BARTLESVILLE, OK — Four more African countries have been added to the list of the world’s most dangerous and difficult places to follow Christ. The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) added and designated Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Niger as “hostile” nations in their annual 2023 Global Prayer Guide. VOM added…
UKRAINE — Elizabeth Groff praises God for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift she received while living in an orphanage in Ukraine. It softened her heart for the Gospel to take hold. Elizabeth Groff: When I was about one year old, my father was killed. After his passing my mom just really could not deal…
RIDGELAND, MS — Did you know that there is an unreached people group in your neighborhood? Only 5-10% of the world’s disabled population are effectively reached with the Gospel. That makes people with disabilities one of the largest unreached people groups in the world! For Joshua and his mother, a welcoming church in Ridgeland, Mississippi…
CENTRAL ASIA — Forty-year-old Abdulla*, his wife Nilufar* and their three children fled Afghanistan when the Taliban came to power in August 2021. Now living as a refugee in Central Asia, he shares his story about what life is like for Afghan people – and Christians – remaining in the country. *Name changed for security…
EASTON, MD — A U.S. organization focused on the Middle East and North Africa is casting the spotlight on what it calls the region’s top 5 “evolving crises” at the start of 2023. With the world’s gaze fixed on Ukraine-Russia and muscle-flexing in China, “seismic events unfolding in the Middle East are simply off the…
COLOMBIA — Thirty-year-old pastor John used to persecute Christians after joining a paramilitary group to seek revenge for his father’s death. But it was while John was serving time in the Colombian prison that he met Jesus – and his whole life changed. John – Colombia: “When I was not a Christian, I was one…
STONEY CREEK, ONTARIO — Every year GFA World and their mission partner, St Cyprian BEC, work together to bring beauty and light to their neighbourhood. One of the ways we do this is by turning three large evergreens into Christmas trees! On November 27 we held a Christmas Tree Lighting. At this event, the Christmas…
MIDDLE EAST — As winter continues, persecuted Christians in the Muslim world are facing hunger and bitter cold. When humanitarian aid does make it to these areas for distribution, Christians are overlooked — intentionally left out by authorities because of their faith. They cling fervently to Christ despite all opposition and hardship.In response the Help…
FIJI — Meet Ravina Kumar, national discipleship coordinator for Operation Christmas Child in Fiji. She is one of 6,100 people globally who volunteer on National Leadership Teams to guide the efforts of Samaritan’s Purse in evangelism, discipleship, and multiplication within their respective countries. The ministry is advancing the Gospel in the Pacific through gift-filled shoeboxes…
SURINAME — Charahja began teaching the discipleship course The Greatest Journey to other children in her native Suriname on the northeastern coast of South America. When she was just 14 years old. Working with her mother, the two are passionate about seeing children reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Charahja Van Broekhoven –…
STONEY CREEK, ONTARIO — November 14-20 marked this year’s National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child (OCC) shoeboxes. St. Cyprian Believers Eastern Church (BEC) was proud to once more serve as an OCC collection centre for Stoney Creek. Also, GFA World Canada celebrated their 38th anniversary on November 19th. Every year during National Collection Week,…
CHARLOTTE, NC — Celebrating the 200 millionth shoebox gift collected since 1993, Franklin Graham encouraged staff and volunteers at the Charlotte Processing Center this Christmas. These shoeboxes represent opportunities to tell boys and girls about the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Greatest Gift. Franklin Graham – Samaritan’s Purse CEO and President: 29 years ago right here…
EL SALVADOR — Four-year-old Ian from El Salvador was born prematurely. Lack of oxygen at birth caused a brain injury, leaving Ian with cerebral palsy. Living under the double weight of poverty and disability, Ian’s parents couldn’t afford a wheelchair for their son. Then, at a Joni and Friends Wheels for the World™ outreach in…
QATAR — While Christian migrants are able to worship openly, native Qatari Christians are forbidden from having their own church or even entering one. Christians in Qatar are calling for prayers that the media coverage during the World Cup will provide an opportunity to reach more people. Qatar has been one of the countries participating…
BAYANKHONGOR, MONGOLIA — Baljinnyam praises God for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift he received when he was 13 in Mongolia. Through that gift, he gave his life to Christ. Now, Baljinnyam is an adult and saw his young daughter receive her own shoebox and learn more about Jesus. Baljinnyam: My name is Baljinnyam. I…
ENGLEWOOD, FL — You could barely see the petite woman standing on her porch behind the mangled trees and debris from Hurricane Ian. Despite the massive destruction, the 74-year-old woman who goes by “Christmas” greeted Randy Martin and Will Murphy, two chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT), welcoming them into her Englewood,…
QATAR — This year, Qatar will become the first Arab nation to ever host the World Cup. But behind the polished veneers of the sparkling stadiums things in Qatar aren’t as pristine as they seem, according to Christian charity Open Doors. Since winning hosting rights for the World Cup more than a decade ago they…
