Sarah Keller, a Samaritan’s Purse volunteer, blogs about helping tornado victims in Joplin.

We helped a lady whose whole house was destroyed. As we helped her pick through her things, we just started talking and praying.

She talked about everything that she and her husband had gone through. She just kept saying, “God is good, God is good.”

As I was digging through her books, trying to find anything that was dry, I came across a photo. Of course I had no idea who it was, so I took it to her and she started to cry. “This was hanging on that wall,” she said as she pointed to an open space that now opens up to a field. “It’s a picture of my mother that I thought I would never see again.”

There was not a scratch on it and the glass was still in place. She was so thankful for having that one picture that it made me really think about what matters in my life.

She looked at me and said kids your age take things for granted and are more worried about playing their video games than helping people like us. I said it could have been me needing help and I would want God to bless me with somebody to pray with me if I was in your shoes.

She smiled and said, “God has blessed not just me today but you as well,” and boy was she right. We all forget how quickly things on this earth can be taken away, and very often we don't cherish what we have right here and right now.

After seeing how quickly a person could be left with nothing, it really made me stop and think about how God watches over us. I heard story after story from people who were not angry but so thankful for what they had. They said I have nothing but the clothes on my back, but I'm alive and my neighbors didn't make it.

I pray that I could come back to Joplin and help some more, even if all I can do is hold somebody’s hands and pray with them or listen to their story and smile at the people to give them hope of happiness again.

No matter what, the people of Joplin have changed me more than they will ever know. I will always look at life through a different lens now, one that so badly wants to do what God has called me here to do because I'm following His will.

Many people in Liberia are afraid to donate blood. They are worried that they only have a limited supply that can’t be replenished.

In order to get even minimal supplies, blood banks typically pay $20-40 for donations. But they then have to charge when someone is in need of blood. The cost is $20 per unit. Most Liberians cannot cover that cost and are heavily reliant on family members for donations.

The Samaritan’s Purse office in Liberia is working in conjunction with the Ministry Of Health to eliminate paid donations and give free blood to save lives. We recently teamed up with US-AID, the U.S. Military, the Armed Forces of Liberia, the Liberian National Police, and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to conduct a blood drive for the first blood bank in Liberia.

The drive was a great success, as 123 units of blood were collected the week of June 6-11.

Watch a video about the blood drive below.

Samartian’s Purse staff and volunteers are constructing a new church in Kwigillingok, Alaska, a remote village of Yup'ik Eskimos approximately a two-hour flight from the SP base camp located in Soldotna. Steven Cox, a volunteer from Dalton, Georgia, blogs about a special moment at Kwig.

It was our group’s privilege to build and set the cross on the House of Worship for the good people of Kwigillingok, Alaska.

Our on-site leader, Ralph, contacted some of the village leaders to notify them of the setting of the cross. As we prepared to raise the cross the village came alive with residents rushing to the job site for this obviously very special moment in the life of their church and their village.

When the cross was set there was a very brief moment of silence. Then, inspired by God, the villagers broke out into song. The pastor was standing beside me. He whispered in my ear, “They’re singing a song of praise.”

It was a completely spontaneous, spirit-led, and spirit-filled praise song. Without notice my heart was filled with emotion, and my eyes welled with tears.

I was torn about what to do. Fall to my knees, remove my shoes, bow my head? It was obvious I was standing on holy ground witnessing the breath of God as He moved through the hearts of these faith-filled servants of Christ.

As the song ended the pastor, in his native Yup'ik tongue, prayed. I didn’t understand the words he spoke as we all entered the very throne room of God, but I knew the spirit of his prayer.

The gratitude of these people, their passion, their humility, their complete and total “realness” left an impression on my heart I hope I never forget. I will forever be indebted to the Yup'ik people of Kwigillingok for their extraordinarily inspiring faith.

Dean Bengtson and his wife, Linda, are missionaries in Sendai, Japan. They were among the first to volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse when we responded to the earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeastern coast on March 11. They are still hard at work more than three months later.

In the beginning, Dean helped by distributing our emergency relief supplies. Linda also helped with the distributions, as well as building hygiene kits at the warehouse.

Now Dean is leading teams of volunteers performing “mud-outs.” He drives one of the small pickup trucks we purchased and loaded with a generator, power washer, and clean-up tools. He drives to Ishinomaki four or five days a week, and works with volunteers mudding out houses, cleaning gutters, taking down walls, and removing debris from yards.

The work is helping Dean and Linda carry out their ministry of displaying God’s love and opening doors to talk about Jesus to the Japanese.

“We’re so thankful for Samaritan's Purse!” he said. “Without SP we couldn't be doing what we are doing! Praise God!”

Dean (pictured below presenting a bicycle to a man who lost everything,) provided the following photos.