BAHAMAS — Samaritan’s Purse has established a base of operations in Marsh Harbour—working to bring emergency shelter material, clean water, and critical supplies to families who lost everything. Marsh Harbour, a small town of fewer than 10,000 people in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas, hit international news as Category 5 Hurricane Dorian made landfall there…
BAHAMAS — Samaritan’s Purse made its first airlift of the Emergency Field Hospital to the Bahamas on September 5, at the request of the World Health Organization and the government of the Bahamas. Multiple flights will follow. A team of 16 staff members, including doctors and nurses, was on the flight to help set up…
BAHAMAS — Samaritan’s Purse is airlifting the Emergency Field Hospital to the Bahamas today, September 5, 2019, at the request of the World Health Organization and the government of the Bahamas. A team of 16 staff members, including doctors and nurses, will be on the flight to help set up the mobile hospital. The 40-bed…
toiletNEW DELHI – The widespread practice of open defecation in the developing countries in Asia and Africa has long been a focus of Missions Box News, numerous FBOs, NGOs, and the United Nations. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2030 include bringing the entire world to that status of being Open Defecation Free (ODF)….
SOUTH ASIA — While the Chennai state is plagued by drought, other parts of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh are enduring the annual monsoon season. Many are fleeing their homes and villages for safer ground due to the flooding, as South Asia’s monsoon season is devastating schools, homes and churches, displacing hundreds of thousands of people,…
VIENNA, West Virginia – a congregation will be donating 100 backpacks, each filled with school supplies, to low-income students in advance of next school year. Faith Baptist Church of Vienna will give away the backpacks and supplies for students on a first-come, first-serve basis on Saturday. Pastor Scott Kapple told The Christian Post in an interview…
RIO GRANDE RIVER – As waves of desperate migrants arrive on the sweltering border between Mexico and Texas, Samaritan’s Purse is working on both sides of the Rio Grande to help them in the Name of Jesus Christ. “Some of these people have been traveling for months and they have been through so much,” said Samaritan’s Purse…
KATMANDU – As people in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu are facing a crisis of having no water, the people in Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Indian State of Bihar are begging for relief from raging floodwaters that have displaced ten of thousands. The death toll keeps rising as new reports filter in. The…
IDLIB – Unless you deliberately searched for it, you probably missed one of the most significant news stories of the past few weeks.After eight years of bloody fighting, the Syrian civil war may finally be coming to an end. The Syrian army launched an offensive to retake Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold. If Idlib…
ODISHA – World Vision is providing ongoing humanitarian assistance in India, after major coastal cities and communities were hit by cyclone Fani. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes. Many live in constant fear for when the next storm may strike. In response World Vision is helping to rebuild homes and livelihoods as…
In conjunction with World Day Against Child Labor, Christian humanitarian agency spotlights ‘horrible and tragic’ plight of children — as young as five — forced to work in horrific conditions. WILLS POINT, TX — More than 200 million children, as young as five years old, are trapped in “despicable” labor conditions, according to a soon-to-be-released…
HIGH SEAS – A 7-month-old patient receives cleft lip surgery onboard the world’s largest charity hospital ship. A baby born with a debilitating cleft lip in Guinea has received free surgery from Mercy Ships volunteers, marking the charity’s 100,000th surgical procedure onboard its hospital ships. Aissata (EYE-sat-ah), a 7-month-old child, travelled with her mother nearly…
BEIRA – At just 14 years old, he’s now living in a school in Beira, Mozambique, after being forced to flee his home when it was torn apart by Cyclone Idai. He remembers the sounds of the angry wind whirling around their bamboo house, and the zinc roofing flying off as the storm took hold….
