Samaritan's Purse https://www.samaritanspurse.org News Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:28:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://users.feedblitz.com/ec17766dabfb882064cc1903e3224114/SP-logo.jpg Samaritan's Purse https://www.samaritanspurse.org https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/gods-love-quenches-parched-souls-at-the-saharas-edge/ God’s Love Quenches Parched Souls at the Sahara’s Edge https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/971780342/0/samaritanspurse~God%e2%80%99s-Love-Quenches-Parched-Souls-at-the-Sahara%e2%80%99s-Edge/ Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:28:06 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=273997 Samaritan's Purse teams serve in Niger as the Lord breaks down walls of culture, religion, and deeply-embedded trauma to reveal Himself to hurting refugees.Musa* owned a store on the street corner of his village in Nigeria where he sold soap, shampoo, and other personal hygiene items to his community. His business thrived. Two of his children, ages 10 and 8, attended school each day and came home to food on the table as his wife cared for their 2-year-old son. This reality of a peaceful home life had now faded into what feels like a distant dream. It's been six years since they were forced to flee. Until One Friday Evening “We were managing, by the grace of God,” he said of his shop, “until one Friday evening, when dust swirled through the streets as members of Boko Haram came to attack our village while I was putting my products away.” A convoy of military vehicles carrying the militants had descended on his northeastern Nigerian town. “I could only hear gunfire everywhere. I thank God that I was able to reach my home and save my children and wife.” At nightfall, Musa gathered his family and fled into neighboring Niger. “It’s a long story, and I don’t want to go into detail because it reminds me of the bodies left behind along the way.” Crossing the Yobe River, the family hobbled into Niger's Diffa region where they settled in a displacement camp with nothing to their name. The memories of home faded, even as the horrors of that day remained. But that’s when they met Samaritan’s Purse. “Samaritan’s Purse was the first organization to support us with food aid, and for that reason I can never forget them,” the father said. “As the evangelists tell us every time, Samaritan’s Purse represents God’s love, and we see that love in action.” As a devout Muslim, Musa often pressed Samaritan’s Purse staff about their faith in Jesus as the Son of God. They visited him often and he grew to respect the Christians who welcomed him and saved his family. He was stunned to see Christians care so deeply for him and other Muslims. "Samaritan’s Purse represents God’s love." “I see a big change in how I think,” the father said. “Samaritan’s Purse is an organization that works without discrimination but with love.” Samaritan’s Purse provided Musa and his family of four with food, water, and medical support during those first years in the refugee camp. As the family continues to adjust to their new life in a foreign land, Samaritan’s Purse supports them today through our local church partners who host small groups to encourage, train, and build up refugee families. Serving Displaced Families Near the Sahara Niger is one of the least-reached nations in the world, but, through our projects there, people are experiencing the love of God and the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “I used to view Christians as outsiders, but thanks to this project there’s been collaboration among religious leaders,” Musa said. Much of Niger's population lives in the region's semi-arid Sahel with scarcity and violence. The nation is riddled with violent Islamist groups and plagued by recurring insecurity, including multiple government coups over the last decade. As Samaritan’s Purse continues to work alongside small—yet bold—local churches to provide food aid and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) resources, we also work with these local partners to minister to those fleeing violence. In addition to food and water programs, we also provide prevention training against gender-based violence—both for victims and perpetrators. This training includes instruction in Biblical values in addressing unresolved trauma. “I ask you to continue praying and I say thank you to the donors who are helping us,” said Musa, who, along with his wife and children, attended our classes earlier this year. Joy Restored as Children of God Fatima* was another woman we met in Diffa. She fled her home with her seven children. “When Boko Haram came to my house, I thought it was the end,” Fatima, 55, said from the displacement camp in Diffa. “But God protected us.” Displaced once already, Islamists again barraged her village. She huddled with her children in a shed as the militants stole everything she owned, burned down neighbors’ houses, and killed indiscriminately. “It’s a miracle that we survived,” she said. When she and her family arrived in Diffa, Samaritan’s Purse was there to welcome them. “God continues to watch over us through the people who support us,” she said. Through our programming, Fatima began to deal with deeply embedded trauma caused from violence against her and loved ones over the years. She says that she was met with “compassion, respect, dignity, and patience” by Samaritan’s Purse, and that the classes and discussion groups “restored a sense of worth and hope.” Women, children, and other vulnerable populations face many threats in their own communities and during unstable times like those faced by Fatima and her family. Assault against women in particular is far too common.  This is why Samaritan’s Purse teams in Niger want to get women into training with Biblical principles that address the related trauma they carry around for years. This training also includes measures for preventing such assaults and trauma in the future. “When I come to the activities, I feel that God has not abandoned us,” Fatima said. “People treat us with respect; and for me, that is love.” Life in Diffa is still difficult for Fatima, Musa, and thousands of others, but the Light of the Gospel has restored hope where there was none. “My favorite story is the story of Jesus who died for humanity,” she said. Please pray for Samaritan’s Purse staff in Niger who serve in a precarious environment—sharing God’s love in some of the hardest places. Ask that the Lord would bring salvation to the many thousands of displaced families in Niger. *Names changed for security. ]]> Samaritan's Purse teams serve in Niger as the Lord breaks down walls of culture, religion, and deeply-embedded trauma to reveal Himself to hurting refugees.Musa* owned a store on the street corner of his village in Nigeria where he sold soap, shampoo, and other personal hygiene items to his community. His business thrived. Two of his children, ages 10 and 8, attended school each day and came home to food on the table as his wife cared for their 2-year-old son. This reality of a peaceful home life had now faded into what feels like a distant dream. It's been six years since they were forced to flee. Until One Friday Evening “We were managing, by the grace of God,” he said of his shop, “until one Friday evening, when dust swirled through the streets as members of Boko Haram came to attack our village while I was putting my products away.” A convoy of military vehicles carrying the militants had descended on his northeastern Nigerian town. “I could only hear gunfire everywhere. I thank God that I was able to reach my home and save my children and wife.” At nightfall, Musa gathered his family and fled into neighboring Niger. “It’s a long story, and I don’t want to go into detail because it reminds me of the bodies left behind along the way.” Crossing the Yobe River, the family hobbled into Niger's Diffa region where they settled in a displacement camp with nothing to their name. The memories of home faded, even as the horrors of that day remained. But that’s when they met Samaritan’s Purse. “Samaritan’s Purse was the first organization to support us with food aid, and for that reason I can never forget them,” the father said. “As the evangelists tell us every time, Samaritan’s Purse represents God’s love, and we see that love in action.” As a devout Muslim, Musa often pressed Samaritan’s Purse staff about their faith in Jesus as the Son of God. They visited him often and he grew to respect the Christians who welcomed him and saved his family. He was stunned to see Christians care so deeply for him and other Muslims. "Samaritan’s Purse represents God’s love." “I see a big change in how I think,” the father said. “Samaritan’s Purse is an organization that works without discrimination but with love.” Samaritan’s Purse provided Musa and his family of four with food, water, and medical support during those first years in the refugee camp. As the family continues to adjust to their new life in a foreign land, Samaritan’s Purse supports them today through our local church partners who host small groups to encourage, train, and build up refugee families. Serving Displaced Families Near the Sahara Niger is one of the least-reached nations in the world, but, through our projects there, people are experiencing the love of God and the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “I used to view Christians as outsiders, but thanks to this project there’s been collaboration among religious leaders,” Musa said. Much of Niger's population lives in the region's semi-arid Sahel with scarcity and violence. The nation is riddled with violent Islamist groups and plagued by recurring insecurity, including multiple government coups over the last decade. As Samaritan’s Purse continues to work alongside small—yet bold—local churches to provide food aid and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) resources, we also work with these local partners to minister to those fleeing violence. In addition to food and water programs, we also provide prevention training against gender-based violence—both for victims and perpetrators. This training includes instruction in Biblical values in addressing unresolved trauma. “I ask you to continue praying and I say thank you to the donors who are helping us,” said Musa, who, along with his wife and children, attended our classes earlier this year. Joy Restored as Children of God Fatima* was another woman we met in Diffa. She fled her home with her seven children. “When Boko Haram came to my house, I thought it was the end,” Fatima, 55, said from the displacement camp in Diffa. “But God protected us.” Displaced once already, Islamists again barraged her village. She huddled with her children in a shed as the militants stole everything she owned, burned down neighbors’ houses, and killed indiscriminately. “It’s a miracle that we survived,” she said. When she and her family arrived in Diffa, Samaritan’s Purse was there to welcome them. “God continues to watch over us through the people who support us,” she said. Through our programming, Fatima began to deal with deeply embedded trauma caused from violence against her and loved ones over the years. She says that she was met with “compassion, respect, dignity, and patience” by Samaritan’s Purse, and that the classes and discussion groups “restored a sense of worth and hope.” Women, children, and other vulnerable populations face many threats in their own communities and during unstable times like those faced by Fatima and her family. Assault against women in particular is far too common.  This is why Samaritan’s Purse teams in Niger want to get women into training with Biblical principles that address the related trauma they carry around for years. This training also includes measures for preventing such assaults and trauma in the future. “When I come to the activities, I feel that God has not abandoned us,” Fatima said. “People treat us with respect; and for me, that is love.” Life in Diffa is still difficult for Fatima, Musa, and thousands of others, but the Light of the Gospel has restored hope where there was none. “My favorite story is the story of Jesus who died for humanity,” she said. Please pray for Samaritan’s Purse staff in Niger who serve in a precarious environment—sharing God’s love in some of the hardest places. Ask that the Lord would bring salvation to the many thousands of displaced families in Niger. *Names changed for security. