Terry and Patricia watched in horror as the raging Australian bushfires destroyed their home. “It was like watching the lights on a Christmas tree all night—the flames must have been so high above the trees,” Terry said. They watched from 12 miles away—the blaze was that intense. “It was just unbelievable; horrified, just horrified.” Record-breaking…
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…
Volunteer Photos
Their Faith Endures in Sickness and in Health
In nearly half a century of marriage, Wanda and Arnold never expected to celebrate their 49th anniversary in a tent hospital just minutes away from their home in Lenoir, North Carolina. Shortly after Christmas they began displaying severe symptoms, and they were diagnosed with the disease they’d feared for most of the year—COVID-19. Their symptoms…
Sight Restored, Spiritual Eyes Opened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Joseph is wearing a big smile that’s verging on laughter as he rests under the sun cover in Isiro, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He’s beginning to see shapes and faces for the first time in years. Cataracts had taken his sight long before, adding to Joseph’s other physical challenges, including hearing impairment and…
New Health Center Expands Medical Care in Niger
Samaritan’s Purse recently opened an integrated health center in Regaou village in Niger, an area that has historically high rates of malnutrition. Our center is a welcome addition for the impoverished region as it will significantly increase access to medical care for Regaou’s 11,000+ residents. Previously, the only medical care option was one nurse working…
Homeowners Share Stories of Horror; Volunteers Hard at Work After Tornadoes
Where residents of Mayfield, Kentucky, lined downtown streets to watch a Christmas parade just days earlier, the sidewalks are now strewn with the debris of a flattened city. More than 70 people died in Kentucky alone last weekend as tornadoes ripped through the community in the nighttime hours of Dec. 10. At least 88 people…
Restoring Sight in Liberia
With one hand outstretched and the other gripping a walking stick, Morry stumbled forward as a nurse led him to the operating room. Before surgery, Morry offered the same prayer he’s repeated for the last seven years: “God, please make my eyes free again.” Morry was among the 181 patients who recently received surgery during…
Super Typhoon Rai Rips Through the Philippines
Super Typhoon Rai pummeled the island nation of the Philippines from Dec. 16-17 with winds exceeding 160 mph—causing major destruction and leaving at least 375 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. The typhoon—known locally as Odette—was comparable to what in the United States would be referred to as a Category 5 hurricane. Its devastating…
Breathing New Life
As a general surgeon for the past 10 years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dr. Warren Cooper has performed operations of every description and complexity. That includes everything from repairing broken bones to craniotomies. However, one of the more difficult procedures he has undertaken at Nyankunde Hospital involves the removal of foreign objects…