SPROUTS OF HOPE IN PERU

Letter from Franklin Graham

Dear Friend,

Millions of people around the world will go to sleep hungry tonight and wake up tomorrow not knowing where their next meal is coming from. Many of them are children. As Scripture tells us, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” (James 2:15-16, ESV).

Samaritan’s Purse Canada provides emergency food to families suffering from war, poverty, and natural disasters. We also serve nutritious meals to underfed children in schools and support farmers and low-income families through livelihood programs, supplying them with training and resources so they can grow renewable crops that will boost their ability to put healthy food on their tables—and we do all of this in Jesus’ Name. For many years, Samaritan’s Purse Canada has worked in Peru—the most food-insecure country in South America—to provide physical and spiritual nourishment to families in need through agricultural programs.

One person we are helping is Josselyn Robles, who lives in the capital city of Lima with her husband and two children. She and her husband work, but they don’t earn enough to cover their needs. Recently, Josselyn participated in one of our gardening programs. Through the training and resources she received, she is able to harvest her own vegetables. More importantly, seeds were planted in her life for the Gospel. Praise God! I encourage you to read Josselyn’s story on the next page.

Please also join me in praying for children in Peru who will soon hear the Gospel as we work with churches to deliver Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts there and to more than 100 countries worldwide. I had the opportunity to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ in Lima in March. I praise God for the many people who trusted the Lord in repentance and faith.

At Samaritan’s Purse, our ministry is all about Jesus—first, last, and always. As the Apostle Paul said, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5, ESV).

Sincerely,

Franklin Graham

Josselyn’s Garden, Gospel Seeds

Josselyn digs her hands deep into the dark soil of a new garden. In Lima, Peru—a congested city of over 10 million residents—it’s not a place most people would expect to find a vibrant oasis of nutritious vegetables. But that’s the case at Josselyn’s home.

The land outside her door isn’t an open field or even a small plot of dirt, it’s a tiny space of hard-packed earth, barely big enough for a few people to stand. Yet, through the help of a Samaritan’s Purse food project, the mother of two transformed her urban property into an area bursting with vegetables that feed her family.

In Peru, putting healthy food on the table each day is no small task. As Latin America’s most food-insecure country, over half of the nation’s population, like Josselyn, lives without access to sufficient, nutritious food.

She has worried over the past years as grocery prices have soared. She and her husband worked hard, finding employment wherever they could, but it was never enough.

Then, a few months ago, she had the opportunity to join one of our agroecology projects thanks to the prayers and support of friends like you. Our local Christian partner taught her how to grow a biogarden using inexpensive, organic techniques.

Josselyn remembered having a garden when she was a child but didn’t know how to tend one herself. She also feared that her tiny property would hinder her ability to grow anything, but our team taught her how to maximize every square meter.

“I learned from scratch. I knew practically nothing. But with the help of the team, I learned how to prepare the soil and how to plant seeds in recycled containers I had at home,” Josselyn said. “I also learned how to plant vegetables, combat pests with organic repellents, prune the plants, and harvest lettuce, cabbage, and chard leaf by leaf. I also learned how to save seeds [to replant].”

Josselyn soon had vegetables sprouting around her home. She also taught her children, 15-year-old Angie and 11-year-old Liam, all she learned.

“With each vegetable we harvest, we improve our family’s diet,” Josselyn told us. “We no longer have to worry about going to the market; we just go to the organic garden and harvest to prepare food for our children and family.”

Bruno, one of our long-serving Christian partners and agriculture experts, rejoices in Josselyn’s success. But, even more so, he celebrates the opportunity to share the Gospel with her family.

Josselyn used to attend church as a child but stopped in adulthood. Since working with our team, Josselyn has heard the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ and seen His love for her family. “I feel that God has knocked on my door,” she said.

We are praying that Josselyn and her family will come to know the Lord as their Savior. Would you join us in that? Your prayers and support make a vital difference for hungry families around the world and open doors to the eternal hope of the Gospel.