WADSWORTH, OHIO — Kristel and Matt Stone praise God for the thousands of Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts they have been able to pack at their Ohio farm over the years with help from family and friends. They are grateful that, through these gifts, boys and girls in need around the world are hearing the…
ATLANTA — Prison Fellowship International (PFI), an international nonprofit ministry working to transform the lives of prisoners through Jesus’s love, was in the spotlight Thursday as a diverse group gathered at the American Society of Criminology 77th Annual Meeting to examine the future of criminology. During an examination of the robust role of religion in…
LOVES PARK, IL — A U.S.-based mission has launched a massive ‘heat and hope’ project to rush generators and critical supplies of firewood, coal and thermal blankets to local churches helping Ukrainian families facing a brutal and potentially deadly winter. The Ukraine Winter Heat and Hope Project, organized by Illinois-based Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org),…
WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide, issued this Special Report on Child Sponsorship — Does it Lift the Young Out of Poverty? In existence for many years, child sponsorship has been adapted by…
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Fourteen years after renowned evangelist Luis Palau’s historic campaign in Argentina’s capital city of Buenos Aires, the Palau Association returned to deliver the same message of hope to a new generation of Argentines, this time led by Luis Palau’s son, Andrew Palau. Standing in front of a sea of people in…
USA — Franklin Graham’s God Loves You Tour 2022 wrapped up on Sunday October 3 in the picturesque Minnesota city of Rochester. An enthusiastic crowd of more than 8,000 enjoyed a vibrantly warm fall day at Soldiers Memorial Field Park, punctuated by uplifting worship music and a life-changing message. Six cities. Five states. Over 1,100…
PUERTO RICO — Samaritan’s Purse is helping to bring clean water to families in Puerto Rico following the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona by setting up water filtration systems in neighborhoods. Jeremiah Roberts – Samaritan’s Purse: In the wake of hurrican Fiona there’s been widespread loss of access to electricity and also to drinking water….
KYIV, UKRAINE — Jewish Open Space festival changed its format this year. This year the Festival expanded its reach despite martial law and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Besides being hosted in Kyiv, it’s also held in a number of other cities in Ukraine and even in other countries like Germany and Poland. The joy…
IRAN — A Middle East media ministry is giving embattled Iranian women a voice after government officials shut down the nation’s internet amid mass protests that have turned deadly. SAT-7 — a multimedia Christian broadcaster — has seen its WhatsApp and Instagram services disrupted by the digital media blackout, but live satellite television broadcasts are…
STONEY CREEK, ONTARIO — October 22, 2022 St. Cyprian BEC (https://www.bechurch.ca), mission partner of GFA World hosted a free Fall Festival for the community. We gratefully took advantage of one of the last warm weekends of the year for this event. Families and individuals were welcomed to the property we share with Gospel for Asia…
CULVER CITY, CA — In theaters for two nights only this December, 5000 BLANKETS tells the remarkable and inspiring story of a young family that meets a life-altering crisis with compassion for those most in need, inspiring their city in the process. 5000 BLANKETS debuts in more than 700 theaters nationwide Dec. 12 and 13…
NAMIBIA — The classroom was quiet as deaf Namibian boys and girls opened their Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. There were no squeals of excitement or chattering, no shouting for friends to come and look at the fun gifts inside their shoebox. The Operation Christmas Child outreach event marked the first time that most of the…
FORT MYERS, FL — Cissie Graham Lynch, daughter of Franklin Graham, lives with her family in Fort Myers, Florida, one of the areas slammed by Hurricane Ian. The state’s deadliest storm in 87 years claimed well over 100 lives, destroyed businesses, washed away homes, and tossed boats against houses, into trees, and along the roads….
FORT MYERS, FL — As Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains walked down streets strewn with debris, they stopped to talk to one shocked survivor named Elaine whose home and yard were covered with fallen trees affected by the hurricane. The conversation turned to spiritual matters, and Elaine decided it was time to surrender her…
LOVES PARK, IL — A U.S.-based Christian charity is ramping up its efforts to bring hope to more than 60,000 children and orphans across Ukraine, Russia and the former Soviet Union this Christmas – 10,000 more children than last year. The huge-scale, church-led Immanuel’s Child outreach supported by Illinois-based Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org) gives…
STONEY CREEK, ONTARIO — On Saturday, October 15, 2022, the Stoney Creek community came together to celebrate the Pumpkin Fest. Families were out together, and many children had the opportunity to show off their amazing costumes. Gospel for Asia (GFA World, founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired…
FT MYERS, FL — Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham travelled to Lee County, Florida, on Thursday, October 6, where Hurricane Ian took dead aim last week and pummeled the Fort Myers area as a Category 4 storm. More than 100 people were killed, and at least hundreds of homes were either ripped apart or flooded….