CUCUTA – Hundreds and even thousands of Venezuelan migrants cross into Colombia each day, leaving behind chaos and deprivation. They’re hoping to find safety and economic opportunity in their neighbor nation or other countries farther south, such as Ecuador and Peru. But the journey is demanding, dangerous, and filled with uncertainty. Who knows how they’ll…
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report on the aftermath of acute gender imbalance: Discussing the horrendous reality of 100 million missing women worldwide. One of the stunning stories from Scripture tells about the uninvited woman who crashed a VIP party at the home of an important religious leader. This is a…
On Mother’s Day, experts say up to 100 million women and girls mostly from Africa and Asia who should be alive today ‘simply do not exist’ WILLS POINT, TX — As many as 100 million women and girls are “missing and unaccounted for” – the victims of sex-selective abortions, female infanticide, sexual slavery and other…
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has released its annual report in the aftermath of attacks on mosques in New Zealand, churches in Sri Lanka and synagogues in the United States. “It’s coming at a time when religious freedom concerns, for lots of reasons, are getting more attention across the board,” USCIRF Commissioner Johnnie…
MOZAMBIQUE – About three weeks after Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique, the situation on the ground is still dire. Catastrophic flooding and high winds left historic devastation across the east African nation. Tens of thousands of people remain displaced, food is scarce, clean water is limited, and reports of cholera and other waterborne illnesses are already…
MOZAMBIQUE – One month after Cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique, Samaritan’s Purse is meeting the needs of villages isolated by unprecedented floodwaters. The storm washed away all access roads, contaminated water points, and destroyed homes—leaving hundreds of families susceptible to diseases like malaria and cholera. Samaritan’s Purse responded to this dire need, traveling 50…
CHARLOTTE, NC — Crisis-trained chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team are on-site in Dodge County, Neb., one of many areas across the Midwest that has been inundated with an historic level of flooding. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts called the disaster – which was caused by a combination of factors including a bomb cyclone, deeply frozen ground,…
A Virginia-based Christian aid group is facilitating relief to Zimbabwe following a devastating cyclone earlier this week. Cyclone Idai, which besieged southern Africa last Sunday, tore across Mozambique with over 100 miles per hour winds and struck Zimbabwe with brutal force, causing floods and landslides. The nation has declared a state of emergency. In an…
International relief organizations are responding to an increasingly devastating humanitarian crisis after a tropical storm and powerful cyclone tore across Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Current estimates confirmed by President Filipe Nyusi indicate that some 1,000 people may have been killed in Mozambique alone. “Officially, we have a record of more than 84 dead but everything…
MOZAMBIQUE – After Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe were pummeled with winds up to 170 mph by Cyclone Idai in mid-March, a Red Cross worker described the damage as “massive and horrifying.” As is almost always the case following large-scale hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons, the countries are suffering massive flooding. According to Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF),…
“A sustainable outcome is the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely.” —Sustainability Outcomes “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” —Peter Drucker, business leader and author WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – The two opening quotes are truths that cannot be ignored whether improving your golf game, building a…
MYITKYINA, Myanmar – Crises like floods, famine, earthquakes, and war make great headlines, followed only by stories of relief efforts. Reporters move from one crisis to the next drawing our attention with them. We tend to forget about the aftermath that usually lasts much longer than the crises themselves. The refugees running from crisis endure…
PAMPLONA, Columbia – Operation Blessing has provided relief to millions of people in 90 different countries and all 50 of the United States over the past 41 years. Founded in 1978 by Pat Robertson, the faith-based NGO provides aid in areas where people’s lives are threatened by poverty, disasters, and persecution. Like similar faith-based organizations…
CARACAS – Venezuela is a country of extreme contrasts. First-time visitors flying into the capital city of Caracas are often surprised to land at the airport at sea level on the southern edge of the Caribbean only to discover that their ride into the city will take them to an elevation of 3,000 feet within…
FOREST, VA — For nearly four years, Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war that has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and famines. World Help is one of the humanitarian groups responding to this crisis. Working with local partners, the organization is providing food and emergency supplies to Yemeni families….
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until [these] calamities have passed by. KERALA – When we hear the words typhoon, cyclone, or hurricane our first reaction is a heightened awareness of potential danger….
SHANGHAI – Channel NewsAsia has reported that African swine fever has spread rapidly to more than half of China’s provinces despite measures to contain it. A joint statement was issued by the ministries of agriculture, transport, and public security on Wednesday, November 14, 2018, stating that: The African swine fever prevention and control situation is…
FOREST, Va. — Since mid-April, Nicaragua has been embroiled in a civil conflict that has left hundreds dead, thousands wounded and countless missing. But the unrest hasn’t stopped World Help from launching relief efforts to help the people of Nicaragua. Working with local partners, the Christian humanitarian organization aims to provide food supplies and medical…
Supplies, encouragement and relief-camp-wedding meal remind flood victims that ‘God has not forgotten you’ WILLS POINT, Texas — With thousands still reeling from the impact of historic flooding, a second major crisis drying up wells and killing helpful earthworms has heightened the need for GFA’s (Gospel for Asia) ongoing relief help in India’s Kerala state….