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/serving-in-jesus-name-after-hurricane-isaias/ Serving in Jesus’ Name after Hurricane Isaias https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/971658560/0/samaritanspurse~Serving-in-Jesus%e2%80%99-Name-after-Hurricane-Isaias/ Thu, 15 Oct 2026 20:00:30 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=274481 volunteer chainsaws debris with Samaritan's Purse truck in the backgroundFor Chris and Barbara Davies, the fury of Hurricane Isaias was followed by deafening, lonely silence. Winds upwards of 100 mph and driving rains tore apart their neighborhood in Milton, Florida, in a matter of hours on Oct. 9. But it was the silent hopelessness afterwards that gripped their hearts. “We heard the trees break; we heard the screams from the wind,” Barbara recounted. She bunkered in the bathroom during the storm as Chris braced his feet against the door to keep it closed. “And then silence. No power. The roads were covered. The poles were down. We were in the dark with nothing. It was quiet and our emotions fell apart.” When dawn came, they saw the 60-foot oak tree in their front yard leaning within inches of their roof, held in place by a few roots clinging to the ground. Debris from homes across town littered their yard. Chris grabbed his reciprocating saw, but its 6-inch blade was no match for the trunks and branches all around him. Barbara said, “Who was going to come and help us?” But the silence cast by Isaias was broken soon after by orange-shirted Samaritan’s Purse volunteers ready to serve in Jesus’ Name. The Heaven-sent group of strangers descended on the Davies’ home, cut apart and removed the massive oak, cleared other debris, and showed the couple a love they will never forget. “I say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Barbara said with tears in her eyes. “We had hour after hour in the dark, and then a miracle happens. It’s so overwhelming. I can’t believe that there is someone out there who would help.” The volunteers gave the couple a special Billy Graham Training Center Bible and prayed over them before Barbara hugged each of her new friends goodbye. “We know that God’s presence is around us all the time. But sometimes when you let your human instincts get a hold of you, the fear and doubt creeps in,” Barbara said. “And then you have this group come, and it was radiating. I felt a lot of God’s presence through [these people].” Working as the Hands and Feet of Jesus Samaritan’s Purse is working in the western Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama in the wake of Hurricane Isaias, a deadly Category 2 storm that struck the Gulf Coast last weekend. More than 2,000 families have requested assistance from Samaritan’s Purse volunteer teams since our assessors arrived the day after the storm. “We are bringing volunteers from all over the county to come and serve [as] the hands and feet of Jesus, spreading the good news that God has not forgotten the people of this area of Florida and Alabama,” said Gabe Moudy, a Samaritan’s Purse program manager with U.S. Disaster Relief. Skid steers, tractors, and dozens of volunteers move from yard to yard removing tangled fallen trees and scattered debris to help restore a semblance of normalcy for these hurting families. For Ashley, a local sixth-grade teacher in Milton whose school was damaged in the storm, volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse meant operating a chainsaw for the first time and being a light in her reeling community. “I look around in the community, and I see everybody that is struggling, and I thought, ‘What better way [to spend my time] than to come out here and help my friends and community,’” she said. “We are able to share the Gospel with these people but also help them.” VOLUNTEER IN FLORIDA | ALABAMA Healing Years of Pain by Love in Action Gregory Kimbriel has had seven heart surgeries, each more unsettling, complicated, and dangerous than the one before. “I know that on all the operating tables I have been on, I’ve died many times,” he said. “I’m not supposed to be here. I look OK on the outside, but the inside is all messed up from the different viruses and illnesses. But it’s all necessary to show what God has done for me. It’s clear He’s kept me here for whatever reason that may be.” Gregory has lived in his Florida home for decades. It’s where he cared for his mother and father before they passed, and it’s where he plans to spend the rest of his days. On cabinets, dressers, and coffee tables the 65-year-old has photos of his family set in frames. This corner of Inwood Street in Milton is home. As a native Floridian, Gregory knows how to prepare for hurricanes but still insists he hasn’t experienced a storm quite like Isaias since Hurricane Ivan made landfall as a Category 3 in 2004. Isaias made noises he’d never heard as the winds toppled over a dozen trees on his property. “It was a frightening storm, but what was more frightening was when I got out and looked at the driveway and realized I couldn’t leave,” he said. “I’m looking at this mess and for the very first time, I can’t get out of here. I was trapped. “Then two gentlemen showed up and told me what was going on and how they would help,” Gregory said about the Samaritan’s Purse assessors who arrived at his door less than 48 hours after the storm. As volunteers gathered on the front porch before work began, Gregory couldn’t hold back the tears. “I had to go back inside because I was getting ready to cry and I didn’t want to do that in front of all of them. You cry during spiritual moments—and they aren’t sad tears—they are extremely humble and thankful tears.” The team spent the day removing the many trees on all sides of his property to the curb, clearing his driveway so that he could get out. As the day concluded, they again gathered around Gregory to gift him a Bible and pray. As those in the circle said, “Amen,” Gregory also prayed to thank God. “My cup is overflowing today. Thank you. In Jesus’ Name—come soon—amen.” With hundreds of work orders being submitted every day at our sites in Alabama and Florida, please pray for strength and endurance for our staff and volunteer teams. Please also prayerfully consider visiting spvolunteer.org to sign up to volunteer with U.S. Disaster Relief, where you can serve as the hands and feet of Jesus and bless the lives of those upended by Hurricane Isaias. ]]> volunteer chainsaws debris with Samaritan's Purse truck in the backgroundFor Chris and Barbara Davies, the fury of Hurricane Isaias was followed by deafening, lonely silence. Winds upwards of 100 mph and driving rains tore apart their neighborhood in Milton, Florida, in a matter of hours on Oct. 9. But it was the silent hopelessness afterwards that gripped their hearts. “We heard the trees break; we heard the screams from the wind,” Barbara recounted. She bunkered in the bathroom during the storm as Chris braced his feet against the door to keep it closed. “And then silence. No power. The roads were covered. The poles were down. We were in the dark with nothing. It was quiet and our emotions fell apart.” When dawn came, they saw the 60-foot oak tree in their front yard leaning within inches of their roof, held in place by a few roots clinging to the ground. Debris from homes across town littered their yard. Chris grabbed his reciprocating saw, but its 6-inch blade was no match for the trunks and branches all around him. Barbara said, “Who was going to come and help us?” But the silence cast by Isaias was broken soon after by orange-shirted Samaritan’s Purse volunteers ready to serve in Jesus’ Name. The Heaven-sent group of strangers descended on the Davies’ home, cut apart and removed the massive oak, cleared other debris, and showed the couple a love they will never forget. “I say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Barbara said with tears in her eyes. “We had hour after hour in the dark, and then a miracle happens. It’s so overwhelming. I can’t believe that there is someone out there who would help.” The volunteers gave the couple a special Billy Graham Training Center Bible and prayed over them before Barbara hugged each of her new friends goodbye. “We know that God’s presence is around us all the time. But sometimes when you let your human instincts get a hold of you, the fear and doubt creeps in,” Barbara said. “And then you have this group come, and it was radiating. I felt a lot of God’s presence through [these people].” Working as the Hands and Feet of Jesus Samaritan’s Purse is working in the western Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama in the wake of Hurricane Isaias, a deadly Category 2 storm that struck the Gulf Coast last weekend. More than 2,000 families have requested assistance from Samaritan’s Purse volunteer teams since our assessors arrived the day after the storm. “We are bringing volunteers from all over the county to come and serve [as] the hands and feet of Jesus, spreading the good news that God has not forgotten the people of this area of Florida and Alabama,” said Gabe Moudy, a Samaritan’s Purse program manager with U.S. Disaster Relief. Skid steers, tractors, and dozens of volunteers move from yard to yard removing tangled fallen trees and scattered debris to help restore a semblance of normalcy for these hurting families. For Ashley, a local sixth-grade teacher in Milton whose school was damaged in the storm, volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse meant operating a chainsaw for the first time and being a light in her reeling community. “I look around in the community, and I see everybody that is struggling, and I thought, ‘What better way [to spend my time] than to come out here and help my friends and community,’” she said. “We are able to share the Gospel with these people but also help them.” VOLUNTEER IN FLORIDA | ALABAMA Healing Years of Pain by Love in Action Gregory Kimbriel has had seven heart surgeries, each more unsettling, complicated, and dangerous than the one before. “I know that on all the operating tables I have been on, I’ve died many times,” he said. “I’m not supposed to be here. I look OK on the outside, but the inside is all messed up from the different viruses and illnesses. But it’s all necessary to show what God has done for me. It’s clear He’s kept me here for whatever reason that may be.” Gregory has lived in his Florida home for decades. It’s where he cared for his mother and father before they passed, and it’s where he plans to spend the rest of his days. On cabinets, dressers, and coffee tables the 65-year-old has photos of his family set in frames. This corner of Inwood Street in Milton is home. As a native Floridian, Gregory knows how to prepare for hurricanes but still insists he hasn’t experienced a storm quite like Isaias since Hurricane Ivan made landfall as a Category 3 in 2004. Isaias made noises he’d never heard as the winds toppled over a dozen trees on his property. “It was a frightening storm, but what was more frightening was when I got out and looked at the driveway and realized I couldn’t leave,” he said. “I’m looking at this mess and for the very first time, I can’t get out of here. I was trapped. “Then two gentlemen showed up and told me what was going on and how they would help,” Gregory said about the Samaritan’s Purse assessors who arrived at his door less than 48 hours after the storm. As volunteers gathered on the front porch before work began, Gregory couldn’t hold back the tears. “I had to go back inside because I was getting ready to cry and I didn’t want to do that in front of all of them. You cry during spiritual moments—and they aren’t sad tears—they are extremely humble and thankful tears.” The team spent the day removing the many trees on all sides of his property to the curb, clearing his driveway so that he could get out. As the day concluded, they again gathered around Gregory to gift him a Bible and pray. As those in the circle said, “Amen,” Gregory also prayed to thank God. “My cup is overflowing today. Thank you. In Jesus’ Name—come soon—amen.” With hundreds of work orders being submitted every day at our sites in Alabama and Florida, please pray for strength and endurance for our staff and volunteer teams. Please also prayerfully consider visiting spvolunteer.org to sign up to volunteer with U.S. Disaster Relief, where you can serve as the hands and feet of Jesus and bless the lives of those upended by Hurricane Isaias. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/a-place-out-of-the-rain/ A Place Out of the Rain https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/971416367/0/samaritanspurse~A-Place-Out-of-the-Rain/ Tue, 13 Oct 2026 19:39:55 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=274413 church at nightBob and Dottie Widmann arrived at Cordova Community Baptist Church just as the Sunday morning rain was moving in. They settled into the back row of new chairs in the just-finished house of worship at the corner of Adams Avenue and Second Street. The Widmanns joined scores of fellow residents and church members, along with dozens of Samaritan’s Purse volunteers and staff, to celebrate the dedication of the organization’s 38th Alaska construction project. “This is a gift from God through the donors of Samaritan’s Purse. Those are the prayer warriors, the ones who write the checks for the materials that go into this,” Luther Harrison, vice president of U.S. Rebuild at Samaritan’s Purse, told the congregation. “But one of my favorite gifts is the sweat equity—the boots and gloves and the hands and feet of those who come and help build it. “Their DNA is in this building, and we want God’s DNA in this building. Is this a place where the Gospel’s going to be preached, sinners can come and get ministered to, and where the saints can come and get refreshed, renewed, and refilled to go out into the streets?” During the ceremony, Russ Richardson, lead construction manager for Alaska Projects, handed Pastor Mike Glover the keys. “Mike, these keys will even open the doors to that preschool over there, where the young ones from this community might come and learn about Jesus in a warm, safe, well-lit space,” he said. From the start of planning, Pastor Mike said his prayer was that ministry would take place in the building every day of the week. “The question that we kept asking ourselves was not, how many people can we cram in on Sunday morning? The question was, how many people can we serve and love throughout the week?” he said. “How can we design this space to make sure that it blesses our entire community, and not just the membership of our church?” The dedication, which fell on the week marking Pastor Mike’s seventh year in Cordova with his wife, Mandy, was followed by a feast of covered dishes. Building to Last a Century This latest of our Alaska projects was built to last a century. This area in south-central Alaska is hit by wind gusts up to 150 mph, more than 100 inches of rain a year, up to 12 feet of snow, and seismic activity. The walls are 13-inch-thick rebar-reinforced concrete. The windows are triple-paned and filled with argon gas. The building itself is a heat sink that traps the warmth radiating through the floor from miles of tubing in the foundation. Their old building was, in some places, “growing mushrooms in the walls” and was difficult to heat affordably, according to Pastor Mike and some of the members. Over the course of the project, we praise God that multiple townspeople received Jesus Christ as Lord. Several were baptized in the Sound. Providing A Personal Touch The new building sits right next to the old one, on the very ground where Dottie once ran an art supply store and taught art lessons to residents. The church moved her store into its old sanctuary. Dottie got teary-eyed when she described the Lord’s hand in placing a church where she’d once hoped to give her neighbors a place to gather. “I prayed a lot in that building. And it’s interesting how God had something bigger in mind,” she said. “When I see this, I’m just in awe. “It was like our missions were aligned, and they saw that, and so they allowed me to move into their building. Took out their pews and everything. Not many churches would do that.” The Widmanns said the vision of Samaritan’s Purse and Pastor Mike mirror the same longing when she and Bob arrived in the 1970s. Dottie said that the building provides an ideal space for building relationships and welcoming people from many walks of life. “All kinds of conversations with people about God and sharing the Gospel can happen on a boardwalk,” Dottie said. “But it’s really nice to have a place out of the rain that’s warm. It’s like the hospitality that you can offer your community.” Strengthening the Faith of Volunteers Volunteer Brad Richardson was one of more than 300 volunteers who served in Cordova this year. He said that working on this project helped to strengthen his faith. Brad prayed to receive Christ in 2024 while watching Franklin Graham on television invite viewers to pray with him. The new believer’s first Samaritan’s Purse deployment was flood relief in Pikeville, Kentucky. Cordova is his second Alaska church build. He arrived in Cordova excited to serve but also in need of encouragement in his faith. He said that one morning during the team’s devotion time at breakfast, the leader invited anyone who wanted prayer to stand. “I stood up, and everybody came and put their hands and prayed over me, and I was just sobbing,” Brad said. “The good Lord was there, and I felt the Holy Spirit in me. Everybody was so gracious and so giving, just loving me. And I know that’s Jesus.” In addition to putting the finishing touches on the baseboards, chair rail, and door trim, he made the daily trash run to the transfer station and worked alongside volunteers he had served with before. “There are a lot of people here I’ve worked with before, and I love them,” he said. “I like being the hands and feet of Jesus.” Each summer, Samaritan’s Purse builds a new church in an Alaska community off the road system. Please pray for this and future projects as we continue to provide remote communities with spaces for ministry that will stand up to Alaska’s severe weather for generations. ]]> church at nightBob and Dottie Widmann arrived at Cordova Community Baptist Church just as the Sunday morning rain was moving in. They settled into the back row of new chairs in the just-finished house of worship at the corner of Adams Avenue and Second Street. The Widmanns joined scores of fellow residents and church members, along with dozens of Samaritan’s Purse volunteers and staff, to celebrate the dedication of the organization’s 38th Alaska construction project. “This is a gift from God through the donors of Samaritan’s Purse. Those are the prayer warriors, the ones who write the checks for the materials that go into this,” Luther Harrison, vice president of U.S. Rebuild at Samaritan’s Purse, told the congregation. “But one of my favorite gifts is the sweat equity—the boots and gloves and the hands and feet of those who come and help build it. “Their DNA is in this building, and we want God’s DNA in this building. Is this a place where the Gospel’s going to be preached, sinners can come and get ministered to, and where the saints can come and get refreshed, renewed, and refilled to go out into the streets?” During the ceremony, Russ Richardson, lead construction manager for Alaska Projects, handed Pastor Mike Glover the keys. “Mike, these keys will even open the doors to that preschool over there, where the young ones from this community might come and learn about Jesus in a warm, safe, well-lit space,” he said. From the start of planning, Pastor Mike said his prayer was that ministry would take place in the building every day of the week. “The question that we kept asking ourselves was not, how many people can we cram in on Sunday morning? The question was, how many people can we serve and love throughout the week?” he said. “How can we design this space to make sure that it blesses our entire community, and not just the membership of our church?” The dedication, which fell on the week marking Pastor Mike’s seventh year in Cordova with his wife, Mandy, was followed by a feast of covered dishes. Building to Last a Century This latest of our Alaska projects was built to last a century. This area in south-central Alaska is hit by wind gusts up to 150 mph, more than 100 inches of rain a year, up to 12 feet of snow, and seismic activity. The walls are 13-inch-thick rebar-reinforced concrete. The windows are triple-paned and filled with argon gas. The building itself is a heat sink that traps the warmth radiating through the floor from miles of tubing in the foundation. Their old building was, in some places, “growing mushrooms in the walls” and was difficult to heat affordably, according to Pastor Mike and some of the members. Over the course of the project, we praise God that multiple townspeople received Jesus Christ as Lord. Several were baptized in the Sound. Providing A Personal Touch The new building sits right next to the old one, on the very ground where Dottie once ran an art supply store and taught art lessons to residents. The church moved her store into its old sanctuary. Dottie got teary-eyed when she described the Lord’s hand in placing a church where she’d once hoped to give her neighbors a place to gather. “I prayed a lot in that building. And it’s interesting how God had something bigger in mind,” she said. “When I see this, I’m just in awe. “It was like our missions were aligned, and they saw that, and so they allowed me to move into their building. Took out their pews and everything. Not many churches would do that.” The Widmanns said the vision of Samaritan’s Purse and Pastor Mike mirror the same longing when she and Bob arrived in the 1970s. Dottie said that the building provides an ideal space for building relationships and welcoming people from many walks of life. “All kinds of conversations with people about God and sharing the Gospel can happen on a boardwalk,” Dottie said. “But it’s really nice to have a place out of the rain that’s warm. It’s like the hospitality that you can offer your community.” Strengthening the Faith of Volunteers Volunteer Brad Richardson was one of more than 300 volunteers who served in Cordova this year. He said that working on this project helped to strengthen his faith. Brad prayed to receive Christ in 2024 while watching Franklin Graham on television invite viewers to pray with him. The new believer’s first Samaritan’s Purse deployment was flood relief in Pikeville, Kentucky. Cordova is his second Alaska church build. He arrived in Cordova excited to serve but also in need of encouragement in his faith. He said that one morning during the team’s devotion time at breakfast, the leader invited anyone who wanted prayer to stand. “I stood up, and everybody came and put their hands and prayed over me, and I was just sobbing,” Brad said. “The good Lord was there, and I felt the Holy Spirit in me. Everybody was so gracious and so giving, just loving me. And I know that’s Jesus.” In addition to putting the finishing touches on the baseboards, chair rail, and door trim, he made the daily trash run to the transfer station and worked alongside volunteers he had served with before. “There are a lot of people here I’ve worked with before, and I love them,” he said. “I like being the hands and feet of Jesus.” Each summer, Samaritan’s Purse builds a new church in an Alaska community off the road system. Please pray for this and future projects as we continue to provide remote communities with spaces for ministry that will stand up to Alaska’s severe weather for generations. ]]> https://samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/order-materials/ Get Free Materials https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/971382539/0/samaritanspurse~Get-Free-Materials/ Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:50:49 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=274411 ]]> ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/prepared-to-respond-to-hurricane-isaias/ Samaritan’s Purse Deploying to Florida and Alabama After Hurricane Isaias https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/971192897/0/samaritanspurse~Samaritans-Purse-Deploying-to-Florida-and-Alabama-After-Hurricane-Isaias/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:37:21 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=274333 Samaritan's Purse volunteers are at work in Florida and Alabama after Hurricane Isaias.Samaritan’s Purse has deployed to the Florida Panhandle and South Alabama in the wake of Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall late Friday night near Destin, Florida. Isaias hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 storm, packing winds of 105 mph and bringing five feet of storm surge to the coast. Several inches of rain deluged Florida to Virginia and beyond on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10-11. At least four people died in the storm. Our staff and volunteers are responding in Jesus’ Name to help hurting homeowners recover after the hurricane. One of our Disaster Relief Units—a tractor trailer filled with tools and equipment—is in Florida. Another arrived in Alabama on Monday, Oct. 12. Volunteer teams started work on Monday morning in Florida and Monday afternoon in Alabama. They are helping to cut felled trees, clear out debris, and more, and share the hope of the Gospel with families reeling from the storm. Our host for the Panhandle response is Immanuel Baptist Church, 4187 Highway 90, in Pace, Florida. Our host for the Alabama/Florida response is First Baptist Church, 324 Belleville Ave., in Brewton, Alabama. We are working in multiple counties. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Rapid Response Team (BGEA-RRT) is joining Samaritan's Purse on this deployment. Volunteer in Florida and Alabama “Pray for all those in the path of Hurricane Isaias,” said Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham on Facebook on Friday. Isaias is the first hurricane to hit the mainland United States since October 2024. At one point, the storm reached Category 3 winds (110 mph), or major hurricane status, while brewing in the Gulf. Please pray for the many people who were in Hurricane Isaias’ path—that the Lord would strengthen and comfort them. Please also pray for wisdom, safety, and a bold witness for Christ as Samaritan's Purse teams minister in affected areas. Note: This article was first published on Oct. 9 and then updated Oct. 10-12. ]]> Samaritan's Purse volunteers are at work in Florida and Alabama after Hurricane Isaias.Samaritan’s Purse has deployed to the Florida Panhandle and South Alabama in the wake of Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall late Friday night near Destin, Florida. Isaias hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 storm, packing winds of 105 mph and bringing five feet of storm surge to the coast. Several inches of rain deluged Florida to Virginia and beyond on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10-11. At least four people died in the storm. Our staff and volunteers are responding in Jesus’ Name to help hurting homeowners recover after the hurricane. One of our Disaster Relief Units—a tractor trailer filled with tools and equipment—is in Florida. Another arrived in Alabama on Monday, Oct. 12. Volunteer teams started work on Monday morning in Florida and Monday afternoon in Alabama. They are helping to cut felled trees, clear out debris, and more, and share the hope of the Gospel with families reeling from the storm. Our host for the Panhandle response is Immanuel Baptist Church, 4187 Highway 90, in Pace, Florida. Our host for the Alabama/Florida response is First Baptist Church, 324 Belleville Ave., in Brewton, Alabama. We are working in multiple counties. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Rapid Response Team (BGEA-RRT) is joining Samaritan's Purse on this deployment. Volunteer in Florida and Alabama “Pray for all those in the path of Hurricane Isaias,” said Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham on Facebook on Friday. Isaias is the first hurricane to hit the mainland United States since October 2024. At one point, the storm reached Category 3 winds (110 mph), or major hurricane status, while brewing in the Gulf. Please pray for the many people who were in Hurricane Isaias’ path—that the Lord would strengthen and comfort them. Please also pray for wisdom, safety, and a bold witness for Christ as Samaritan's Purse teams minister in affected areas. Note: This article was first published on Oct. 9 and then updated Oct. 10-12. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/building-bridges-of-hope-after-helene/ Building Bridges of Hope After Helene https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/971154260/0/samaritanspurse~Building-Bridges-of-Hope-After-Helene/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:23:27 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=274092 Samaritan's Purse staff joined the Faulkners and other residents in celebrating the new bridge to their community.When Jerry and Rhonda Faulkner hear a generator kick into action, they’re immediately transported back to the weeks after Helene when the roar of generators echoed across western North Carolina. The night Helene hit, all the residents on their road were in their homes and didn't expect Helene to be much of anything. They didn’t put their cars on the other side of the creek or evacuate their houses to weather the storm in safer areas on higher ground. “A bit of rain, a little bit of wind, and it'll be over just like most of the storms are when they come up this way,” resident Jerry Faulkner remembers thinking. “But it was definitely a different story with this one.” When Jerry went down the next morning to check on the bridge that spanned the creek below their home and provided them the only way to leave their property, it wasn’t just underwater. It was gone. “That's when everyone realized, ‘Oh, my,’ we'd been devastated,” Jerry said. It took them six days of working with everything they had before they were able to leave their little community. They found pieces of their old bridge a quarter of a mile downriver. The bridge's metal I beams were completely bent in half. By the time they had cleared enough debris and logs from the river and made enough space to ford it with a skid-steer, they realized the road on the other side was impassable. Even trying to go through the woods with a four-wheeler was impossible. “We didn't even know what was going on out in the community. We just knew that we were stranded, but we had no idea how bad it was,” Rhonda Faulkner said. During those long days, they were gripped by a fear they had never known. “I personally wondered, did anybody even know about us? I felt so alone and isolated and we wondered if anyone was ever coming,” Rhonda said. “I'd see a plane fly over and I'd jump up and down and wave my arms, hoping that they'd tell somebody that we needed help.” A realization settled on them. Finding a way out would depend solely on them. The Beginnings of Recovery They had to have a bridge. It was the only point of access to the homes of twelve families. But none of them were engineers with the skills to rebuild a bridge. Using three PVC culverts and pieces from their old bridge, they put together a makeshift crossing. But whenever they received more than an inch of rain, the sides of the bridge would wash out. It was built on shifting sand and it wasn’t going to last. “We all got together, had a meeting, and we had maybe $8,000 in our road fund, and we said, ‘Well, there's just no way that's gonna build a bridge,’” Jerry said. “We knew that we were in trouble, and we were all looking into getting loans and everything else.” Then a friend of theirs mentioned that Samaritan’s Purse had helped them build a new bridge and suggested giving the team a call. Jerry decided it couldn’t hurt. That phone call began a process that would become one of the 1,000 crossings (bridges, driveways, and culverts) restored by Samaritan's Purse since the September 2024 storm. “When I gave Samaritan's Purse a call, we'd already had people giving us estimates for bridges and everything, and it was just so outrageous. And you said, ‘We'll see if we can help you,’” Jerry recalled. They had been quoted an insurmountable $87,000 to rebuild their bridge. Everyone expected Samaritan’s Purse to say they couldn’t help, but Jerry patiently waited, continuing to look into other possibilities until he got his answer from the bridges, driveways, and culverts team at Samaritan’s Purse. Then he heard back from a Samaritan's Purse representative. “And she said, ‘Well, you've been approved.’ I said, ‘I've been approved?!’” Jerry couldn’t believe it. A year and a half after Helene had hit, they were finally going to have a new bridge. A Permanent Solution and an Eternal Hope Within two weeks, a Samaritan’s Purse team was at the creek and, in under a week, Jerry and his neighbors had a brand-new bridge. “It was unbelievable,” Jerry said. “I figured I'm gonna leave it in the Lord's hands and whoever He brings here to start doing the bridge, I said, ‘That's who's gonna build it, and we will be happy, because we're blessed either way.’” Jerry and Rhonda said they were encouraged in their faith that they received such generous help from a Christian organization committed to sharing the hope of Jesus with everyone they encounter. It reminded Rhonda of the story of the disabled man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5. “He couldn't walk and no one would carry him into the pool and so everyone else would always beat him into the pool. And he felt like he was unseen. And then Jesus came by, and Jesus saw him and Jesus saw his need. And Jesus healed him that day,” Rhonda said. “And I kind of feel like the man at the pool. We felt unseen for a long time, but then Jesus showed up, and He reminded us that we are seen through Samaritan's Purse. And I feel like Samaritan's Purse is Jesus' hands and feet on earth, and that really bolstered my faith.” Every person who drives over the brand-new bridge is greeted by two signs that say “Given in Jesus’ Name.” “God took it all away, but look at everything He gave back,” Jerry said. “He gave us back better than what we had before. We just had to wait and just stay faithful. There's no way that we could have ever built a bridge for that price, or done it in any other way. This is all in God's hands. He's an awesome God, and He took care of us through Samaritan's Purse,” Jerry said. As the two-year anniversary of Helene rolled around, Jerry and Rhonda and their neighbors gathered for a breakfast block party on the bridge to celebrate all that God had done. Two years ago, looking into the rushing, raging water that used to be a quiet creek, they couldn’t have imagined sitting on the bridge today as a community, reflecting on the goodness of God. “It was just awesome to sit there and just look at what God gave us,” Jerry said. “It'll always be known as the Samaritan's Purse Bridge.” ]]> Samaritan's Purse staff joined the Faulkners and other residents in celebrating the new bridge to their community.When Jerry and Rhonda Faulkner hear a generator kick into action, they’re immediately transported back to the weeks after Helene when the roar of generators echoed across western North Carolina. The night Helene hit, all the residents on their road were in their homes and didn't expect Helene to be much of anything. They didn’t put their cars on the other side of the creek or evacuate their houses to weather the storm in safer areas on higher ground. “A bit of rain, a little bit of wind, and it'll be over just like most of the storms are when they come up this way,” resident Jerry Faulkner remembers thinking. “But it was definitely a different story with this one.” When Jerry went down the next morning to check on the bridge that spanned the creek below their home and provided them the only way to leave their property, it wasn’t just underwater. It was gone. “That's when everyone realized, ‘Oh, my,’ we'd been devastated,” Jerry said. It took them six days of working with everything they had before they were able to leave their little community. They found pieces of their old bridge a quarter of a mile downriver. The bridge's metal I beams were completely bent in half. By the time they had cleared enough debris and logs from the river and made enough space to ford it with a skid-steer, they realized the road on the other side was impassable. Even trying to go through the woods with a four-wheeler was impossible. “We didn't even know what was going on out in the community. We just knew that we were stranded, but we had no idea how bad it was,” Rhonda Faulkner said. During those long days, they were gripped by a fear they had never known. “I personally wondered, did anybody even know about us? I felt so alone and isolated and we wondered if anyone was ever coming,” Rhonda said. “I'd see a plane fly over and I'd jump up and down and wave my arms, hoping that they'd tell somebody that we needed help.” A realization settled on them. Finding a way out would depend solely on them. The Beginnings of Recovery They had to have a bridge. It was the only point of access to the homes of twelve families. But none of them were engineers with the skills to rebuild a bridge. Using three PVC culverts and pieces from their old bridge, they put together a makeshift crossing. But whenever they received more than an inch of rain, the sides of the bridge would wash out. It was built on shifting sand and it wasn’t going to last. “We all got together, had a meeting, and we had maybe $8,000 in our road fund, and we said, ‘Well, there's just no way that's gonna build a bridge,’” Jerry said. “We knew that we were in trouble, and we were all looking into getting loans and everything else.” Then a friend of theirs mentioned that Samaritan’s Purse had helped them build a new bridge and suggested giving the team a call. Jerry decided it couldn’t hurt. That phone call began a process that would become one of the 1,000 crossings (bridges, driveways, and culverts) restored by Samaritan's Purse since the September 2024 storm. “When I gave Samaritan's Purse a call, we'd already had people giving us estimates for bridges and everything, and it was just so outrageous. And you said, ‘We'll see if we can help you,’” Jerry recalled. They had been quoted an insurmountable $87,000 to rebuild their bridge. Everyone expected Samaritan’s Purse to say they couldn’t help, but Jerry patiently waited, continuing to look into other possibilities until he got his answer from the bridges, driveways, and culverts team at Samaritan’s Purse. Then he heard back from a Samaritan's Purse representative. “And she said, ‘Well, you've been approved.’ I said, ‘I've been approved?!’” Jerry couldn’t believe it. A year and a half after Helene had hit, they were finally going to have a new bridge. A Permanent Solution and an Eternal Hope Within two weeks, a Samaritan’s Purse team was at the creek and, in under a week, Jerry and his neighbors had a brand-new bridge. “It was unbelievable,” Jerry said. “I figured I'm gonna leave it in the Lord's hands and whoever He brings here to start doing the bridge, I said, ‘That's who's gonna build it, and we will be happy, because we're blessed either way.’” Jerry and Rhonda said they were encouraged in their faith that they received such generous help from a Christian organization committed to sharing the hope of Jesus with everyone they encounter. It reminded Rhonda of the story of the disabled man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5. “He couldn't walk and no one would carry him into the pool and so everyone else would always beat him into the pool. And he felt like he was unseen. And then Jesus came by, and Jesus saw him and Jesus saw his need. And Jesus healed him that day,” Rhonda said. “And I kind of feel like the man at the pool. We felt unseen for a long time, but then Jesus showed up, and He reminded us that we are seen through Samaritan's Purse. And I feel like Samaritan's Purse is Jesus' hands and feet on earth, and that really bolstered my faith.” Every person who drives over the brand-new bridge is greeted by two signs that say “Given in Jesus’ Name.” “God took it all away, but look at everything He gave back,” Jerry said. “He gave us back better than what we had before. We just had to wait and just stay faithful. There's no way that we could have ever built a bridge for that price, or done it in any other way. This is all in God's hands. He's an awesome God, and He took care of us through Samaritan's Purse,” Jerry said. As the two-year anniversary of Helene rolled around, Jerry and Rhonda and their neighbors gathered for a breakfast block party on the bridge to celebrate all that God had done. Two years ago, looking into the rushing, raging water that used to be a quiet creek, they couldn’t have imagined sitting on the bridge today as a community, reflecting on the goodness of God. “It was just awesome to sit there and just look at what God gave us,” Jerry said. “It'll always be known as the Samaritan's Purse Bridge.” ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/the-unreached-people-next-door/ The Unreached People Next Door https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/971063894/0/samaritanspurse~The-Unreached-People-Next-Door/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:27:33 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=274229 A newly-formed, Spanish-speaking Bible study in Kentucky is bringing an overlooked community together to worship God in their heart language.Karen Amaya cleans offices throughout the night while her two kids sleep. She returns home in the early hours of the morning, sends her children to school, and gets ready for her day job cleaning homes. Still, she makes time to come to the Bible study for a few hours Friday night before her shift begins. “We find in here something that feels like home,” she said of the Spanish-language Bible study she attends at First Baptist Church (FBC) in Pikeville, Kentucky. “Because regardless of how beautiful things sound in another language, it’s never like hearing the truth in your own language. This is beautiful. The children are able to hear the Word of God, too, and participate in the fellowship.” Recently, the single mother was one of hundreds of families who pulled into the parking lot at FBC Pikeville for the Samaritan’s Purse medical outreach held at the church. Now, every Friday night, it fills with the cars of the only Spanish-speaking Bible study in the region. Several months ago, such a Spanish-speaking gathering did not exist. The medical care that Karen received at the church was part of a recently launched Samaritan's Purse Community Medical Outreach program. FBC's students and missions pastor, Keenan Darby, said it was through this outreach event that he learned how few opportunities his Hispanic neighbors had to hear the Gospel in their heart language. As our teams of medical professionals provided free dental and vision care and general health screenings to hundreds of people, which included many Hispanic men and women, Pastor Darby was seeing a new ministry need in the area. He was grateful that Spanish-speaking chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association were there to minister to the Hispanic attendees, sharing the Gospel in their heart language. “Having chaplains that loved Jesus and spoke Spanish changed everything, and that’s something we would never have been able to offer,” Pastor Keenan said. “Samaritan’s Purse allowed us to gain traction. By them offering medical care and creating that trust and bond, we were then able to come in behind and take the next step with them.” Reaching the Unreached People Next Door This sparked church leaders to rethink what it means to reach the world's lost. In Pikeville, FBC was saddened to learn that a Spanish-speaking population in an American Bible Belt town had no one teaching them from the Word of God. “No Bible study, no sermons, no small groups—nothing in a 2.5-hour radius for Spanish-speakers,” the students and missions pastor said after he and representatives from Samaritan’s Purse visited Hispanic restaurants and businesses around town before the event. “Once we started to ask and it was affirmed, it was sad,” he continued. “We have a world map in the church, and we talk a lot about going to the nations and what we realized is what’s been missed for decades is right here in Pikeville. The Hispanic community is unreached.” For mothers like Karen, the new Bible study at FBC Pikeville has opened her family again to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nearly two years ago, when historic floods tore through Pikeville and surrounding communities, the storm ravaged her home. She remembers the orange-shirted Samaritan’s Purse volunteers who showed up to help in Jesus' Name within days of the flooding. Through the partnership between the church and Samaritan's Purse, Karen returned for dental care when our medical outreach event was in town. Then she returned again because she hungered for Christian fellowship and Biblical teaching in her native language. “When you see something as big as Samaritan’s Purse, you think that they have plenty to give—and that’s the only goal that people see. I got more than a hug, I got more than somebody who listened, and got more than a fixed tooth. I took home a lesson in grace and fellowship and the love of God through His children and through His ministry.” In the meantime, as Karen and her two young boys have lived with her sister since the storm, First Baptist Church is helping rebuild her home piece by piece. Volunteers from the church and other churches in the area have replaced her walls, fixed the electrical wiring, and done much more. “They did the work that my hands couldn’t do. They lifted a part of my life that has been broken in pieces since the flood. Things that I wasn’t able to do, they did. I didn’t have the strength to keep going, but they lifted that burden.” A New Community with a Growing Hunger for God’s Word Luis Jose Freitas dons and doffs his glasses as he shifts his attention from the Bible in his hands to the pastor in front of him. For Luis, this isn't just a Bible study under fluorescent lights in the back room of a church in Kentucky. This ministry has been a breakthrough moment for him, his wife, and other Hispanic families in the area. This is the first time in several years that they are reading the Word of God in Spanish and being discipled by a pastor who understands them. “My wife and I feel so proud to be here,” Luis said about the Bible study. He, too, attended the Samaritan's Purse medical event in May where he received free glasses and prescription medicine from a doctor after a health checkup. “Even though there are not many Hispanic people like me around here, in this group we feel like we are all part of a family.” The group's leader, Pastor Richard Perez, understands the importance of his calling to lead the study—making the three-hour drive each way worth every mile. “I didn’t even know where Pikeville was, but I followed God’s calling,” Pastor Richard said. The Peru native has led a Spanish-speaking church in Somerset, Kentucky, for three years. Through mutual connections, he heard about the new Bible study and answered the call of God to lead it. “The families come and get excited to get together,” he said. “I speak for a whole hour about the Word of God, but they always ask if I can keep talking. They are hungry for the Word.” Since its inception, Luis and his wife have attended the study and their faith in Christ has been revitalized. “When we were living in Venezuela, we used to go to a Christian church, but when we came here to Kentucky, we tried to look for a church that offered Spanish but there were none,” he said, “so having this group now is magnificent. It’s amazing.” As the group grows and their relationships with each other and Christ deepen, pray that Spanish-speakers in the mountains of Kentucky would respond to the call of salvation. Pray that Hispanic Christ-followers in the region would boldly share their faith to reach the unreached in their neighborhoods. ]]> A newly-formed, Spanish-speaking Bible study in Kentucky is bringing an overlooked community together to worship God in their heart language.Karen Amaya cleans offices throughout the night while her two kids sleep. She returns home in the early hours of the morning, sends her children to school, and gets ready for her day job cleaning homes. Still, she makes time to come to the Bible study for a few hours Friday night before her shift begins. “We find in here something that feels like home,” she said of the Spanish-language Bible study she attends at First Baptist Church (FBC) in Pikeville, Kentucky. “Because regardless of how beautiful things sound in another language, it’s never like hearing the truth in your own language. This is beautiful. The children are able to hear the Word of God, too, and participate in the fellowship.” Recently, the single mother was one of hundreds of families who pulled into the parking lot at FBC Pikeville for the Samaritan’s Purse medical outreach held at the church. Now, every Friday night, it fills with the cars of the only Spanish-speaking Bible study in the region. Several months ago, such a Spanish-speaking gathering did not exist. The medical care that Karen received at the church was part of a recently launched Samaritan's Purse Community Medical Outreach program. FBC's students and missions pastor, Keenan Darby, said it was through this outreach event that he learned how few opportunities his Hispanic neighbors had to hear the Gospel in their heart language. As our teams of medical professionals provided free dental and vision care and general health screenings to hundreds of people, which included many Hispanic men and women, Pastor Darby was seeing a new ministry need in the area. He was grateful that Spanish-speaking chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association were there to minister to the Hispanic attendees, sharing the Gospel in their heart language. “Having chaplains that loved Jesus and spoke Spanish changed everything, and that’s something we would never have been able to offer,” Pastor Keenan said. “Samaritan’s Purse allowed us to gain traction. By them offering medical care and creating that trust and bond, we were then able to come in behind and take the next step with them.” Reaching the Unreached People Next Door This sparked church leaders to rethink what it means to reach the world's lost. In Pikeville, FBC was saddened to learn that a Spanish-speaking population in an American Bible Belt town had no one teaching them from the Word of God. “No Bible study, no sermons, no small groups—nothing in a 2.5-hour radius for Spanish-speakers,” the students and missions pastor said after he and representatives from Samaritan’s Purse visited Hispanic restaurants and businesses around town before the event. “Once we started to ask and it was affirmed, it was sad,” he continued. “We have a world map in the church, and we talk a lot about going to the nations and what we realized is what’s been missed for decades is right here in Pikeville. The Hispanic community is unreached.” For mothers like Karen, the new Bible study at FBC Pikeville has opened her family again to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nearly two years ago, when historic floods tore through Pikeville and surrounding communities, the storm ravaged her home. She remembers the orange-shirted Samaritan’s Purse volunteers who showed up to help in Jesus' Name within days of the flooding. Through the partnership between the church and Samaritan's Purse, Karen returned for dental care when our medical outreach event was in town. Then she returned again because she hungered for Christian fellowship and Biblical teaching in her native language. “When you see something as big as Samaritan’s Purse, you think that they have plenty to give—and that’s the only goal that people see. I got more than a hug, I got more than somebody who listened, and got more than a fixed tooth. I took home a lesson in grace and fellowship and the love of God through His children and through His ministry.” In the meantime, as Karen and her two young boys have lived with her sister since the storm, First Baptist Church is helping rebuild her home piece by piece. Volunteers from the church and other churches in the area have replaced her walls, fixed the electrical wiring, and done much more. “They did the work that my hands couldn’t do. They lifted a part of my life that has been broken in pieces since the flood. Things that I wasn’t able to do, they did. I didn’t have the strength to keep going, but they lifted that burden.” A New Community with a Growing Hunger for God’s Word Luis Jose Freitas dons and doffs his glasses as he shifts his attention from the Bible in his hands to the pastor in front of him. For Luis, this isn't just a Bible study under fluorescent lights in the back room of a church in Kentucky. This ministry has been a breakthrough moment for him, his wife, and other Hispanic families in the area. This is the first time in several years that they are reading the Word of God in Spanish and being discipled by a pastor who understands them. “My wife and I feel so proud to be here,” Luis said about the Bible study. He, too, attended the Samaritan's Purse medical event in May where he received free glasses and prescription medicine from a doctor after a health checkup. “Even though there are not many Hispanic people like me around here, in this group we feel like we are all part of a family.” The group's leader, Pastor Richard Perez, understands the importance of his calling to lead the study—making the three-hour drive each way worth every mile. “I didn’t even know where Pikeville was, but I followed God’s calling,” Pastor Richard said. The Peru native has led a Spanish-speaking church in Somerset, Kentucky, for three years. Through mutual connections, he heard about the new Bible study and answered the call of God to lead it. “The families come and get excited to get together,” he said. “I speak for a whole hour about the Word of God, but they always ask if I can keep talking. They are hungry for the Word.” Since its inception, Luis and his wife have attended the study and their faith in Christ has been revitalized. “When we were living in Venezuela, we used to go to a Christian church, but when we came here to Kentucky, we tried to look for a church that offered Spanish but there were none,” he said, “so having this group now is magnificent. It’s amazing.” As the group grows and their relationships with each other and Christ deepen, pray that Spanish-speakers in the mountains of Kentucky would respond to the call of salvation. Pray that Hispanic Christ-followers in the region would boldly share their faith to reach the unreached in their neighborhoods. ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/obeying-gods-call/ Obeying God’s Call https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/971027243/0/samaritanspurse~Obeying-God%e2%80%99s-Call/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 20:43:39 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=274197 Edward Graham, Chief Operation Officer at Samaritan's Purse, speaks from the stage at the Renaissance Sea World hotel in Orlando.“I want you to be willing to try something that you may have never done before or go somewhere that you've never gone before, because God knows the plans He has for you,” said Samaritan's Purse COO Edward Graham, encouraging attendees from Jeremiah 29:11 during opening remarks at the 35th annual Samaritan's Purse Prescription for Renewal conference hosted by our World Medical Mission. The Oct. 1-4 event, held at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, was a time of refreshing, fellowship, and a call to obedience. More than 900 attendees, including 102 students from eight universities, enjoyed worship with guest artist Josh Havens, lectures from keynote speakers, specialty breakout sessions, and tours through various medical exhibits. “Whatever your plans are and why God brought you here, I hope you're willing to get uncomfortable and get outside your comfort zone,” Edward Graham said. In the days following his bold charge, first-time attendees, seasoned missionaries, and those seeking to start their journey in medical missions heard inspiring testimonies from those who have lived out God's plan in obedience. A Family on Mission Over the last five decades, World Medical Mission, the medical arm of Samaritan's Purse, has organized more than 17,000 short-term volunteer medical trips and plans to send more than 700 people to serve around the globe this year. “We have all sorts of ways we serve mission hospitals, but at the core of it all are those folks that serve,” said Scott Hughett, director of the program. “The volunteers are the backbone of World Medical Mission.” The Wilson family is among those who have answered the call to medical missions abroad. “We were just sitting in your seats four years ago,” Dr. Brad Wilson said, addressing the audience alongside his wife, Dr. Nicole Wilson, and daughter, Reagan. “We didn’t know how to dip our toes in. We were very nervous.” The couple attended Prescription for Renewal years ago after learning about the conference at an Operation Christmas Child event at their children’s school. After attending, they began to see how they could use their skills as doctors to share the hope of Jesus Christ with suffering people in a medical setting. “At that conference, we heard how medicine can be used to preach the Gospel to those who may never step foot in a church,” Dr. Brad said. At first, he and his wife were not convinced they wanted to take their children abroad, but after several thoughtful and prayerful conversations with World Medical Mission volunteers, they decided to take a step of faith. “His plans are always so much better than ours,” Dr. Nicole said. “So, in July 2023, we took our three kids with us. They were 12, 9, and 5.” "We want to encourage you to reflect on your story, the experiences that have led you here, and how God might be calling you to serve." Over the last three summers, the Wilson family has returned to Kenya to serve at Kapsowar Mission Hospital. “The more we go, the more we want to be a part of what God is doing,” Dr. Nicole said. She also urged attendees to consider taking a step of faith and ask God where He might be leading. “We want to encourage you to reflect on your story, the experiences that have led you here, and how God might be calling you to serve,” she said. “Take steps of faith to renew your passion and calling. Bring your kids along for the ride, and see how, as a family, you can be part of the Kingdom work that's happening across the globe at mission hospitals.” A Testimony of Hope Keynote speaker Dr. Ethan Helm, one of more than 200 World Medical Mission post-resident physicians, shared about his experience serving two years at Mbingo Baptist Hospital in Cameroon in our Post-Residency Program. Then the Lord called Dr. Helm and his family to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he now serves as the senior vice director at Hebron Medical Center. Dr. Helm received an enthusiastic round of applause after his powerful testimony of overcoming hardship, starting with his Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in high school. At the time, his prognosis gave him a 50% chance of survival. “I was angry. I wrestled with God. My story is not that I had great faith during my affliction, but that Jesus Christ was faithful to me when I felt faithless,” he told his captivated audience. “Through the power of God, He transformed cancer into one of the biggest blessings of my life.” It was a trip to Kenya with a professor from medical school that solidified Dr. Helm’s call to medical missions. Looking back, he said, he would give himself the high school superlative of “least likely to become a medical missionary.” But he said the Lord directed his steps, and, not long after, he quickly realized God was calling him to do just that. “Medical missions gives us the privilege of caring for both the immediate suffering before us and the deeper spiritual need of every person to know Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.” “At first, my motivation was to alleviate human suffering, but as I grew as a Christian, I realized that there is a disease much worse than cancer. Everybody has it, and it is sin,” he said. “Jesus is the only cure. Repenting of your sins and believing in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is the only medicine that brings eternal life. “Medical missions gives us the privilege of caring for both the immediate suffering before us and the deeper spiritual need of every person to know Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.” Neighbor Serving Neighbor The conference included scores of educational breakout sessions covering topics such as infectious disease and outbreak response, dentistry, leading medical teams, and serving in difficult settings, along with a number of spiritual enrichment classes. Attendees could also browse exhibits, including our Community Medical Outreach (CMO) tent, a domestic program that launched in March 2025. Our CMO projects are hosted by local partnering churches where our medical teams provide free dental, vision, and medical care in underserved communities around the United States. During those outreach events, patients are also cared for and encouraged from God's word by Billy Graham chaplains and ministry team members. Attendees heard from Shaun and Greta Greeson, who work in missions at The Lamb's Chapel in Burlington, North Carolina—a CMO partner church. After sharing her inspiring testimony of living with spina bifida from a young age and eventually starting nursing school at age 40, Greta described her call to medical missions and her experience on the Disaster Assistance Response Team with Samaritan’s Purse. Her most recent deployment was to our field hospital in Venezuela after two back-to-back earthquakes struck the northern coast. “I developed a strong desire to serve through medical missions, especially in places where people and children with disabilities are often overlooked,” she said. “I wanted to help people see that God created each of us with a purpose, and that every life has value in God's eyes.” Two years ago, during the 2024 Prescription for Renewal conference, the couple said they learned about the CMO clinic and felt compelled to get involved. They began to pray that God would open the door for their church to host an outreach event. “I developed a strong desire to serve through medical missions, especially in places where people and children with disabilities are often overlooked.” Shaun said that God answered those prayers. “All we did was start praying and realized we wanted to touch the lives of people in our community,” Shaun said. “God just put all the steps together. Our church got behind it. People stepped forward.” The Greesons encouraged not only health professionals but anyone with a willing heart to serve at a CMO. “There's something for everybody in this room,” Shaun said. “Whether you're a doctor, a nurse, a dentist, an optometrist, or whether you can translate, there's something for you to do at CMO. We want you to get involved.” The Necessity of Hope Renewed Bible teacher Anne Graham Lotz, president of AnGeL Ministries and daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham, shared three messages themed around her book The Vision of His Glory: Finding Hope Through the Revelation of Jesus Christ. During the general session Friday morning, Lotz encouraged believers to face adversity and challenges with faith and courage. She urged them to look upward to Jesus, inward to what He sees within them, and forward with hope as they await eternity with Him. “I want to share with you the necessity of having our hope renewed as we stay focused on Jesus in the midst of this crazy, corrupt world that's filled with conflict, disasters, and disease,” she said. She drew from the book of Revelation, reminding attendees of the time in which the Apostle John was writing. It was the first century, and Christians were being persecuted for refusing to worship the Roman Emperor Domitian. “It was at that moment that God revealed to the Apostle John the vision of the glory of Jesus Christ for the whole purpose of giving hope to the hopeless and giving us a reason to get up in the morning and do what you do on the mission field and tell people about Jesus,” she said. “Because the book of Revelation gives us the end of the story.” Anne Graham Lotz reminded listeners that God is in control and charged them to remember their “first love” (Revelation 2:4), no matter where He calls them. “My prayer for you is that you would be renewed in your hope as you focus on Jesus, focus on Him through His Word, focus on Him through His worship,” she said. “One day we're going to stand before Him and He’s going to make sense of all these things that we don't understand today. We look forward to our heavenly home, and I want to take as many people with me as I can." ]]> Edward Graham, Chief Operation Officer at Samaritan's Purse, speaks from the stage at the Renaissance Sea World hotel in Orlando.“I want you to be willing to try something that you may have never done before or go somewhere that you've never gone before, because God knows the plans He has for you,” said Samaritan's Purse COO Edward Graham, encouraging attendees from Jeremiah 29:11 during opening remarks at the 35th annual Samaritan's Purse Prescription for Renewal conference hosted by our World Medical Mission. The Oct. 1-4 event, held at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, was a time of refreshing, fellowship, and a call to obedience. More than 900 attendees, including 102 students from eight universities, enjoyed worship with guest artist Josh Havens, lectures from keynote speakers, specialty breakout sessions, and tours through various medical exhibits. “Whatever your plans are and why God brought you here, I hope you're willing to get uncomfortable and get outside your comfort zone,” Edward Graham said. In the days following his bold charge, first-time attendees, seasoned missionaries, and those seeking to start their journey in medical missions heard inspiring testimonies from those who have lived out God's plan in obedience. A Family on Mission Over the last five decades, World Medical Mission, the medical arm of Samaritan's Purse, has organized more than 17,000 short-term volunteer medical trips and plans to send more than 700 people to serve around the globe this year. “We have all sorts of ways we serve mission hospitals, but at the core of it all are those folks that serve,” said Scott Hughett, director of the program. “The volunteers are the backbone of World Medical Mission.” The Wilson family is among those who have answered the call to medical missions abroad. “We were just sitting in your seats four years ago,” Dr. Brad Wilson said, addressing the audience alongside his wife, Dr. Nicole Wilson, and daughter, Reagan. “We didn’t know how to dip our toes in. We were very nervous.” The couple attended Prescription for Renewal years ago after learning about the conference at an Operation Christmas Child event at their children’s school. After attending, they began to see how they could use their skills as doctors to share the hope of Jesus Christ with suffering people in a medical setting. “At that conference, we heard how medicine can be used to preach the Gospel to those who may never step foot in a church,” Dr. Brad said. At first, he and his wife were not convinced they wanted to take their children abroad, but after several thoughtful and prayerful conversations with World Medical Mission volunteers, they decided to take a step of faith. “His plans are always so much better than ours,” Dr. Nicole said. “So, in July 2023, we took our three kids with us. They were 12, 9, and 5.” "We want to encourage you to reflect on your story, the experiences that have led you here, and how God might be calling you to serve." Over the last three summers, the Wilson family has returned to Kenya to serve at Kapsowar Mission Hospital. “The more we go, the more we want to be a part of what God is doing,” Dr. Nicole said. She also urged attendees to consider taking a step of faith and ask God where He might be leading. “We want to encourage you to reflect on your story, the experiences that have led you here, and how God might be calling you to serve,” she said. “Take steps of faith to renew your passion and calling. Bring your kids along for the ride, and see how, as a family, you can be part of the Kingdom work that's happening across the globe at mission hospitals.” A Testimony of Hope Keynote speaker Dr. Ethan Helm, one of more than 200 World Medical Mission post-resident physicians, shared about his experience serving two years at Mbingo Baptist Hospital in Cameroon in our Post-Residency Program. Then the Lord called Dr. Helm and his family to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he now serves as the senior vice director at Hebron Medical Center. Dr. Helm received an enthusiastic round of applause after his powerful testimony of overcoming hardship, starting with his Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in high school. At the time, his prognosis gave him a 50% chance of survival. “I was angry. I wrestled with God. My story is not that I had great faith during my affliction, but that Jesus Christ was faithful to me when I felt faithless,” he told his captivated audience. “Through the power of God, He transformed cancer into one of the biggest blessings of my life.” It was a trip to Kenya with a professor from medical school that solidified Dr. Helm’s call to medical missions. Looking back, he said, he would give himself the high school superlative of “least likely to become a medical missionary.” But he said the Lord directed his steps, and, not long after, he quickly realized God was calling him to do just that. “Medical missions gives us the privilege of caring for both the immediate suffering before us and the deeper spiritual need of every person to know Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.” “At first, my motivation was to alleviate human suffering, but as I grew as a Christian, I realized that there is a disease much worse than cancer. Everybody has it, and it is sin,” he said. “Jesus is the only cure. Repenting of your sins and believing in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is the only medicine that brings eternal life. “Medical missions gives us the privilege of caring for both the immediate suffering before us and the deeper spiritual need of every person to know Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.” Neighbor Serving Neighbor The conference included scores of educational breakout sessions covering topics such as infectious disease and outbreak response, dentistry, leading medical teams, and serving in difficult settings, along with a number of spiritual enrichment classes. Attendees could also browse exhibits, including our Community Medical Outreach (CMO) tent, a domestic program that launched in March 2025. Our CMO projects are hosted by local partnering churches where our medical teams provide free dental, vision, and medical care in underserved communities around the United States. During those outreach events, patients are also cared for and encouraged from God's word by Billy Graham chaplains and ministry team members. Attendees heard from Shaun and Greta Greeson, who work in missions at The Lamb's Chapel in Burlington, North Carolina—a CMO partner church. After sharing her inspiring testimony of living with spina bifida from a young age and eventually starting nursing school at age 40, Greta described her call to medical missions and her experience on the Disaster Assistance Response Team with Samaritan’s Purse. Her most recent deployment was to our field hospital in Venezuela after two back-to-back earthquakes struck the northern coast. “I developed a strong desire to serve through medical missions, especially in places where people and children with disabilities are often overlooked,” she said. “I wanted to help people see that God created each of us with a purpose, and that every life has value in God's eyes.” Two years ago, during the 2024 Prescription for Renewal conference, the couple said they learned about the CMO clinic and felt compelled to get involved. They began to pray that God would open the door for their church to host an outreach event. “I developed a strong desire to serve through medical missions, especially in places where people and children with disabilities are often overlooked.” Shaun said that God answered those prayers. “All we did was start praying and realized we wanted to touch the lives of people in our community,” Shaun said. “God just put all the steps together. Our church got behind it. People stepped forward.” The Greesons encouraged not only health professionals but anyone with a willing heart to serve at a CMO. “There's something for everybody in this room,” Shaun said. “Whether you're a doctor, a nurse, a dentist, an optometrist, or whether you can translate, there's something for you to do at CMO. We want you to get involved.” The Necessity of Hope Renewed Bible teacher Anne Graham Lotz, president of AnGeL Ministries and daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham, shared three messages themed around her book The Vision of His Glory: Finding Hope Through the Revelation of Jesus Christ. During the general session Friday morning, Lotz encouraged believers to face adversity and challenges with faith and courage. She urged them to look upward to Jesus, inward to what He sees within them, and forward with hope as they await eternity with Him. “I want to share with you the necessity of having our hope renewed as we stay focused on Jesus in the midst of this crazy, corrupt world that's filled with conflict, disasters, and disease,” she said. She drew from the book of Revelation, reminding attendees of the time in which the Apostle John was writing. It was the first century, and Christians were being persecuted for refusing to worship the Roman Emperor Domitian. “It was at that moment that God revealed to the Apostle John the vision of the glory of Jesus Christ for the whole purpose of giving hope to the hopeless and giving us a reason to get up in the morning and do what you do on the mission field and tell people about Jesus,” she said. “Because the book of Revelation gives us the end of the story.” Anne Graham Lotz reminded listeners that God is in control and charged them to remember their “first love” (Revelation 2:4), no matter where He calls them. “My prayer for you is that you would be renewed in your hope as you focus on Jesus, focus on Him through His Word, focus on Him through His worship,” she said. “One day we're going to stand before Him and He’s going to make sense of all these things that we don't understand today. We look forward to our heavenly home, and I want to take as many people with me as I can." ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/experiencing-the-joy-of-jesus-through-packing-shoeboxes/ Experiencing the Joy of Jesus Through Packing Shoeboxes https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/970897439/0/samaritanspurse~Experiencing-the-Joy-of-Jesus-Through-Packing-Shoeboxes/ Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:12:04 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=274001 Adryana displays packed shoebox giftAdryana had always wanted to be a missionary. The Floridian was inspired by her grandparents, who had served in South America for decades, and she dreamed of one day sharing the Gospel overseas. Even as a 5 years old, Adryana learned that God had meaningful work for her in His Kingdom. She believed that packing shoeboxes gives boys and girls provided them an opportunity to hear the Gospel—some for the first time. Whenever she went shopping, she searched for practical and fun items that would bless a child who had next to nothing, often going above and beyond to assemble quality shoeboxes packed with school supplies, toys, dolls, clothing, and other items to fill every nook and cranny of the gift. “If this box is representing Jesus’ love for them, then we want to make sure that it’s quality so that they realize that God really loves them,” Adryana said. Her heart overflowed with compassion for children around the world, and she resolved to pack one more shoebox gift than the year before. She wanted as many boys and girls as possible to have an opportunity to come to faith in Jesus Christ. By the time she reached high school, she had increased her goal by 200 each year. She organized bake sales and fundraisers to help cover the cost of the gift items and the $10 donation per shoebox. She also hosted parties for neighbors, her parents’ church discipleship group, friends, and family to help her pack shoeboxes. Adryana rejoiced as she saw the Lord provide every single time. “We set faith goals that we know we can’t achieve and that require God’s intervention and people’s support,” she said. A Life-Changing Sickness Adryana saw God’s sovereignty at work when her health took a drastic turn during her sophomore year of high school. After years of being physically active, she had suddenly become too weak to get out of bed. Adryana experienced aches and fevers that were so severe that she felt as if she was dying. Despite consulting multiple specialists, her symptoms worsened without an explanation or cure. The spring before her senior year, she was diagnosed with Bartonella (and, later, also with Lyme disease). But she was not discouraged. She was determined to see how God would be glorified and care for her through the trial. “The desire of my heart has to be Him,” she said. “Whatever way my life goes, I have to be OK with it. It’s worth it because He is worth it.” She was also determined to see the Lord provide the strength and resources to pack 1,000 shoeboxes. Faith Tested and Proven Only one month after her official diagnosis, Adryana was rushed to the emergency room with high fevers. The hospital staff tried to bring down her temperature, but nothing could take away the extreme pain. As she lay in her hospital bed, her mind wandered to the shoeboxes, wondering how God would provide for her impossible goal. But, instead of worrying, she decided to pray. “If we’re meant to do 1,000 shoeboxes, would You please make it clear?” Adryana prayed. Thirty minutes later, they received an unexpected text from a neighbor wanting to know how to contribute financially to Adryana’s shoebox packing goal. They saw this as a clear sign, so the family returned to shoebox packing as soon as Adryana was discharged. In His perfect timing, spring break had just begun, and they dedicated the week to packing shoeboxes. Despite her pain, sickness, and exhaustion, Adryana experienced joy in being obedient to the Lord. Too weak to walk, she rode in shopping carts as she and her mother went up and down store aisles, shopping for gift items. At home and too weak to move, she sat in a chair while a family member passed her items to fill the shoeboxes. “Packing shoeboxes helped me take my eyes off my circumstance and put my eyes on Jesus. It was my sacrifice of praise—my soul needed it,” she said. “I needed to continually be reminded that God’s Name is worth sharing.” Adryana received treatments throughout the year and was often too sick to get out of bed. She visited the emergency room multiple times, and her health continued to deteriorate. Yet she did not give up faith. He blessed her with a community that supported her as she pushed on toward her goal. An employee at a discount store, who supported Adryana’s mission, would tell her when seasonal and retail sales were about to launch. Friends and neighbors continued to offer their time and resources—she was awestruck when someone covered the $10,000 cost of shipping for all 1,000 shoeboxes. “We didn’t dream big enough,” Adryana said. “God’s going to do more than that! We’re going to do more than 1,000 shoeboxes.” By National Collection Week, Adryana had packed 1,747 boxes, raised more than $17,000 to cover the $10 donation per shoebox, and raised over $10,000 to send each shoebox recipient through The Greatest Journey discipleship classes. She could not believe how in a turbulent year full of emergency room visits and health scares, the Lord had provided far more than she had imagined. “I’ve seen what God can do when I put my faith in Him—if I can imagine it, He can do more,” she said. Gospel Opportunities for a Missionary’s