On the Ground with Samaritan's Purse

Hundreds of churches once bombed and burned to the ground are not only standing again but thriving in Sudan and South Sudan. Hear stories of pastors who experienced intense persecution and how their faith sustained them. 

Resources: 

When someone put a gun in his face, a pilot named Jim had a choice—he could either let fear take over or he could trust Jesus with his life. As Jim’s plane was hijacked in Africa, the Lord brought Scriptures back to his mind and reminded him that there is power in the Name of Jesus. Hear from Jim Streit, who was in the air, and from Matt Olson, who was on the ground in North Carolina, about how God came through in a mighty way. 

Resources:

When someone put a gun in his face, a pilot named Jim had a choice—he could either let fear take over or he could trust Jesus with his life. As Jim’s plane was hijacked in Africa, the Lord brought Scriptures back to his mind and reminded him that there is power in the Name of Jesus. Hear from Jim Streit, who was in the air, and from Matt Olson, who was on the ground in North Carolina, about how God came through in a mighty way. 

Resources:

Dennis Robinson has served on more than 75 North American Disaster Relief deployments with Samaritan’s Purse in his 75 years, but all of those have taken place in the past 18 years of his life after many years of being lost. Hear his story of brokenness, redemption, and God’s unfailing love even in the darkest parts of life. 

Resources: 

After a major winter storm wreaked havoc across the Southeast, hundreds of thousands were left without power and with extensive damage to their homes. From just days after the storm to even now as the ice thaws, our North American Disaster Relief teams have been on the ground helping homeowners in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Hear from those serving and those being helped about what it has been like to see God’s love amid the crisis. And you don’t want to miss an incredible story from a pastor, who saw the Lord at work through a divine appo...

Come with Kristy Graham to the picturesque hills of Kenya, where Kijabe Hospital is located. As one of Samaritan’s Purse World Medical Mission partner hospitals, Kijabe remains faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hear from Edward Densham—who grew up at Kijabe and has witnessed its growth over the years—as he talks about how God created in him a heart for service and mission work on those very grounds.

Resources:

If you’re reading the news headlines and you find yourself tired or overwhelmed by the pain and suffering in our world, you’re not alone. Many Christians are struggling to figure out how to grieve with compassion for the number of disasters plaguing communities near and far. Kristy Graham sits down with Jeremy Zerkle to talk about why Christians should care when others are hurting. 

Resources:

Take a trip with Kristy Graham to the ends of the earth where a team delivers Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to an unreached people group deep in the jungles of Peru. For the first time the Chapra people hear the Gospel in their heart language, opening the door for future generations to learn about Jesus. 

Resources:

Hear how God used a well driller with no international experience or college degrees to accomplish His purposes around the world. Ken Isaacs has served with Samaritan’s Purse for decades and today leads our international relief efforts. Kristy recently sat down with him to hear how God continues to direct his steps, enabling him to run to the fire. It may not be an easy path, but God can use you in mighty ways when you are willing to say yes.

Resources:

As we begin a new year, join Kristy Graham as she hears testimonies of how churches are taking bold steps to serve their communities in unique ways, that are bringing people to salvation in Jesus Christ. This episode challenges listeners to look for ways to increase their acts of service outside the walls of their church.  

Resources:

At 10 years old, Alyona received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift, and the Lord used it mightily to reveal more of His character and His heart. After years of loss, God filled Alyona with hope, healing her broken heart. Now, Alyona’s story is a testimony of how the Lord’s power is made perfect in our weakness. 

Resources:

Earlier this year, Kristy went to Tenwek Hospital and met a father and son neurosurgeon team serving with World Medical Mission. Hear from this family—Dr. Charles Branch and his son, Dr. Byron Branch—with three generations of neurosurgeons about their faith and passion for the Gospel.

Resources:

Almost two months after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, people continue to get through this hard season by drawing near to God and clinging to their faith. Kristy hears stories of resilience and hope on the island from Samaritan’s Purse teams on the ground and the people they are serving.

Resources: 

How can something as simple as honeybees or baby chicks change lives? Matt Nowery, the country director for Samaritan’s Purse office in Iraq, talks with Kristy Graham about how teams are sharing the love of Jesus Christ in a difficult place for ministry. Honeybee and baby chick programming provides families with an income while restoring purpose and dignity to people who have lost hope. Hear stories of families in Iraq whose lives are forever changed through these projects. 

Resources:

On October 28, Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without shelter, clean water, or medical care. Many areas across the island were completely cutoff and inaccessible. Kristy talks with two of our Disaster Assistance Response Team members, Dave Holzhauer and Bev Kauffeldt, about the numerous ways that Samaritan’s Purse is helping on the island. They share how they are witnessing the Lord answer prayers during this response.

