Franklin Graham Update | December
Franklin Graham Update | December
'From Devastation
To Celebration'
Dear Friend,
As Christmas approaches, we continue to see so much need all around us. Our disaster relief teams have served thousands of storm-stricken families. Meanwhile, we've been collecting and shipping Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to millions of children worldwide.
Hurricane Helene brought out the best in our neighbors, volunteers, and church partners. Close to 30,000 volunteers have served in Jesus' Name at Samaritan's Purse emergency bases across three states. They've made great progress in mudding out flooded houses, removing trees and debris, and tarping roofs. We're also planning to rebuild hundreds of houses and replace hundreds of mobile homes.
I think you'll be inspired to hear how God has worked in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in places like Damascus, Virginia, named after the Damascus Road where the Apostle Paul encountered the risen Christ. The First Baptist Church of Damascus sits on another famous thoroughfare, as the Appalachian Trail follows the sidewalk leading to the front door. This congregation works year-round to pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, but they lost everything when a raging creek swept through their sanctuary.
As church members dealt with the muddy devastation, they also grieved for the lost opportunity to share the joy of Christmas with children on the other side of the world. Then the nearby Glade Spring Baptist Church stepped up, mobilizing neighbors to pack hundreds of additional shoeboxes, making sure that no children would be left out. "We went from devastation to celebration," said Angie Fritz, a church member in Damascus.
Shoebox gifts from a mountain church might seem like a drop in the bucket, but it all adds up. We're still counting all the boxes we've collected through Operation Christmas Child, but it looks like we'll have enough to reach 12 million children around the world. Praise God for His mighty works!
Wherever Samaritan's Purse is working, whether we're preparing shoebox gifts or patching roofs, our priority is to share the hope we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who came from Heaven to deliver us from our sins. "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
'He Was Born to Save Us'
Please continue to pray for the children who will be receiving shoebox gifts in the days and weeks ahead. The boxes are handed out by our global church partners as they present the Gospel and invite children to join our discipleship classes, The Greatest Journey. Last year, 3 million children gave their hearts to Jesus through these classes. "The classes changed my life," said an 11-year-old girl named Epiphani in the African nation of Ghana. "I put my trust in Jesus—He is the One who came and died for our sins. He was born to save us."
The First Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, embraced Operation Christmas Child as a missions outreach that is also an opportunity for healing. "When people hurt, the best medicine is giving," Pastor Rocky Branch said. The church has been a lifeline for the people of Spruce Pine, where the downtown was wiped out by flooding. The church cranked up its generator to provide the only lights in town, served over 40,000 meals, and turned its sanctuary into a pantry. In the midst of its relief work, the church packed and collected thousands of shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child. Listen to the podcast below to hear my daughter-in-law, Kristy Graham, reporting from Spruce Pine.
ON THE GROUND: Kristy Graham recently visited Spruce Pine First Baptist Church, a North Carolina church hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Ever since the day after the storm, Pastor Rocky Branch and his congregation have been providing warm meals, housing, and relief supplies to people in their community. Despite the devastation and heartache, people within the church body are stepping up and packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, looking beyond themselves and fixing their eyes on Jesus.
As this year ends, all of us at Samaritan's Purse want to thank everyone who has been a part of this ministry through your prayers, donations, and volunteer service. We couldn't do this without you.
After such a stormy year, Christmas brings good news: "And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord'" (Luke 2:9-11).
May God richly bless you. Merry Christmas!
Sincerely,
Franklin Graham
Ways You Can Help
Pray
Continue to pray for the children who are receiving Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Ask God to use these gifts to help children understand how dearly He loves them. Lift up the survivors of Hurricane Helene as they face the trials of winter and the challenges of rebuilding their homes.
- U.S. DISASTER RELIEF
- Samaritan's Purse volunteer crews continue to work to clean storm-damaged houses so they can be repaired. Your gift will also help us to rebuild hundreds of houses and replace mobile homes. If God is calling you or your church to help storm survivors this winter, sign up at spvolunteer.org.
- The Greatest Journey®
- The Greatest Journey® is a 12-lesson discipleship program that Samaritan's Purse offers through the churches that hand out Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Your gift of $6 per child will provide lesson materials, teacher training, and a New Testament in the local language for each graduate. For $90, we can reach a class of 15 children with the Gospel.
- Where Most Needed
- Samaritan's Purse works in more than 100 countries to help victims of disaster, disease, famine, poverty, and war. Your gift to "Where Most Needed" equips us with the resources—including personnel, materials, supporting services, and equipment—to fulfi ll our mission of relief and evangelism.