SANA, Yemen – “More than 25 percent of children (1.8 million) are malnourished; 900,000 people in the governorate are desperate for food and 90,000 pregnant women are at enormous risk. Families need everything–food, cash, health care, water, sanitation, emergency supplies, specialized support, and many need shelter. It’s heart-breaking to see so many people who need…
KERALA, INDIA – No one can comprehend the terror of a major flood until they have been personally affected by one. This is especially true of those who lose their homes, their possessions, and their loved ones to raging waters that cannot be contained. This writer has been at the sites of four floods over…
GFA-supported workers rescue stranded, provide emergency supplies for India Flood victims. WILLS POINT, TEXAS —Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers are stepping up efforts to help with rescue and relief efforts in India’s flood-stricken Kerala state, as the death toll and number of displaced people in the worst flooding in nearly a century continue to climb. Though…
After hearing about the monsoon flooding in Kerala, India, the Mission Support Team serving at GFA’s headquarters in Wills Point, Texas, sprang to action to help spread awareness of the timely need. Many shifted their schedules to work long hours through the weekend to bring awareness to the devastation many are currently facing. After receiving…
WILLS POINT, Texas — GFA (Gospel for Asia) has issued an urgent appeal for help in responding to some of the worst flooding in almost a century that has claimed several hundred lives and displaced nearly a quarter of a million people in southern India. Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers have already begun distributing emergency…
More than 300 deaths have now been reported from the monsoon rains and flooding that have devastated Kerala, India. Many rescue teams had to stop after dusk yesterday because the currents were too risky for teams to venture out successfully. According to the chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, a total of 82,442 rescues were…
DAMASCUS – Hundreds of thousands of innocent people have been killed in the seven-year-long Syrian Civil War. An estimated 11 million people have been displaced from their homes, creating one of the greatest refugee crises in history. Over 270,000 people have fled to southern Syria during the month of July. The single largest displacement of…
HIROSHIMA – The death toll keeps rising by the in Hiroshima Prefecture and seven other prefectures in the south of Japan. More than two million people have been forced to evacuate after record rainfalls have inundated the area. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that 14.3 inches of rain had fallen within a period of two…
MUMBAI – India Spend recently inteview Naina Lal Kidwai. Kidwai was the former head of HSBC in India, the first woman in India to become the head of a foreign bank in the country. She is the current vice-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Water. She was instrumental in founding the…
YANGON – Life goes on as normal for Christians and Muslims in Myanmar, just as life goes on as normal for Christians and Muslims in America. Normal is the operative word because what is normal for them is at the extreme opposite of what normal is for us. We often refer to normal as “the…
SOUTH ASIA (May 23, 2018) – Pakistan and India are being afflicted with intensely hot weather that is affecting residents throughout both countries. Unfortunately, the term “hot weather” does not translate into every American English any easier than if we were reading it in Hindi. The subcontinent has been experiencing temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius….
WILLS POINT, Texas – It is no secret that the world is rife with problems ranging from terrorism and wars to hunger and health issues. Many of these and other problems spawn floods of refugees seeking safe harbor from potential harm. Many would consider making a successful journey to a safer place a success. However,…
Diarrhea. Just say the word out loud and watch people cringe. It is so sickening that no one wants to hear about it, let alone have it. One of America’s most trusted healthcare websites, WebMD, says, When you have diarrhea, your bowel movements (or stools) are loose and watery. It’s very common and usually not…
Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Special Report on the Open Defecation Sanitation Crisis Written By Karen Burton Mains For much of my adult life, it has been my privilege to hang out with the “renegades” of Christian missions, that relief-and-development crowd that rushes to help during natural disasters, struggles to alleviate the suffering and abasement…
KUALA LUMPUR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a statement this week to draw attention to a new form of child exploitation that has been emerging and growing in Southeast Asia. The Australian government announcement “discourages short-term, unskilled volunteering orphanages (overseas).” The problem is not with…
Photo by Oxfam East Africa South Sudan has been in a civil war for three years. This has caused an economic crisis and has caused a lack of farming, meaning they had no food to feed their families with or sale in the markets. Per Fox News, “South Sudan’s three-year civil war and economic crisis…
In the summer of 2016, Sudan flooded and more than 100 people died in the Sudan floods. Per Al Jazeera, “Thousands of houses have been destroyed and several villages submerged after flooding triggered by torrential rainfall killed 100 people across Sudan, according to an aid group in the country.” There have been 14,000 homes that…
There has been resistance in Italy to migrants trying to enter the country from Libya, despite pressure from the European Union to allow those migrants to enter the country. Part of the reason Italy doesn’t want to allow Libyan migrants to enter the country, is to keep smugglers from coming in. Per Fox News, “Italy…