Kristy Graham sits down with her sister-in-law, Cissie Graham Lynch, to talk about the gift of the Gospel and how you can play a role in sharing the Gospel around the world this holiday season. For many years, Cissie and Kristy have had the privilege of witnessing the Lord work in and through Samaritan’s Purse, and they share stories about how God has changed hearts and blessed communities, all because of the hope of the Gospel.

Last year, the Bowens family lost everything in Hurricane Helene. This trial produced faith and endurance in them—though they lost every earthly possession, they lacked nothing because they had the Lord. Over the next several months, the Bowens continually leaned on the promises of God as they waited for their new home to be completed. Join Kristy Graham as she catches up with the Bowens family and attends their home dedication ceremony. You will hear how God has worked in their hearts, bringing them closer together and closer to Him.

Resources:

This Veteran's Day, we honor our service men and women who have given so much to our nation for our freedom. General Dick Cody, a retired four-star general who served our country for decades as an army aviator, joins Kristy for a conversation about his military service and his role now in leading and teaching the next generation. General Cody’s service has never stopped, even after retirement, reminding us that no matter what stage of life we are in, God can use us for His glory. 

Resources:

Watch this video about Samaritan’s Pur...

In the last three years alone, the Lord has equipped Samaritan’s Purse to distribute 750 million pounds of food to hungry families around the world. Every single meal we freely give is an opportunity for people to hear about the true bread of life and our eternal hope: Jesus Christ. Dave Phillips, a deputy director for international projects, sat down with Kristy to share stories about Samaritan's Purse work in getting food to those who need it most.

Resources:

Operation Christmas Child sends millions of shoebox gifts around the world each year, reaching children in need with the hope of the Gospel. But this ministry is also an incredible evangelism opportunity even before the shoeboxes arrive overseas. Kristy speaks with Pastor Rusty Guenther, who leads First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock in North Carolina, about how he has seen Operation Christmas Child bless his congregation and community as a whole. In getting outside the walls of the church by hosting packing parties, Pastor Rusty has seen lives transformed. 

Resources:

While Kristy was on the ground in Kenya, she sat down with Becky Chinchen, the founder and executive director of Amani ya Juu. Becky shares what it was like to flee Liberia during civil war and how she was able to turn that painful experience into purpose in creating Amani. Hear how the Lord kept Becky grounded over the years as she leaned on Him for guidance. 

Resources: 

People who become Christians in Cambodia often face persecution and anger from their families, but the country is desperate for hope. As spiritual revival sweeps the region, a translator working with Operation Christmas Child finds herself inspired to do more for the Kingdom.

Resources:

This episode follows orthopedic surgeons with World Medical Mission, a medical arm of Samaritan’s Purse, to a hospital in Nigeria where patients received physical and spiritual healing. As patients walk away from surgery forever changed, their families and communities often ask questions about God and this opens the door for our teams to share about true healing and restoration found in Jesus Christ. 

Resources: 

Amani ya Juu gives women a fresh start, equipping them by teaching skills like stitching to give them an income, and most importantly, point them to Christ. Take a tour with Kristy Graham through Amani ya Juu headquarters in Kenya, where you will get to meet women whose lives were changed through the program. Every single woman at Amani has had to flee something: poverty, war, loneliness, abuse, rejection, and they have all been transformed through Jesus Christ. 

Resources: 

This week, we’re taking you to Honduras, where a team of World Medical Mission dental professionals traveled to share God’s love by serving communities with limited access to affordable dental care. Every patient treated also received spiritual care, as they sat down with a chaplain and heard the Gospel. Hear directly from patients whose lives were changed and volunteers who were deeply blessed by serving the people of Honduras.

Resources:

For the past two years, Samaritan’s Purse has been actively providing aid to families caught in the midst of war in Gaza and Israel. Four months ago, Janet Huckabee and her husband, Mike, moved to Israel where he is serving as the U.S. Ambassador. This episode shares Janet’s heart for the work they do and how God has asked her to stretch beyond her physical limits and lean on her faith in this season. 

Resources: 

Take a trip with On the Ground to Tenwek Hospital in Kenya, where medical and surgical teams are leading patients to Christ and showing them the love of Jesus. Hear from one surgeon who has served faithfully for more than 20 years and how she overcame immense personal trials that called her faith into question. 

Content warning: Please be advised that this episode of On the Ground addresses the difficult subject of sexual assault. Dr. Carol Spears recounts her experience while serving as a short-term missionary in Africa.

