A small, nine-meter boat approached slowly from the Turkish coast. As it moved closer to Lesbos Island, it seemed to speed up a bit. Orange blobs turned into human forms. Babies could be heard wailing. Mothers too. Suddenly, men were also yelling for help. Thirty, 40, or sometimes as many as 70 people are crammed…
“This Is God’s Mercy Flight”
On Sunday, May 15, our DC-8 cargo jet left Poland on a special mission to bring 28 Ukrainian refugees to Toronto where they will be able to reunite with family, friends, and other sponsors arranged by Samaritan’s Purse. These families fled from the horror of the conflict continuing to rage inside Ukraine, and they are…
Health & Medical Ministries
Healed Hearts Together
A young Bolivian mother was introduced to Children’s Heart Project, a medical ministry of Samaritan’s Purse, when her young daughter was in critical need of medical attention. Fatima Ramos Cardozo and her daughter, Maria, suffer from the same heart disease: atrial septal defect, a heart defect in which there is a hole in the heart’s…
Health & Medical Ministries
Boy Finds a Best Friend in Jesus
Nico was diagnosed with a heart defect as an infant in Bolivia. By age 8, he was experiencing fatigue, a loss of appetite, and shortness of breath. That made it harder for him to concentrate on his homework or participate in physical education with his friends. “I always felt tired when I was at school,”…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Restoring a Home in Ukraine
How do you make a house a home without its roof and windows? One Ukrainian family no longer has to worry, thanks to repairs provided by Samaritan’s Purse and our local partners. Katerina* and her two children, Ionna*, 14, and Denys*, 8, are grateful to be in their home again, even in a country still…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Life More Abundantly in Colombia
Adelette faced a daunting decision. She could stay in Venezuela, her home country, and endure the escalating violence and political turmoil all alone with her children, or she could flee through the jungle to Colombia and meet her sister on the other side. She decided to go. The 33-year-old mother packed her life into three…
Operation Christmas Child
Elena’s Story: Offering Praise in Poland
“The war started suddenly,” Elena, a fine arts teacher in Ukraine, said. “I prayed every day, ‘Lord, I trust in You. Give me strength, patience, and humility for this day.’” Soon, she and her daughter fled to Poland to escape the increasing violence. They arrived close to Easter and moved into a hotel that was…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Thanking God for Military Couples Saved in Alaska
On the eve of the 17th anniversary of 9/11, ten U.S. military couples gathered by the glacial waters of Lake Clark to spend a restorative week (Sept. 2-8) in the Alaskan bush for the penultimate session of Operation Heal Our Patriots 2018. And much like the nearly 140 couples that had already come to Samaritan…
Celebrating God’s Work in Our Military Couples
Army Specialist Shawna Watkins and Army Sergeant Jesse Watkins started dating after serving on combat deployments in Afghanistan. They’d been on the same mission together in 2011 when their convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device, and Shawna was sent flying from atop her vehicle’s gun turret. Next thing she knew she was in…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Remembering 9/11, Strengthening Military Marriages
As the world marks the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Samaritan’s Purse continues to strengthen the marriages of wounded military veterans and spouses who’ve sacrificed so much to defend the freedoms our nation enjoys. The September 11 attacks are what led many to armed service, which included combat deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and…
