Jazmin had been longing for a doll of her own. When she received one at age 6 in an Operation Christmas Child shoebox, she thanked God for the gift. “It was very exciting,” Jazmin, now 17, recalled. “It wasn’t only a doll, it was a princess doll. I didn’t have anything like it. I thought…
Operation Christmas Child
Shoebox Packers Go From Devastation to Celebration
She peered through a busted window into the church basement and saw that floodwaters from Hurricane Helene had left a muddy mess. The Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift items that First Baptist Church of Damascus, Virginia, had collected during the year were now wet and filthy. Jaz, age 11, saw something that gave her hope—a…
50 Years of Ministry
Good News and Great Joy for Children Around the World
The summer of 1993, Franklin Graham received a call from England asking if he would fill shoeboxes with gifts for kids in war-torn Eastern Europe. Familiar with the suffering there from his recent visits to the region, Franklin agreed. Around Thanksgiving, his office received another call from England asking about the gifts. Franklin remembered the…
Operation Christmas Child
Twin Sisters Pack Hundreds of Shoebox Gifts
Twin sisters Leabele McLeod and Laralea McLaughlin grew up in a poor family that struggled to make ends meet. They were so thankful any time a friend or neighbor offered them food or other essentials. Now, at age 88, Leabele and Laralea are giving back to children growing up in difficult situations. The sisters have…
Motorcyclists Support Veterans at 10th Annual Warrior Ride
The 10th annual High Country Warrior Ride, held May 15, raised significant financial support for Operation Heal Our Patriots, the Samaritan’s Purse ministry to military couples with a spouse wounded in combat operations after 9/11. “We want these warriors to know that God loves them. And that’s the message that Samaritan’s Purse is all about.…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Strengthening Military Marriages
Give × Operation Heal Our Patriots Operation Heal Our Patriots - 013960 $ Give ⋮ Menu × See Past Seasons Facebook Twitter email Strengthening Military Marriages Our 10th summer season of Operation Heal Our Patriots began Memorial Day weekend as we welcomed the first planeloads of wounded veterans and their spouses to Samaritan Lodge Alaska.…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Families Continue to Give Back
When Marine Staff Sergeant Curtis Fowler walked on his own for the first time in two years his family praised God for a healing that once seemed impossible. Curtis had been unable to walk normally after something went wrong during a procedure to repair a decade-old back injury suffered in Iraq. Curtis went into the…
Operation Christmas Child
Volunteers Know ‘Each Shoebox Is a Missionary’
When Carol and Pat Nelson volunteer with Operation Christmas Child, they know first-hand how much each gift can mean. Twelve years ago, the Nelsons packed their first shoebox for Operation Christmas Child and sent it off with a letter and a picture. Seven months later, they received a thank-you letter written in French from a…
Media
Fact Sheet: Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan's Purse Facts President & CEO William “Franklin” Graham III, son of the late Billy Graham Founded 1970, by Bob Pierce Purpose Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to victims of war, natural disasters, disease, famine, poverty, and persecution in more than 100 countries, with the purpose of sharing…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Operation Heal Our Patriots Encourages Both Spouse and Injured Warrior
Varalin never anticipated that the impact of her husband’s wartime brain injuries could be so devastating—that expressing any kind of emotion would become nearly impossible for him. “After 13 years of marriage, he still struggles to tell me how he’s feeling,” Varalin said. “He has to choose every day to feign emotion. He doesn’t laugh…
