It’s almost unbelievable that Earnestine Reese survived the EF4 tornado that barreled through Lee County, Alabama, on March 3, 2019—killing 23 people, leveling neighborhoods, and displacing families. As the storm hit, she huddled in her bathroom with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, praying for God’s protection. The twister tore directly over their house, ripping off…
Iron Souls and Tender Hearts
Can the significance of one human life be measured? How great is its value? One of the recurring themes throughout the 33rd Prescription for Renewal conference was the inherent, God-endowed worth and dignity of every person—from children developing in their mothers’ wombs to the social outcasts to the physically needy trapped in the ditches of…
Franklin Graham Travels to Colombia to Support Work with Venezuelan Migrants
NOTE: This article reflects the situation in Colombia/Venezuela as of Franklin Graham’s trip in Oct. 2018. For more recent information, go to our Colombia relief landing page and see other updated articles listed there. As Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham walked the Simón Bolívar International Bridge in Cúcuta, Colombia on Monday, he was moved by…
Edward Graham, Mike Pence See Samaritan’s Purse Work in Ukraine
This week Samaritan’s Purse Chief Operating Officer Edward Graham and Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Ukraine to view Samaritan’s Purse ongoing relief efforts and encourage our staff members. While in the war-torn nation, they also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Thank you for your leadership as president,” Pence told Zelenskyy. “I want you…
Franklin Graham Hands Out Shoebox Gifts, Meets Children’s Heart Project Families in Mongolia
Franklin Graham spent a whirlwind weekend in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as he met with children and families who have benefited from Samaritan’s Purse Children’s Heart Project and later gave out Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts. On Friday, he enjoyed song and dance performances by Mongolian girls and boys who have received critically needed cardiac surgery through…
Deploying Military Couples to the Frontlines of Disasters
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…
Lola’s Lion
One Year Later: Still at Work Helping Mayfield Rebuild
A year ago this month, musician Ricky Scaggs was singing Christmas songs from the stage of a local Mayfield, Kentucky, school where Franklin Graham joined Samaritan’s Purse staff, volunteers, and many grieving residents for a Christmas Eve meal. Our teams had started serving in the area on Dec. 14, 2021, to help help hurting residents…
Louisiana Homeowners Experience God’s Love in Francine’s Wake
All afternoon, Rebecca Clement sat outside watching Samaritan’s Purse volunteers work on her roof. She pulled out her phone to take pictures as they tarped over new damage and some older holes, too. This included punctures from three years ago when a tree branch slammed onto her roof during Hurricane Ida. A friend had patched…
Franklin Graham Dedicates New Mobile Homes in Mississippi
Josh Hatcher and his two children were determined to move forward in their new place—a mobile home in Aberdeen, Mississippi—after fire destroyed their original house in February. But about a month later, on March 24, a powerful twister wrapped their latest home around a large oak tree. Their belongings were scattered across a field and…