Shining Gospel Light in Jamaica

Dear Friend,

I just got back from Jamaica where our teams continue to bring relief to hurting people in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. The storm may have passed, but the damage it left is horrible.

In Black River, near where the deadly Category 5 storm made landfall, we've set up an Emergency Field Hospital. The local medical facility there was destroyed by the hurricane, so people had nowhere to turn. We've treated over 2,500 patients and performed more than 100 surgeries.

Our team spent weeks caring for one patient, Latonia, who came to us with a badly infected foot that had to be amputated. She was grateful, saying, "If this hospital and the people abroad never come to help, we will be dead like dogs. Lot of people will be dying cause we don't have nowhere to go."

We also used our helicopters to conduct a mobile medical response. We cared for more than 1,200 people—all of whom were in locations isolated by blocked roads and not easily accessible in any other way. This cut down on hours of travel time and aIlowed us to concentrate on quickly providing medical care. Our helicopters also helped with assessments and cargo movement; in total we completed more than 150 trips.

In addition, we've set up several community water filtration systems and a reverse osmosis system, while also distributing hygiene kits, solar lights, shelter tarp, Bibles, and more. Our tarps are keeping the rain off families—one man I met was so thankful to have his roof tarped and said it was the first dry night he had spent since the hurricane weeks ago! More than 300 Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) members have been on the ground during this response, and we've helped more than 25,000 families.

I thank God for our incredible team serving in Jamaica, and it was good to spend time with them. They have come from all around the world to serve with Samaritan's Purse in Jesus' Name. Doctors, nurses, logisticians, water specialists, procurement experts, aviation team members, and more—all working hand in glove to bring help in this time of crisis.

Jamaica reports 1,600 churches on an island roughly the size of Connecticut—that's a church almost every 2.5 square miles! We have been supporting numerous congregations by providing grants for members in crisis and by offering a full range of relief supplies. The partnerships are critical as they serve as hubs of outreach in their community, a light shining on a hill.

Since 1998, we've been working with churches across the island to distribute Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. In total, well over 1 million gifts have been given to children in need in Jesus' Name.

Recently, my son Edward went to Jamaica aboard our DC-8 aircraft packed with 9,000 shoebox gifts. He was joined by Pastor Jonathan Falwell, Liberty University President Dondi Costin, Liberty students, and journalist Greta Van Susteren who was filming a special for Newsmax to air on Christmas Day at 4 p.m. ET. They helped one of our church partners in Black River distribute gift-filled boxes to the delight of boys and girls who've seen much suffering this fall. Not only did the children hear the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ at these outreach events, they were also invited to join The Greatest Journey, our 12-lesson discipleship class for shoebox recipients. They will learn more about Jesus, including how to follow Him and share Him with their friends. Since 2009, more than 160,000 students have gone through the course on the island. We praise God for the tens of thousands of boys and girls who've come to know Christ as Savior in Jamaica through Operation Christmas Child.

The needs are still great in Jamaica. Would you join me in praying for families who have lost so much and are trying to get back on their feet again?

Edward's trip marked the last mission of our remarkable DC-8 aircraft, revived from a "boneyard" in New Mexico about 10 years ago. The plane, which came off the assembly line on Christmas Eve in 1968, flew 219 missions for us, hauling over 9 million pounds of cargo. Some of its highlights included flying our Emergency Field Hospital to Myanmar, Sudan, Iraq, Ukraine, Ecuador, and Italy. In response to wars, earthquakes, disease, and more, this plane helped us answer the call to run to the fire to help people in Jesus' Name. A new-to-us 767 airplane has replaced it, allowing us to bring even more relief more quickly when disaster strikes. The DC-8 will be on display at Liberty's School of Aeronautics in Lynchburg, Virginia.