Franklin Graham Update | May
Franklin Graham Update | May
Tornado Relief
in America's Heartland
Dear Friend,
Waves of killer storms recently tore across the Great Plains, and Samaritan's Purse has been busy in six states cleaning up damage, making emergency repairs, and comforting survivors in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Hundreds of homes were destroyed in the Oklahoma towns of Sulphur and Barnsdall, which were hit by EF4 storms—the nation's most powerful tornadoes in the past year. It was the second tornado this year in Barnsdall, and the damage also extended into neighboring Bartlesville. We've also deployed Disaster Relief Units to Minden, Iowa; Elkhorn, Nebraska; and Slidell, Louisiana. More teams are responding to flooding near Houston, Texas, and a storm in Rock Hill, South Carolina. In busy times like these, we need extra volunteers. If God is calling you or your church to help, sign up at spvolunteer.org.
In the midst of such widespread destruction, it's been encouraging to hear how the Lord has prepared the way for us. Pastors at two of our host churches previously served with Samaritan's Purse as volunteers. An emergency worker in Iowa welcomed our teams because he realized how much his town needed the comfort of the Gospel.
Meteorologists in Nebraska tracked up to 80 tornadoes in an outbreak that struck the Omaha suburb of Elkhorn, hopped the Missouri River, and was rated EF3 when it hit the town of Minden, Iowa.
ON THE GROUND: Parenting is a challenge, and when faced with a crumbling economy and healthcare system, expecting mothers in Venezuela felt helpless. A Samaritan’s Purse maternal-child health clinic near the Colombia-Venezuela border provides much-needed medical attention for moms and babies. While at the clinic, these families are cared for by doctors and chaplains, and are told about the greatest love that exists: Jesus Christ. One of our podcast correspondents, Kaitlyn, traveled to Colombia to speak with families about how these monthly appointments have changed their lives.
The Harvest Alliance Church lost its sanctuary, but the parking lot is still serving as our base of operations in Minden. Our team's first project was for neighbors of the church—a family of five who miraculously survived as the windows and doors blew out. While our crew worked in Jesus' Name to clear the yard and tarp the roof, the Lord worked in the heart of the mom, Faith Salisbury. After one of our volunteers shared the Gospel, she prayed to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. "We're going to start all over again, but I'm glad we're alive," she said. "God is real and He protected us."
Sulphur is a town of 5,000 people and lost 200 houses to 170 mph winds. Gov. Kevin Stitt has seen far too many tornadoes in Oklahoma, and he described the devastation in Sulphur as the worst he's faced.
Susan Craig, widow of an Army veteran, said the scope of the destruction reminded her of scenes from World War II. "We're alive because of God's intervention," she said. "My children and I were in the bedroom praying."
Convoys, Airlift Extend Lifeline to Sudan
A vicious power struggle in the African nation of Sudan has displaced millions of people from their homes. To escape the fighting, many have fled to distant corners of the nation, including parched regions that can't possibly feed them all.
Pray that the rains will hold off long enough so our convoys can get through the unpaved roads, for the sake of more than 200,000 people who are counting on our help. Farmers will welcome the rain so they can grow food for their families, but they don't have the capacity to feed such a vast influx of displaced people.
Jamila and her four children are typical of the thousands who have streamed into the hills of the Kordofan region hundreds of miles from the embattled capital city of Khartoum. They walked for three weeks to reach a teeming refugee camp. Samaritan's Purse was able to provide her family with a basket of food, including corn, beans, salt, and cooking oil. They also were blessed to receive a tarp, as well as fresh water.
The United Nations calls Sudan the world's worst hunger crisis and warns that more than 230,000 children are at risk of malnutrition. Samaritan's Purse has been working in Sudan for decades, and it's heartbreaking to see so many who are hungry and hurting. Sudan has more people displaced by fighting than Ukraine or Gaza. Many of them are Christians who have endured generations of persecution yet trust the Lord to deliver them.
Thank you for your prayers and support for Samaritan's Purse as we work in Jesus' Name to save lives, relieve suffering, and share the hope of the Gospel. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
Sincerely,
Franklin Graham
Ways You Can Help
Pray
Lift up those who are suffering because of storms in the United States and because of strife in places like Sudan. Ask God to work through Samaritan's Purse to earn a hearing for the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
- U.S. DISASTER RELIEF
- Volunteers are the backbone of our U.S. Disaster Relief ministry. If God is calling you or your church to get involved, visit spvolunteer.org to see our current work sites. In addition to the recent tornadoes in the Midwest, Samaritan's Purse is still rebuilding houses for storm victims in Kentucky and Tennessee.
- Emergency Food
- Your gift will help prevent starvation in Sudan by feeding people displaced by fighting as well as providing specialized supplements for children who are on the brink of malnutrition.
- Where Most Needed
- Samaritan's Purse works in Jesus' Name to help victims of disaster, disease, famine, poverty, and war. Your gift to "Where Most Needed" equips us with the resources—including personnel, materials, supporting services, and equipment—to fulfill our global mission of relief and evangelism.
