When the earthquake struck China on May 12, I was talking with several hundred seminary students in the port city of Nanjing, one of four Chinese cities I visited during a ten-day trip to this ancient land. I had no idea at the time of the magnitude of the quake or of its widespread destruction. Only when I watched the news on television later that evening, did I fully realize the scope of the disaster.

I immediately committed $150,000 from Samaritan’s Purse and another $150,000 from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to assist Chinese churches with the disaster response.

Ten days later, Samaritan’s Purse chartered a 747 jumbo jet that carried 90 tons of emergency aid from Charlotte, North Carolina, halfway around the world to Chengdu, the capital of the quake-devastated Sichuan province. In addition to medical supplies, blankets, hygiene kits, solar-powered flashlights, and other items, the plane was loaded with 1,140 rolls of reinforced plastic and six large water filtration systems—enough to provide temporary housing and clean water for thousands of suffering families. According to Chinese officials, this was the first privately chartered relief flight from the United States to arrive in Chengdu.

The General Secretary of the China Christian Council was on hand to see the 747 unloaded. “When the cargo plane arrived, it showed that people from the United States cared about us—Christians cared about us,” he said. “Lots of Chinese have no idea about Christianity. This is a way to show them the Christian faith.”

The first installation of our large water filters took place in a village where over 95 percent of the houses were destroyed. The earthquake had killed about 500 villagers, including 200 teachers and students who died in the collapse of school buildings. Grateful people lined up with buckets and jugs to collect drinking water from our filter. One middle-aged man had lost his home as well as his livelihood when the factory where he worked was destroyed. A young mother was left destitute, but was thankful her daughter was one of the schoolchildren to survive. Another woman was not so fortunate—she lost her only son.

As I was en route to China, Cyclone Nargis swept across Myanmar, killing as many as 135,000 people and leaving over 2 million homeless. Two days after the storm, Samaritan’s Purse had a team of water specialists on the ground in the hard-hit city of Yangon, working with local government and church leaders.

We soon launched a series of airlifts from neighboring Bangkok into Myanmar for distribution in the storm-ravaged delta region. Three cargo flights delivered 60 tons of supplies, including emergency health kits, water purification packets, mosquito nets, blankets, clothing, and reinforced plastic for shelters. We have also received clearance to bring in 12 water filtration systems that could meet the daily needs of 36,000 people.

The day before the earthquake struck China, I had an opportunity to preach at the largest church in China. It was Mother’s Day—the first one since my mother went to be with the Lord last June. She was born in China and prayed all her life for God to open doors for the Chinese people to hear the Gospel. I know she would have been thrilled to see more than 1,200 stand at the invitation to repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

I want the people in China and Myanmar to know that the help they receive is coming from caring Christians here in the United States. I want them to see our local church partners demonstrating God’s compassion in the midst of their suffering. As they do, let’s pray that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will come to them “not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5, NIV).

Thank you for your prayers and support. There is much work to do, but we are trusting God at every turn.

Sincerely,

President
Samaritan's Purse

Ways You Can Help