Fighting Hunger's Merciless Grip

Letter from Franklin Graham

Dear Friend,

Before Jesus Christ fed a multitude, He challenged His disciples: “You give them something to eat”(Matthew 14:16). They had only five loaves and two fish for a crowd of 5,000 men, not to mention the women and children.

By asking his disciples to do the impossible, Jesus was teaching them a principle we call “God Room.” I learned this in 1975, when the founder of Samaritan’s Purse, Bob Pierce, took me on a worldwide mission trip so I could see crises that “broke the heart of God.”

“God room,” Dr. Bob explained, “is when you see a need and it’s bigger than your human abilities to meet it. But you accept the challenge. You trust God to bring in the finances and the materials to meet that need.” Dr. Bob and I had to bypass Ethiopia on that trip because it was in the middle of a Marxist revolution. In the following years, Ethiopia became a symbol of famine. The world responded in 1985 with the “Live Aid” concert, featuring the song, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Samaritan’s Purse has been working in Ethiopia since the 1980s, and I’m glad to report that God is opening doors for us to work in places that have required “God Room.”

I was invited to preach in Ethiopia in March to crowds totaling 320,000. For the first time in 30 years, we were allowed to distribute Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes there. I had the opportunity to meet with the prime minister and tell him about our relief work. We also had an opportunity to welcome the speaker of the house of parliament to our U.S. headquarters.

I’m optimistic about the future of evangelical ministry in Ethiopia. Samaritan’s Purse is working in Jesus’ Name to provide clean water, agricultural assistance, healthcare, and nutritional training. Ethiopia has made progress in feeding its people. Samaritan’s Purse is focusing on multitudes who are still going hungry. We shipped 73 tons of barley and mixed vegetables grown in Canada to the war-scarred Amhara region, where many people trace their lineage to the Biblical Queen of Sheba. Right now, we’re focusing on vulnerable mothers and children under age 5.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and generous support for the work of Samaritan’s Purse. May God bless you this Christmas as we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Sincerely,

Franklin Graham

‘Because of That Food, We Are Alive’

War came without warning. Gunfire exploded around Guesh’s home in Tigray, Ethiopia, and he ran for his life. As his family scattered, the father of eight quickly faced the nightmare that any parent dreads. “Not knowing whether your family, your children, are alive or not. That was the worst thing I ever felt,” he said.

For three months, Guesh searched for his family among millions of people fleeing the violence that engulfed northern Ethiopia starting in 2020. When he finally found them, he said, “I was the happiest. I was very happy. It was like seeing them born again.” But Guesh’s happiness turned to fear because he didn’t know how he was going to provide food for them.

Conflict is the primary driver of hunger worldwide today. Guesh, a hard-working, self-sustaining farmer, had once fed his family from his own crops and livestock before the war began. “The children could drink milk whenever they wanted. Life was good,” he told us with a smile. Now driven from his land, he said, “There is no food, there is no water, you just try to keep going to save your life.”

Guesh gave his children leaves, roots, and insects to eat, things normally reserved only for the animals. “To be hungry and then not know what you can do about it is the most difficult thing,” he said. “But you cannot sit there and then die.”

In the chaos, Samaritan’s Purse responded by sending food trucks into the wilderness to find Guesh, his family, and thousands of others displaced by war. And when they finally settled in a displaced persons camp near the town of Sheraro, Ethiopia, our teams continued delivering emergency food, including cereals, legumes, oil, and therapeutic food packages to ward off malnutrition in children. “Because of that food, we are alive,” Guesh told us. “Food is life. So, whoever is giving you food is giving you life."

We feel like Samaritan’s Purse gave us life. We always thank God.” Samaritan’s Purse distributed 49,100 metric tons of food to over 1.7 million Ethiopians during the past four years. Despite a peace agreement that brought relative calm to Tigray, over 760,000 people, like Guesh and his family, remain unable to return home and continue to live in grim conditions as displaced people.

“Our hope is to go back home and to work with our own hands to feed our family,” Guesh said. Until that is possible, Guesh and thousands of others continue to need help. “I had to face war and conflict and, you know, being displaced from my home. But what I pray for my children is for them to have a peaceful life. I pray for them to have food and drink on their table.”

'There is a Huge Need'

Approximately 100 kilometers from Guesh, Samaritan’s Purse is working with a local church to address the food needs of boys and girls residing in another camp.

One of only two evangelical churches in the area, the congregation was once treated as outsiders by the community. However, through the feeding program funded by Samaritan’s Purse partners like you, God is opening doors to reach the children with Christ’s love. “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33).

Every day, 250 to 400 children come to the church for a hot meal before or after school.

The meal is prepared by women who live in the displaced persons camp, giving them a source of income.

When the children come for lunch, they have the opportunity to receive tutoring, play, and hear the Word of God. Nearly 20 children have trusted Jesus in repentance and faith.

“There is a huge need. These children have seen the limit of hunger,” said Pastor Tamrat. “We pray for the children to be nourished by the food you’re giving them, and then that God will open their hearts for the Gospel, and they will be able to give their lives to Jesus.”

God works through your prayers and gifts to make a critical difference in the lives of children and families in hunger hotspots, including Ethiopia, Niger, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Gaza. In Amhara, Ethiopia, a region bordering Tigray, a recent drought and outbreak of violence have driven tens of thousands more people into hunger. A shipment of emergency food, grown by Canadian farmers, is on the way to provide relief and hope in Jesus’ Name.

Providing Relief in Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa

Hurricane Melissa hammered Jamaica packing winds of 290 kph. The western side of the island was hit hard, with terrible damage to homes, businesses, hospitals, and schools. Many families are still suffering after this storm, one of the strongest to ever hit the Atlantic.

Our teams began preparing before the hurricane even made landfall, and we’ve acted quickly to bring life-saving relief in Jesus’ Name. Within 48 hours, Samaritan’s Purse began a series of relief flights that brought in shelter materials, hygiene kits, solar lights, medical supplies, household water filters, and more.

We airlifted our Emergency Field Hospital on Nov. 2 and opened it three days later in the coastal town of Black River. It is located in the southwest of the island—where Melissa made landfall. The local hospital was destroyed, and virtually every building in the town sustained some level of damage.

Our hospital provides more than 30 inpatient beds, with staff and equipment to run an operating room, intensive care unit, emergency room, and obstetric ward. Our first patient was 83-year-old Lasbourne. Hurricane Melissa demolished his house, and he has nowhere to live. He came through the doors of our hospital seeking treatment and left all smiles, overflowing with gratitude, and covered in prayer.

“I’ve seen nothing like this in my life. It made me tremble,” he said. “Everywhere around the town that I look, everywhere is a wreck.” Happy with the care he received, he told our team, “If I see anybody that needs help or is sick, I’ll send them right up here to the hospital!”

Black River is known as “ground zero” for this storm, and it was the first location where we set up one of our community water systems, which can serve up to 10,000 people per day.

We will be working on the island for some time, bringing help and comfort and sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray for those affected by Hurricane Melissa and for our teams as they serve in Jesus’ Name.