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…
Our Ministry
Clean Water
Clean Water. Changed Lives. Water is necessary for life, and that’s why Samaritan’s Purse is working in communities around the world to provide hurting people with access to clean water in Jesus’ Name. Samaritan’s Purse works to bring clean water, sanitation supplies, and essential hygiene education to many thousands of people around the world. These water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects…
Love Overflows in Eastern Kentucky
The strewn debris and trash still hanging from the barren trees in Brandt Justice’s backyard stand as stark reminders of how high the waters rose when floods ravaged his small Kentucky community last week. In the early hours of Feb. 16, the small tributary behind his home suddenly swelled and climbed to the tips of…
New Homes and Full Hearts
Two and a half years ago, Josh Jones sat on his couch unconcerned about the reports of an EF4 tornado making its way toward Mayfield, Kentucky. A lightning bolt suddenly struck just outside the window, jolting Josh off the couch and into his truck. This was no ordinary storm. “It was like something I had…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Celebrating God’s Work in Selma; Tornado Cleanup Continues in Georgia
The storm system that swept across the southeastern U.S. on Jan. 12 spawned numerous tornadoes, leaving destruction and devastation in their wake. Parts of Alabama and Georgia took direct hits from the twisters. In the days following, Samaritan’s Purse volunteers were on the ground clearing trees from homes, patching damaged roofs, and cleaning up yards…
Helping Highland Falls in Jesus’ Name
Brooks became rivers, and rivers became torrents of destruction as the quaint town of Highland Falls, New York, received 10 inches of rain in a matter of hours on Sunday, July 9. Homeowners stood helpless as the torrential downpour rushed through the mountainous terrain filling neighborhoods with nearly five feet of water. Samaritan’s Purse soon…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Helping Heartland Communities Recover After Deadly Tornadoes
Rhett Salisbury pushed with all his strength against the bedroom door to protect his family as an EF3 tornado slammed into Minden, Iowa. He and his wife, Faith, and their three young kids ran for cover as debris whipped violently through their home. “I held onto my kids for dear life—they were screaming and crying.…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Volunteers Working in Texas After Imelda’s Deluge
“We bought this house last July,” homeowner Kandace Higginbotham explained as she looked around at the water damage to her residence. “Just long enough to make two or three growth marks [for her children] on the wall. This was our first family home.” Kandace and her family were home together when the remnants of Tropical…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Samaritan’s Purse Deploys to Mississippi After Deadly Storms Spin Through the South
Samaritan’s Purse North American Ministries (NAM) is deploying to DeSoto County, Mississippi, where Governor Phil Bryant has declared a state of emergency after two tornadoes caused extensive damage on Saturday morning (Jan. 11). Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains will be joining us on the ground for this response as well. The National Weather Service…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Mississippi Homeowner Recalls Terrifying Tornado, Gives Thanks for Volunteers
After a powerful EF2 tornado ripped off her home’s roof, Sue Williams was overjoyed to welcome an army of Samaritan’s Purse volunteers on her devastated Mississippi property. “It’s a gift from God. They are absolutely a Godsend,” she said. “I was standing out here in the yard this morning, and they offered to help when…
