Venezuelans Receiving Help and Hope

Dear Friend,

North Central Venezuela is still reeling after double earthquakes killed more than 6,000 people. Building after building has been reduced to rubble and dust. Everywhere you look there's death and devastation. With even standing structures unsafe to reenter, people simply have nowhere to go and are trying to get by in tents on the streets and in camps.

I recently traveled to the Caribbean nation to see the destruction firsthand and encourage our Samaritan's Purse team on the ground. They are doing an incredible job helping as many vulnerable people as possible through our Emergency Field Hospital, water projects, distribution of relief goods and family tents, and more—all in Jesus' Name.

The medical professionals serving at our field hospital in the coastal city of La Guaira, near the epicenter of the tremors, are working around the clock to care for people with urgent needs. As I write this, they have already treated more than 5,000 patients and performed over 300 surgeries, many to repair bones broken during the quakes. With area hospitals flattened or badly damaged, we have become the main provider of medical care for the area. We are now mainly receiving patients with critical issues due to chronic illnesses and injuries that were ongoing before the disaster.

While Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, the socialistic policies under the previous dictatorships of Chavez and Maduro have ruined large segments of the economy. The medical system was already limping along before the quakes, so we plan to keep our hospital up and running for months to come because the need is so great.

Most importantly, our Emergency Field Hospital gives us the opportunity to pray with patients and share the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want the people of Venezuela to know that God loves them and has not turned His back on them.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, you can find brokenness all around. Many hearts are searching for hope and are open to the Good News. People are very willing to hear about salvation found only in Jesus Christ.

One of our doctors shared about a disabled man who lost his mother—his only caregiver—in the earthquake. He came to our hospital to have an abscess drained on his leg, part of which had been amputated years earlier. He was at such a low point, grieving for his mom and concerned for his future. Chaplains shared the Gospel with him, and he repented of his sins and placed his faith in Christ. He came to us hopeless and left with hope for eternity.

In addition to the medical ministry, our Disaster Assistance Response Team is working hand in hand with local church partners to distribute tons of relief items and thousands of hot meals. We also have established water points to deliver many gallons of clean drinking water.

We provided heavy-duty family tents, and soon we will offer shelter kits that families can use for the longer term—years even. We have shiploads of pressure-treated lumber on the way, as well as metal roofing.

I was blessed to meet several of the local church partners we are working with, including Pastor Eusebio. His family home and his church building were both destroyed in the earthquakes. Three families in his congregation lost loved ones in the disaster. Nonetheless, this faithful leader keeps serving his flock and his neighbors in Jesus' Name.

His church is now meeting in a tent provided by Samaritan's Purse, and more people than ever are coming on Sundays. The church acts as one of our water points and serves hot meals to their community, just as they were doing before the disaster.

"The work that we have is to win souls for Christ," Pastor Eusebio told me. "That is why the work continues." As we finished talking, I prayed over him, his wife, and their extended family.

I also met Pastor Manuel, who is grieving the death of a nephew and the loss of his home. He has been instrumental in helping us make contacts in the community. "Samaritan's Purse was the first to arrive with tents and tarps," he told me. "We are all thankful for the help you brought. There is a clear difference before and after."

Please pray for the people of Venezuela, for the rebuilding that will take years, and for our ministry. Pray for the pastors and church there, that they will continue to serve faithfully in Jesus' Name despite much suffering. "The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one" (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

Keeping Up the Fight Against Ebola

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Samaritan's Purse is continuing to care for those who are sick and suffering from the deadly Ebola virus. We are operating two Ebola Treatment Centers and have cared for nearly 500 patients to date. Many of them have recovered and been discharged, but the treatment center in Bunia is full, and we are adding more beds. Our staff also continues to provide public education and training to help limit the spread. We have installed 164 handwashing stations in communities and are airing educational radio spots.

The current mortality rate is 45 percent, and the virus continues to spread. The teams fighting Ebola on the frontlines are truly heroes. Sadly, our doctors and nurses see patients, young and old, succumb to the disease every day, but they keep working in the strength of the Lord to help save every life they can. Please lift them up in prayer as they serve.

Thank you for your generous support. May God bless you.

Sincerely,
Franklin Graham