AFGHANISTAN — Baset, a SAT-7 viewer in Afghanistan sent this profoundly moving message describing both the famine and soaring prices affecting everyone in his country and the dangers for anyone suspected of leaving the country’s major religion. Baset: Our lives have changed in Afghanistan. My name is Baset and I am a teacher. But my…
FORT MYERS, FL — While in Lee County, Florida, Franklin Graham noticed the streets lined with furniture after people’s homes were flooded in Hurricane Ian. “It just breaks your heart,” he said. “But the chaplains are encouraging them, loving them, praying with them.” As homeowners endure the aftermath of the Category 4 storm, crisis-trained chaplains…
PINE ISLAND, FL — Florida Pastor Randy accompanies Convoy of Hope team to bring relief, supplies, and hope to residents of Pine Island, devastated by Hurricane Ian. Pastor Randy: This is the largest Island of Florida. But it’s really not a tourist spot, there’s no beach area. You see the poles that are bent that…
FT MYERS, FL — Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Relief Units—tractor trailers stocked with equipment and supplies—headed to Florida on Sept. 29 from North Carolina. They arrived Sept. 30, and their bases of operation are now established at Citygate Ministries in Fort Myers and Calvary Baptist Church in Englewood. A third base will be established at New…
SENEGAL — Edouard Ndecky realized how much God loved him when he received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift when he was growing up in Senegal. Now, Edouard lives in the U.S. and encourages others to prayerfully pack shoeboxes so that other boys and girls in need will receive a tangible expression of God’s love…
DALLAS, TX — In the devastating wake of Hurricane Ian, Mercury One is bringing critical relief to southwest Florida. Founded by media personality, entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author Glenn Beck, the nonprofit organization quickly raised funds to deploy teams to the hardest-hit areas of the state. In partnership with Minuteman Disaster Response, Operation…
EASTON, MD — Femicides are on the rise in Türkiye (formerly Turkey) as domestic violence against women soars to epidemic levels. A report in the Daily Sabah last month said Türkiye has seen 158 femicides — gender-related murders — in the first seven months of 2022. Last year, 166 Turkish women were murdered in acts…
BRIDGEPORT, CT — After years of preparation and prayer, CT CityFest with Andrew Palau culminated in a free, 2-day, evangelistic festival at Seaside Park in Bridgeport on August 27 and 28. Hosted by the Luis Palau Association and more than 175 churches, businesses, and nonprofits, this region-wide campaign has been focused on serving Southwest Connecticut…
GREENSBORO, NC — Samaritan’s Purse is airlifting emergency supplies, including water filtration systems and plastic roofing tarps, to Puerto Rico in the wake of massive flooding and destruction caused by Hurricane Fiona. John Morgan – Samaritan’s Purse: Puerto Rico has been devastated by Hurricane Fiona– massive flooding, homes destroyed, lives uprooted. Samaritan’s Purse is dispatching…
FT MYERS, FL — Florida residents still in shock from the devastation of Hurricane Ian are receiving food, water and relief supplies in a Ft. Myers church parking lot from Christian charity, Convoy of Hope. Florida residents are still in shock from the devastation of Hurricane Ian, which left damages in the billions of dollars,…
UKRAINE — The chaplains’ prayer tour hit the road traveling over 30 hours and ranging 2,500 km bringing prayer relief to 9 cities! They prayed for Ukraine, our government, repented for our people. They prayed against antisemitism and national pride. The tour extended to seven cities – Kharkiv, Toretsk, Kramatorsk, Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, and Odessa….
SANTA ANA, CA — Celebrating the life of Brother Andrew, Open Doors founder and God’s Smuggler who passed away aged 94. We honour his life, legacy and love of his Lord. In this video, he shares how he wanted to be remembered. Brother Andrew, the founder of Open Doors, has died aged 94, surrounded by…
SANTA ANA, CA — Anne Van der Bijl, the founder of international nonprofit Open Doors, and known around the world as “Brother Andrew,” died at the age of 94 at his home in the Netherlands, according to a family spokesperson. Brother Andrew was the founder of Open Doors, the oldest worldwide ministry to persecuted Christians….
STONEY CREEK, ONTARIO — August 13, 2022, Gospel for Asia (GFA World, founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada) partner St. Cyprian Believers Eastern Church (BEC) parish hosted a Community Car Wash for the residents of Stoney Creek. A total…
ALASKA — As the world marked the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks earlier this month, Samaritan’s Purse continues to strengthen the marriages of wounded military veterans and spouses who’ve sacrificed so much to defend the freedoms we enjoy. The September 11 attacks are what led many to armed service, which included combat deployments…
LEBANON — A field ministry team with Christian charity Help The Persecuted in Lebanon reports declining conditions across the country — from massive shortages of necessities for survival: food, fuel, electricity, and medicines to the increase of violence and political unrest. At the same time, Lebanon is dependent on Ukraine for a significant amount of…
