Samaritans Purse

Programs: OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD/THE GREATEST JOURNEY The world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child uses gift-filled shoeboxes to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 146 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 160 countries and territories. Each year, the project mobilizes over 150,000 volunteers in the United States. Since 2010, more than 11 million children who have received a shoebox gift have participated in The Greatest Journey—a 12-lesson discipleship program. Children learn from trained, local volunteers what it means to follow Jesus and share their faith with friends and family. INTERNATIONAL CRISIS RESPONSE Samaritan’s Purse specializes in meeting critical needs for victims of war, disaster, and famine in the world’s most troubled regions, often working through local churches and ministry partners. Recent efforts include responding to refugees fleeing war-ravaged Mosul, Iraq, by providing food, shelter and other supplies, and operating an emergency field hospital to treat patients injured by gunfire, mines, and other explosives. Samaritan’s Purse also distributed emergency supplies to earthquake victims in Nepal and Ecuador, and continues to help people in Liberia recover from the Ebola outbreak. U.S. DISASTER RELIEF Since 1998, when Samaritan’s Purse equipped its first Disaster Relief Unit, staff and volunteers have helped more than 34,000 families impacted by U.S. natural disasters—hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, and ice storms—by quickly providing emergency supplies and cleaning, repairing, and rebuilding homes. WORLD MEDICAL MISSION Each year, the medical arm of Samaritan’s Purse places hundreds of doctors, dentists, and other medical professionals in voluntary, short-term service with hospitals and clinics in the world’s least-developed countries. World Medical Mission also provides hospitals overseas with critical medical equipment and supplies. CHILDREN’S HEART PROJECT Children's Heart Project arranges life-saving operations for hundreds of children who live in countries where the required medical expertise and equipment are not available. Since 1997, Children's Heart Project has arranged cardiac operations for more than 1,200 children. OPERATION HEAL OUR PATRIOTS Operation Heal Our Patriots gives wounded veterans and their spouses the opportunity for spiritual refreshment, physical renewal, and marriage enrichment. Couples participate in Biblically-based seminars that help strengthen their relationships with God and others, while enjoy the beauty of God’s creation with outdoor activities at our Alaskan wilderness lodge. We continue to support these men and women after their initial stay, keeping their spiritual needs and marriages a priority. Since 2012, 843 couples have participated in the program with 398 rededicating their marriages to the Lord and 342 coming to faith in Jesus Christ.