Heart Although Adryana faces ongoing health challenges, her passion for God and the Great Commission burns brighter and fiercer. Because of her illness, she does not know if she could ever be a missionary overseas. But she is grateful that she can be on mission with God anywhere. Adryana always shares her testimony and the Good News of Jesus Christ at her packing parties. She invites neighbors, family, and friends who have not given their lives to Jesus to come listen and participate. She knows they need Him just as much as the children receiving the boxes. Through shoebox gifts, God has given her a larger mission field than she ever imagined. She is witnessing to her local community, sharing with them the eternal hope she has found over and over again in Jesus Christ. And she is igniting Christians to participate in spreading the Gospel around the world, one shoebox at a time. “I desired so deeply to be a missionary in Africa,” she said. “But God allowed me to stay here in America to speak on behalf of kids in other countries.” ]]> Adryana displays packed shoebox giftAdryana had always wanted to be a missionary. The Floridian was inspired by her grandparents, who had served in South America for decades, and she dreamed of one day sharing the Gospel overseas. Even as a 5 years old, Adryana learned that God had meaningful work for her in His Kingdom. She believed that packing shoeboxes gives boys and girls provided them an opportunity to hear the Gospel—some for the first time. Whenever she went shopping, she searched for practical and fun items that would bless a child who had next to nothing, often going above and beyond to assemble quality shoeboxes packed with school supplies, toys, dolls, clothing, and other items to fill every nook and cranny of the gift. “If this box is representing Jesus’ love for them, then we want to make sure that it’s quality so that they realize that God really loves them,” Adryana said. Her heart overflowed with compassion for children around the world, and she resolved to pack one more shoebox gift than the year before. She wanted as many boys and girls as possible to have an opportunity to come to faith in Jesus Christ. By the time she reached high school, she had increased her goal by 200 each year. She organized bake sales and fundraisers to help cover the cost of the gift items and the $10 donation per shoebox. She also hosted parties for neighbors, her parents’ church discipleship group, friends, and family to help her pack shoeboxes. Adryana rejoiced as she saw the Lord provide every single time. “We set faith goals that we know we can’t achieve and that require God’s intervention and people’s support,” she said. A Life-Changing Sickness Adryana saw God’s sovereignty at work when her health took a drastic turn during her sophomore year of high school. After years of being physically active, she had suddenly become too weak to get out of bed. Adryana experienced aches and fevers that were so severe that she felt as if she was dying. Despite consulting multiple specialists, her symptoms worsened without an explanation or cure. The spring before her senior year, she was diagnosed with Bartonella (and, later, also with Lyme disease). But she was not discouraged. She was determined to see how God would be glorified and care for her through the trial. “The desire of my heart has to be Him,” she said. “Whatever way my life goes, I have to be OK with it. It’s worth it because He is worth it.” She was also determined to see the Lord provide the strength and resources to pack 1,000 shoeboxes. Faith Tested and Proven Only one month after her official diagnosis, Adryana was rushed to the emergency room with high fevers. The hospital staff tried to bring down her temperature, but nothing could take away the extreme pain. As she lay in her hospital bed, her mind wandered to the shoeboxes, wondering how God would provide for her impossible goal. But, instead of worrying, she decided to pray. “If we’re meant to do 1,000 shoeboxes, would You please make it clear?” Adryana prayed. Thirty minutes later, they received an unexpected text from a neighbor wanting to know how to contribute financially to Adryana’s shoebox packing goal. They saw this as a clear sign, so the family returned to shoebox packing as soon as Adryana was discharged. In His perfect timing, spring break had just begun, and they dedicated the week to packing shoeboxes. Despite her pain, sickness, and exhaustion, Adryana experienced joy in being obedient to the Lord. Too weak to walk, she rode in shopping carts as she and her mother went up and down store aisles, shopping for gift items. At home and too weak to move, she sat in a chair while a family member passed her items to fill the shoeboxes. “Packing shoeboxes helped me take my eyes off my circumstance and put my eyes on Jesus. It was my sacrifice of praise—my soul needed it,” she said. “I needed to continually be reminded that God’s Name is worth sharing.” Adryana received treatments throughout the year and was often too sick to get out of bed. She visited the emergency room multiple times, and her health continued to deteriorate. Yet she did not give up faith. He blessed her with a community that supported her as she pushed on toward her goal. An employee at a discount store, who supported Adryana’s mission, would tell her when seasonal and retail sales were about to launch. Friends and neighbors continued to offer their time and resources—she was awestruck when someone covered the $10,000 cost of shipping for all 1,000 shoeboxes. “We didn’t dream big enough,” Adryana said. “God’s going to do more than that! We’re going to do more than 1,000 shoeboxes.” By National Collection Week, Adryana had packed 1,747 boxes, raised more than $17,000 to cover the $10 donation per shoebox, and raised over $10,000 to send each shoebox recipient through The Greatest Journey discipleship classes. She could not believe how in a turbulent year full of emergency room visits and health scares, the Lord had provided far more than she had imagined. “I’ve seen what God can do when I put my faith in Him—if I can imagine it, He can do more,” she said. Gospel Opportunities for a Missionary’s Heart Although Adryana faces ongoing health challenges, her passion for God and the Great Commission burns brighter and fiercer. Because of her illness, she does not know if she could ever be a missionary overseas. But she is grateful that she can be on mission with God anywhere. Adryana always shares her testimony and the Good News of Jesus Christ at her packing parties. She invites neighbors, family, and friends who have not given their lives to Jesus to come listen and participate. She knows they need Him just as much as the children receiving the boxes. Through shoebox gifts, God has given her a larger mission field than she ever imagined. She is witnessing to her local community, sharing with them the eternal hope she has found over and over again in Jesus Christ. And she is igniting Christians to participate in spreading the Gospel around the world, one shoebox at a time. “I desired so deeply to be a missionary in Africa,” she said. “But God allowed me to stay here in America to speak on behalf of kids in other countries.” ]]> https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/quenching-thirst/ Quenching Thirst https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/970847228/0/samaritanspurse~Quenching-Thirst/ Thu, 01 Oct 2026 11:43:25 +0000 https://www.samaritanspurse.org/?post_type=sp-articles&p=272687 Ukrainians collect water at a church tapClear, clean water rushes from a tap outside a local church as Kateryna* carefully holds her multi-gallon bottle under the flow. Once the precious liquid covers the bottom of her plastic jug and quickly billows up its sides, the 66-year-old thanks God. Samaritan’s Purse is bringing fresh water to her community in eastern Ukraine after it was disrupted by the war. Even better yet, she met the Source of Living Water, Jesus Christ, during the conflict and now her soul is satisfied. But it hasn’t been easy. In Difficulty, Hope When full-scale conflict erupted in 2022, Kateryna was enjoying her retirement from the Soviet-era workers’ supply department by tending her garden and home and caring for her grandchildren. Suddenly, her health declined: she had to be hospitalized and undergo surgery. Yet during this critical season, caring people invited her to a local church where she placed her faith in Jesus Christ that year. She was baptized a year later, in 2023. Now she is an active part of this congregation. “During these difficult times, I realized that only in the Lord is there salvation. I prayed sincerely, and He showed me His mercy,” Kateryna said. Though she lives alone in her home, which has so far survived the effects of the war, Kateryna perseveres through the hope and resilience of her faith in God, her Heavenly Father. He gives her the strength to keep going and find peace under difficult circumstances. In Scarcity, Plenty Samaritan’s Purse is committed to helping provide the basic needs of suffering Ukrainians. Delivering a freshwater supply to Kateryna’s village so she and her neighbors can gather all the water they need for drinking, cooking, and more, is part of that effort. “This is such a great help for us. Through it, we feel the mighty hand of the Lord.” “This is such a great help for us,” Kateryna said. “Through it, we feel the mighty hand of the Lord. I am very grateful to Samaritan’s Purse, because thanks to their support, we now have the water our village so desperately needs. Their help not only saves lives but also gives us hope.” Since 2022, Samaritan’s Purse has provided more than 34 million gallons of clean water to weary residents of Ukraine. “The conflict impacted one way or another all the people in Ukraine,” said Vitalii Tupchiienko, our emergency water project program manager. “Those who were not injured directly are carrying wounds in their hearts and their minds. This is where the role of Samaritan’s Purse in supporting the church in Ukraine is crucial. While helping people address their physical needs, it is the church that takes care of people’s souls, helping them find peace that surpasses all understanding, whose Name is Jesus Christ.” Please pray that many of those receiving clean water from Samaritan’s Purse throughout Ukraine would also come to know Jesus Christ, the Source of Living Water. *Name changed for security ]]> Ukrainians collect water at a church tapClear, clean water rushes from a tap outside a local church as Kateryna* carefully holds her multi-gallon bottle under the flow. Once the precious liquid covers the bottom of her plastic jug and quickly billows up its sides, the 66-year-old thanks God. Samaritan’s Purse is bringing fresh water to her community in eastern Ukraine after it was disrupted by the war. Even better yet, she met the Source of Living Water, Jesus Christ, during the conflict and now her soul is satisfied. But it hasn’t been easy. In Difficulty, Hope When full-scale conflict erupted in 2022, Kateryna was enjoying her retirement from the Soviet-era workers’ supply department by tending her garden and home and caring for her grandchildren. Suddenly, her health declined: she had to be hospitalized and undergo surgery. Yet during this critical season, caring people invited her to a local church where she placed her faith in Jesus Christ that year. She was baptized a year later, in 2023. Now she is an active part of this congregation. “During these difficult times, I realized that only in the Lord is there salvation. I prayed sincerely, and He showed me His mercy,” Kateryna said. Though she lives alone in her home, which has so far survived the effects of the war, Kateryna perseveres through the hope and resilience of her faith in God, her Heavenly Father. He gives her the strength to keep going and find peace under difficult circumstances. In Scarcity, Plenty Samaritan’s Purse is committed to helping provide the basic needs of suffering Ukrainians. Delivering a freshwater supply to Kateryna’s village so she and her neighbors can gather all the water they need for drinking, cooking, and more, is part of that effort. “This is such a great help for us. Through it, we feel the mighty hand of the Lord.” “This is such a great help for us,” Kateryna said. “Through it, we feel the mighty hand of the Lord. I am very grateful to Samaritan’s Purse, because thanks to their support, we now have the water our village so desperately needs. Their help not only saves lives but also gives us hope.” Since 2022, Samaritan’s Purse has provided more than 34 million gallons of clean water to weary residents of Ukraine. “The conflict impacted one way or another all the people in Ukraine,” said Vitalii Tupchiienko, our emergency water project program manager. “Those who were not injured directly are carrying wounds in their hearts and their minds. This is where the role of Samaritan’s Purse in supporting the church in Ukraine is crucial. While helping people address their physical needs, it is the church that takes care of people’s souls, helping them find peace that surpasses all understanding, whose Name is Jesus Christ.” Please pray that many of those receiving clean water from Samaritan’s Purse throughout Ukraine would also come to know Jesus Christ, the Source of Living Water. *Name changed for security ]]>