Franklin Graham Update January

Franklin Graham with children in Mongolia who are thriving today because of the Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project.

Children's Heart Project

Hearts Mended,Souls Saved

Dear Friend,

In just a few weeks, I will be in Ukraine to deliver the 200 millionth shoebox gift for Operation Christmas Child. Please pray for Samaritan's Purse teams working on the frontlines to feed and care for victims of the war, and for the shivering multitudes who are struggling to survive this winter.

Recently I was in Mongolia, where I had the blessing to be with dozens of grateful children—and some who are now grown up—who are thriving today because of the Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project.

Several of our former patients are now pursuing medical careers so they can better serve their nation and bless the next generation. One of those was Miigaa, who is now a young doctor. She was 14 years old when her doctor diagnosed a hole in her heart and broke the news that there was no surgeon in Mongolia who could provide the surgery she needed. "There was no hope in the whole country," she said. "I thought I was going to die soon."

Praise God that her family learned that Samaritan's Purse could provide the specialized care she desperately needed. After she recovered, she attended one of the Heart Camps that we sponsor for former patients, where she heard the Gospel and gave her heart to Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Miigaa inspecting an x-ray
LIVES REDEEMED: Once a heart patient, Dr. Miigaa aspires to be a cardiologist.
Miigaa has completed medical school and is pursuing a career as a cardiologist, so someday she might provide the life-saving care that hundreds of children in Mongolia need. Praise the Lord for using a young girl born with a heart defect as His agent to bring physical healing and the hope of the Gospel to those in distress.

Miigaa inspecting an x-ray
LIVES REDEEMED: Once a heart patient, Dr. Miigaa aspires to be a cardiologist.

Samaritan's Purse launched the Children's Heart Project 25 years ago during the Balkan war. We started in Bosnia in 1997 and expanded into Kosovo in 2001. Since then, the program has grown to help boys and girls from a number of countries where pediatric heart surgery is not available. Samaritan's Purse brings them to North America, and we pay for travel, medical tests, and many other costs. We also find interpreters and host families so the children and an escort, usually a parent, have a place to stay while the children recover. We work with partners who donate the cost of surgery and hospitalization.

Through the years, the Lord has used the Children's Heart Project to provide medical care for nearly 1,500 children. Many of them, like Miigaa, have surrendered their hearts to Jesus and have become ambassadors for Christ where they live. This year, we are looking to expand the Children's Heart Project into northern Iraq.

In Mongolia, a man named Bat-Ulzii who is now a discipleship pastor, came to faith in Christ at age 13 when he was one of our patients. "I used to think that I only needed heart surgery," he said, "but I realized there is a big hole in our souls that needs to be filled. The Lord is the one who fills the hole."

ON THE GROUND: On July 2, 2020, Samaritan's Purse safely returned nine children to Mongolia after they received life-changing heart surgery through Children’s Heart Project. These children and their mothers came to the United States in early February, but their visits were drastically altered because of the introduction of COVID-19. In this episode, Kristy Graham joins these mothers, children, host families and translators to learn how these additional months in the U.S. changed their lives.

Two girls grinning while holding their Operation Christmas Child boxes and toys.

Patients with newfound energy arrive to hear the Gospel at one of our Heart Camps.

A Beachhead for the Gospel in Haiti

Gangs have taken over Haiti. In 2021, hoodlums assassinated the nation's president and kidnapped 17 missionaries (who later escaped to safety). Just before Christmas, the United Nations called for international intervention to help the police restore security and prevent a humanitarian crisis.

Turmoil in the country makes it a difficult place for international organizations to bring help, but Samaritan's Purse has been working in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake. We continue to invest in the future of the nation through the Greta Home & Academy, an orphanage and school that is marking its 10th anniversary.

We named the Greta Home in honor of journalist Greta Van Susteren, who has been a powerful voice highlighting the needs in Haiti. After the earthquake, her advocacy helped save thousands of lives. Even today, she and her husband, John Coale, remain involved by supporting and staying in contact with the children at the Greta Home.

The mission of the Greta Home is to raise up Christian leaders for the future of Haiti. We are seeing the Lord work in powerful ways through the children at the Greta Home, and it is our prayer that He will use them to transform their nation from the inside out. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Miigaa inspecting an x-ray
GRETA HOME: Children at the Greta Home are grateful to Samaritan's Purse supporters for investing in their future.

Please pray that the Lord will continue to use the Greta Home as a beachhead for the Gospel in Haiti.

Thank you for your prayers and support that make it possible for us to work in places like Mongolia and Haiti in Jesus' Name. May God bless you in this coming year.

Sincerely,
Franklin Graham

Ways to Help

Ways You Can Help

Pray

Pray for children living with heart defects, and for their families who are desperately awaiting specialized care. Ask God to use this project to demonstrate His great love to children and their families. Lift up the ongoing ministry of Samaritan's Purse in the U.S. and around the world.

CHILDREN'S HEART PROJECT
Samaritan's Purse arranges for children born with heart defects to travel to North America for life-saving surgery. Your gift will help cover the costs of airline travel, diagnostic tests, medical transports, and related costs so more children can have the surgery they need.
Children's Heart Project
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GRETA HOME & ACADEMY
Your gift to the Greta Home & Academy will provide housing accommodations for dozens of students and schooling for hundreds more, as we work in Jesus' Name to raise up a new generation of Christian leaders for Haiti.
GRETA HOME & ACADEMY
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Where Most Needed
Samaritan's Purse works in the Name of Jesus in more than 100 countries around the world. Your gift to "Where Most Needed" equips us with the resources—including personnel, materials, supporting services, buildings, and equipment—to fulfill our mission of relief and evangelism worldwide.
Where Most Needed
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