Emma knew something was amiss when she watched her son repeatedly slap his cheek. Ten-year-old Sylvanus suffered from a variety of health problems, including epileptic seizures, but this was different. Even more challenging, Sylvanus had never learned to speak and could not tell his mother what was wrong. Tears rolled down his face. Finally ableā¦
Crisis & Disaster Response
Relief Distributed, the Gospel Shared Following Earthquakes in the Philippines
Three earthquakes of at least 6.3 magnitude hit the Philippines in the fall of 2019, leaving more than 25 people dead and tens of thousands displaced. In response, Samaritanās Purse delivered emergency relief supplies in late November to 6,459 people in the province of Cotabato and parts of Mindanao. At a total of seven differentā¦
Discipleship, Education & Training
The Heart of a Chaplain
In 2009, the Rev. Mark Sukulao lay in a hospital bed in Zimbabwe, very ill, discouraged, and in almost constant pain. This hospital was the third one he had been admitted to in less than two months, and now he was facing another surgery. Many anxious thoughts churned through the pastorās mind. What was Godāsā¦
Women's Programs
Critical Training Helps Save the Lives of Babies in Myanmar
One afternoon Naw Mu, a local health worker, made her way to a remote village in southeast Myanmar to assist a mother giving birth. By the time Naw Mu arrived, the birth attendant had already helped deliver the babyābut he was not breathing. Although everyone thought the baby would die, Naw Mu was determined toā¦
Operation Christmas Child
Ohio Farmers Influence their Community and the World by Packing Shoeboxes
Drive down River Styx Road just outside Wadsworth, Ohio, and youāll come across the āStyx and Stones Farmā sign. Pull in the driveway on any given Saturday morning in the fall, and it will be tough to find a spot to park. On one edge of the driveway sits a barn thatās at least 175ā¦
Operation Christmas Child
Texas Teen Crochets for Girls Around the World
During National Collection Week two years ago, Alathia Purtell formed what even she thought was an impossible dreamāto produce 2,000 crocheted purses for Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. Alathia, then 12, was visiting her maternal grandparents in Canton, Texas, when she went with her grandmother Sue to her churchās shoebox drop-off location. There, Alathia sawā¦
Operation Christmas Child
Why I Pack Shoeboxes: One-Word Witnesses
On social media this fall, Operation Christmas Child asked shoebox packers to pick one word that describes why they send gifts to boys and girls in need around the world. We thought youād be encouraged to see some of the responses from our volunteers and staff as you prayerfully prepare to fill your own boxesā¦
Crisis & Disaster Response
Church in Ukraine Grows as it Delivers Aid
Samaritanās Purse relies on a faithful network of church partners to deliver aid to the most desperate areas of Ukraine. These area congregations often put themselves at great risk to be the hands and feet of Jesus during wartime to the suffering people in their country. One such congregation is located just 30 miles orā¦
Operation Christmas Child
A Special Bible, Packed in a Shoebox, Makes Its Way to a Remote Pacific Village
Alex and his parents regularly attended meetings of a local cult for years in their remote village of the Philippines. But, we praise God that last year he heard and received the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the outreach of Operation Christmas Child. Toti Ramos, the pastor of one of our partner churches from aā¦
Operation Christmas Child
A Young Girl Comes to Faith and Family Follows
When Athena was 8 years old, she received a gift-filled shoebox through Operation Christmas Child. Living in an impoverished area of the Philippines, the young girl had never received such a present. Athena began to learn about how much God loves her when she read The Greatest Gift, a Gospel story booklet Samaritanās Purse developedā¦