Ten months ago, in Mountain City, Tennessee, Hurricane Helene turned Kim and Michael Mitchum’s lives upside down. Now, they have a fresh start as they move into their brand-new house. Follow the Mitchums’ journey as they witness volunteers and staff build their home from the ground up and hear directly from Kim and Michael’s hearts. 

None of the work that Samaritan’s Purse does on the frontlines could happen without the incredible people in our ministry who work in capacities that rarely receive the credit. Everyone has different strengths and skill sets, but we're all given specific gifts that God wants us to use to further His Kingdom. Here at Samaritan’s Purse, we're all called to share the Gospel whether it’s behind the scenes or on the frontlines. Meet the people who organize supplies for airlifts, support our hospitals, and coordinate logistics for transportation around the world.

Dr. Ed Carns has served in the far corners of the world with Samaritan’s Purse both with World Medical Mission and the Disaster Assistance Response Team. He shares his testimony of how God used people in his life to point him to Christ and encourage him in his faith. The stories he shares with Kristy Graham demonstrate how God pursues each person individually.

In August 2023, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century swept through Lahaina, a beautiful community on the island of Maui. Samaritan’s Purse was in Maui within 48 hours of the disaster, coming alongside people who had lost everything by sifting through ashes in search of treasured belongings. Two years later, we’re taking you back to Hawaii, where you will hear directly from families as receive their brand-new homes built by Samaritan’s Purse.

Resources:

Kristy sat down with Aileen Coleman, a long-time partner with Samaritan’s Purse and a giant in the faith, in 2019. Aileen was a missionary in Mafraq, Jordan for more than 60 years, and was one of the key people in the life of Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham. Aileen recently went to be with the Lord, and while we will miss her presence and influence, we cling to the example and legacy she leaves. This encouraging conversation will surely spur you on to share the Gospel, invest in your prayer life, and live sacrificially.

Kristy Graham takes listeners to Texas, where Samaritan’s Purse is responding after massive flooding left a trail of extensive damage across several counties. Hear from Andrew Metcalf, a program manager for U.S. Disaster Relief, and Edward Graham, the chief operating officer of Samaritan’s Purse, about what it has been like on the ground and how we can be praying for Texans.

Resources:

Ellie Graves has served as a volunteer with Operation Christmas Child for nearly 20 years. Her life of service is a true example of obedience to God, as she walks with Him in dependence and submission. Hear about Ellie’s remarkable journey with the Lord and how the power of prayer has been an anchor.

Resources: 

Kristy Graham sits down with Dr. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, to talk about how we can love our family, our friends, and our spouse well. Dr. Chapman’s books and teachings have helped transform marriages, and Samaritan's Purse uses his materials at Operation Heal Our Patriots in Alaska. Hear how you can make your apologies sincere, your love genuine, and your care Christlike for those experiencing tragedy. 

Resources:

Samaritan’s Purse is pouring into the next generation of Godly leaders. This week, Kristy Graham introduces you to a Samaritan’s Purse program you may not know about: the Leadership Development Pathway. Kendell Kauffeldt, who heads up this program, shares how the program develops and equips staff by studying Biblical leadership. Hear from recent graduates of the program about what they learned and how they follow Jesus’ example of leadership.

Mike and Michele Toberer founded a Christian nonprofit called Mission Mules, that provides disaster relief to otherwise inaccessible areas through a very unique mode of transportation: packing mules. Samaritan’s Purse and Mission Mules crossed paths after Hurricane Helene. We had the honor of serving alongside them in the mountains of North Carolina, working together to deliver supplies to those who had been cut off. Hear how God challenged Mike and Michele to launch this ministry and about their time serving in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Resources:

Choosing joy in all circumstances is a daily battle that we all face. Pastor Chip Ingram sits down with Kristy Graham to talk about how he has been able to shift his perspective and, with God’s help, truly choose joy.

Karen never thought she would ever have the opportunity to return to Myanmar, but the Lord had other plans. After the recent earthquake in Myanmar, Karen Daniels, an operating room nurse, returned to treat patients with the Disaster Assistance Response Team. Hear from Karen about the patients she met on this response and what God taught her along the way. You will also hear directly from some of our patients, who were treated at our Emergency Field Hospital. 

Resources: 

Read more about the Samaritan’s Purse Emergency Field Hospital in Myanmar that treated more...

Recently some of our international staff visited our Samaritan's Purse headquarters and shared updates from their work around the world. Matt Nowery and Barry Jessen, two of our country directors, talked with Kristy Graham about how they are able persevere and continue to sow and water seeds for the Gospel in hard places.

Resources: