When Yinat went to his garden to gather sorghum he did not expect such an ordinary day would deal him such a dreadful incident. A spitting cobra lurking among the plants attacked and spit not once, but twice in Yinat’s eyes. That was 20 years ago, and Yinat hadn’t seen well ever since. He developed…
Volunteer Perseveres in Leadership Despite Challenges
After spending 24 years as a special agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kathy Aiken found a different calling. Today, Kathy serves as an area coordinator for the Operation Christmas Child East Alabama Area Team. Based out of Talladega County, Kathy leads a team of volunteers that promote shoebox packing year-round. “I feel like…
Manar and a Teddy Bear
Delivering Christmas to Children in Uganda
In late 2002, Franklin Graham gathered with musician Bono (of U2) and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Youth Choir at New York’s JFK International Airport for a special send-off. More than 80,000 Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts were loaded onto an Antonov 225, the world’s largest cargo jet at the time, to be transported to Ugandan children…
Celebramos la libertad en Cristo este Cuatro de Julio
More than 50 wounded military veterans and their spouses have come to Alaska so far this year hoping for restoration for their marriages and their lives. These military couples are very real reminders that the freedoms we enjoy aren’t free, but come at a price that’s paid on battlefields all over the world. They bear…
Volunteer at a Drop-off Location (es)
Discipling Boys and Girls through The Greatest Journey
After 16 years of collecting and delivering Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts, Samaritan’s Purse launched its own follow-up discipleship program for the boys and girls who receive them. In 2009, this 12-lesson course called The Greatest Journey started at Good Shepherd Church in Pifo, Ecuador, located just outside of Quito, and today has grown to…
Veteran Couple Finds Forgiveness, Freedom in Christ While in Alaska
Army Corporal Hamilton Kinard’s 15-month deployment to Iraq was a turning point in his military career. At age 19, he had joined the military “to make my dad happy. I hadn’t done much with my life up to that point and I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to help somebody.” In 2005, as…
Nadia and a Doll
Movilizando militares y sus parejas al frente de desastres naturales
At the 2019 Operation Heal Our Patriots Reunion in Dallas, Texas, we invited military couples to join our U.S. Disaster Relief efforts as part of our new Team Patriot project. Since the first Team Patriot teams deployed in August of last year, Samaritan’s Purse has sent more than 100 individuals to serve again on the…