofia seeks to introduce them to the God whom she relies on in her own displacement and as she is concerned over two adult sons who serve in Ukraine’s armed forces. “It is much easier for people to live when they are believers,” Sofia said. “There is no fear, no resentment—only gratitude to God for life.” As the conflict rages on, Sofia remains a resilient and optimistic example for others because of her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Overall, I am satisfied with my life,” she said. “Because every day God gives me a reason to live, regardless of all the external difficulties.” Thanking God for Life and the Strength to Go On Anna*, 70, has no heat or water in her apartment on the 12th floor. She has electricity some days, but when it goes out, making the elevator inoperable, she’s left to make the slow climb up the stairs, pausing between floors for much needed breath and strength to make it home. But that is only the beginning of her struggles. “In my small one-room apartment, there isn’t a single dry place. In the hallway, the room, the kitchen, and the bathroom, everywhere is damp and wet,” Anna says. As the cold seeps into the walls, the floors, and her clothing, she says, “Every day I feel that we are on the verge of freezing.” But despite the trouble, another daily reality prevails. Each day she also prays, “Everything is in Your hands, God! I entrust everything to You, Lord. Help us endure all these trials.” Although various warming centers existed nearby, Anna grew accustomed to dealing with her difficulties on her own. Until one day, she passed a Samaritan’s Purse tent and decided to step inside. “It’s warm and cozy here. I’m so glad I came in. In other warming points, I didn’t feel the same warmth as I do here,” Anna said. Anna’s hands thawed as she enjoyed a nutritious meal and learned that she was not alone in her struggles. She plans to come more frequently until the tent closes in mid-April. “May God help us live to see the spring. Thank you for helping us. This is how I ask the Lord for His support and blessing in difficult times,” Anna said. “We go through all trials only with God’s help.” Anna makes a point to thank Him for the hot meals she receives from Samaritan’s Purse through her church every Thursday. “Thanks to God, I am living.” “Thanks to God, thanks to the partner church of Samaritan’s Purse, I am living,” she said. In addition to the warming tents, Samaritan’s Purse has also distributed nearly 700 emergency winter steadfastness kits to the most vulnerable residents of Kyiv. Containing hand warmers, a sleeping bag, thermal blanket, heating mat, power bank, drinking water, and dry shower sets, the kits give comfort even when residents can’t make it to the warming centers. Please pray that each tent will be to the people of Ukraine not only a place of relief but also a place to meet with God. Ask also for spring temperatures to come early in Ukraine and for residents to find physical and spiritual warmth through Samaritan’s Purse and its hundreds of church partners in the country. *Name changed for security ]]> Food distribution outside tent in KyivHeat, water, and electricity are in short supply right now in Kyiv. With energy grids damaged by continual air attacks, this year’s bitter winter has been harder than ever on suffering residents. To help alleviate this growing crisis, Samaritan’s Purse set up two warming centers outside of churches in the capital in late February. We have already served over 3,000 people by providing hot meals, beverages, and the opportunity to charge a mobile device. Staffed by church partners and chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the tents also offer the warmth of human connection and Biblical truth, with dozens of Bibles distributed so far. Sofia*, a devout 70-year-old Christian, used to live in an apartment right next to a church so she could participate in services or ministry almost every day. But when her water stopped flowing and her heat stopped working, she was forced to leave the city for her home in the countryside. Nevertheless, she regularly returns to the tent near where her old apartment was in order to serve her fellow Ukrainians. “I try to come here at least a few times a week,” she said. “I am grateful to Samaritan’s Purse for establishing this warming center. I will gladly come here, help others, and warm my soul.” As visitors gather around a warm drink or meal while perusing books and Bibles, Sofia seeks to introduce them to the God whom she relies on in her own displacement and as she is concerned over two adult sons who serve in Ukraine’s armed forces. “It is much easier for people to live when they are believers,” Sofia said. “There is no fear, no resentment—only gratitude to God for life.” As the conflict rages on, Sofia remains a resilient and optimistic example for others because of her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Overall, I am satisfied with my life,” she said. “Because every day God gives me a reason to live, regardless of all the external difficulties.” Thanking God for Life and the Strength to Go On Anna*, 70, has no heat or water in her apartment on the 12th floor. She has electricity some days, but when it goes out, making the elevator inoperable, she’s left to make the slow climb up the stairs, pausing between floors for much needed breath and strength to make it home. But that is only the beginning of her struggles. “In my small one-room apartment, there isn’t a single dry place. In the hallway, the room, the kitchen, and the bathroom, everywhere is damp and wet,” Anna says. As the cold seeps into the walls, the floors, and her clothing, she says, “Every day I feel that we are on the verge of freezing.” But despite the trouble, another daily reality prevails. Each day she also prays, “Everything is in Your hands, God! I entrust everything to You, Lord. Help us endure all these trials.” Although various warming centers existed nearby, Anna grew accustomed to dealing with her difficulties on her own. Until one day, she passed a Samaritan’s Purse tent and decided to step inside. “It’s warm and cozy here. I’m so glad I came in. In other warming points, I didn’t feel the same warmth as I do here,” Anna said. Anna’s hands thawed as she enjoyed a nutritious meal and learned that she was not alone in her struggles. She plans to come more frequently until the tent closes in mid-April. “May God help us live to see the spring. Thank you for helping us. This is how I ask the Lord for His support and blessing in difficult times,” Anna said. “We go through all trials only with God’s help.” Anna makes a point to thank Him for the hot meals she receives from Samaritan’s Purse through her church every Thursday. “Thanks to God, I am living.” “Thanks to God, thanks to the partner church of Samaritan’s Purse, I am living,” she said. In addition to the warming tents, Samaritan’s Purse has also distributed nearly 700 emergency winter steadfastness kits to the most vulnerable residents of Kyiv. Containing hand warmers, a sleeping bag, thermal blanket, heating mat, power bank, drinking water, and dry shower sets, the kits give comfort even when residents can’t make it to the warming centers. Please pray that each tent will be to the people of Ukraine not only a place of relief but also a place to meet with God. Ask also for spring temperatures to come early in Ukraine and for residents to find physical and spiritual warmth through Samaritan’s Purse and its hundreds of church partners in the country. *Name changed for security ]]> https://samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/clean-water/ Clean Water. Changed Lives. https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/951443459/0/samaritanspurse~Clean-Water-Changed-Lives/ Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:19:50 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269175 In Sudan, women carry jerry cans full of water from Samaritan's Purse wells to their homes.]]> In Sudan, women carry jerry cans full of water from Samaritan's Purse wells to their homes. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/franklin-graham/april26/ Pray for the Middle East https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/951433772/0/samaritanspurse~Pray-for-the-Middle-East/ Fri, 20 Mar 2026 13:33:08 +0000 https://samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=269209 Rescue workers and others respond where several people were killed by an Iranian missile attack on Beit Shemesh. AP Photo]]> Rescue workers and others respond where several people were killed by an Iranian missile attack on Beit Shemesh. AP Photo ]]>