It’s hard to imagine the 152 trillion litres of water that fell on the Southeastern U.S. from Hurricane Helene and earlier storms—almost two years of Niagara Falls’ flow. Yet the outpouring of compassion from God’s people has been even greater, making this the largest disaster relief project in Samaritan’s Purse history.
As we work to help people in Jesus’ Name, we share the hope of the Gospel. Through our Helene response, we praise God that hundreds of souls came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is far more powerful than any hurricane: “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1:7).
Our Emergency Field Hospitals brought life-saving care to the far corners of the world. We provided food to starving people in Sudan and clean water to families in flood-ravaged southern Brazil.
Through Operation Christmas Child, we saw 3 million children pray to receive Christ and we shipped shoebox gifts to about 12 million boys and girls. We give God all the glory!
On behalf of those who desperately needed our help this year—thank you for serving, giving, and praying for Samaritan’s Purse. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
May God bless you,
Franklin Graham
Samira* and her nine children fled their village and walked for two days until they reached a camp for displaced people. Exhausted and starving, they had survived on tree leaves and sap. “I had a lot of fear,” Samira said, as rebels firing guns threatened her family’s life.
Since April 2023, armed forces have raided communities across Sudan, displacing one-fifth of the population and leaving everyone desperate for food and water. Locusts devoured Samira’s crops, and she feared for her family’s survival. Still, she trusted God. “I had faith that God would protect us,” she said. Her prayers were answered in early 2024 when Samaritan’s Purse arrived in Jesus’ Name with 12,000 tons of food, feeding thousands.
“My children are now eating well, and their strength has returned,” Samira said.
Later that year, Samaritan’s Purse again answered the call by flying a DC-8 cargo jet to Sudan’s only operational airport, delivering an Emergency Field Hospital and medical staff. The team provided safe, natural births, performed dozens of caesarean sections, and offered prenatal and postnatal care.
Dennis and Joanne panicked as muddy water surged into their home, but a stranger named Gil knocked on their door and helped them escape. They clung to trees to avoid being swept away, grateful to reach safety. In this crisis, God sent Samaritan’s Purse and 1,300 volunteers, including 6 from Australia, to serve those in need. Hurricane Helene had devastated the southeastern U.S., causing hundreds of deaths and widespread destruction.
Volunteers served homeowners like Dennis and Joanne in Jesus’ Name, helping to clear out flooded homes and bring hope. “Seeing those orange shirts brought the air back into our lungs,” Dennis said. In Valdosta, Georgia, Scott and Terri survived the storm in their bathroom as trees crashed onto their home. Volunteers soon arrived to clear debris and repair damage.
“I didn’t know these kinds of people existed,” Terri said of the dedicated Samaritan’s Purse volunteers who brought help and hope.
In May 2024, a catastrophic landslide struck villages in the foothills of Mount Mungalo, Papua New Guinea, killing an estimated 160 people and displacing hundreds. Amid ongoing tribal conflict, Samaritan’s Purse Australia/New Zealand responded swiftly.
In partnership with local churches, we provided 200 kitchen kits to families and distributed 1,500 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains also trained church leaders in crisis care and helped distribute 1,000 Bibles in the local language.
Your generosity is helping churches bring both practical relief and the comfort of the Gospel to devastated communities.
Pictured: Mark Bennett, AU/NZ Samaritan’s Purse Executive Director, with PNG church representatives.
Typhoon Yagi devastated northern Vietnam, destroying over 100,000 homes and claiming 300 lives. Thanks to your compassionate support, Samaritan’s Purse Australia/New Zealand was among the first to respond in Yen Bai Province, providing emergency aid to affected families.
In Trung Minh village, Oanh and her three grandchildren lost everything to a landslide and were forced to live in a makeshift shed with no electricity or clean water. Samaritan’s Purse teams provided essential supplies including solar lights and water filters, bringing light and hope in the darkest of circumstances. Your support is helping families like Oanh’s in Jesus’ Name—thank you.
Home to over 5.5 million Australians, Queensland has long been seen as “ground zero” for weather-related disasters. Seventy percent of Queenslanders have faced floods, and more than half have dealt with cyclones and severe storms. In the past five years alone, half of all Queenslanders have been forced to relocate because of floods, storms or fires.
When record-breaking rain drenched northern Queensland between Cairns and Mackay, the town of Ingham was cut off from relief, food and water. Residents like Colleen and Fred watched helplessly as over two metres of floodwater surged through their home.
“When the water went down, there was the stench, the mud, and piled up washing. Our fridges and freezer were empty, there wasn’t anything in the shops. Baked beans are really nice in an emergency, but it was overwhelming,” Colleen said.
Throughout 2024-25, Samaritan’s Purse partnered with local churches—some also impacted—to mobilise over 400 volunteers for 63 days, serving disaster-affected communities in Jesus’ Name.
It wasn’t just homes cleaned, debris cleared and yards restored—it was the hope and encouragement instilled in each person we met. For Colleen’s husband, Fred—who came to faith at a Billy Graham rally in 1967—our team was honoured to present him with a new Billy Graham Training Centre Bible to replace his flood-damaged one, signed with heartfelt messages from the volunteers.
“Well, I’m not surprised that they all love the Lord because of the work that they’re doing. They’re my brothers and sisters in Christ. I just love them all for what they’ve done and how they’ve helped me and so many others in this town,” Fred said.
Pictured: Colleen and Fred with ADR volunteers
The first present Lim ever received was an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. She was overwhelmed with joy, tears streaming down her face as she discovered hair clips, coloured pencils, dolls, shoes, a bracelet, necklace, and a beautiful dress—items she had only dreamed of. “I felt care and love from someone I didn’t know,” Lim said. Through The Greatest Journey, our discipleship program for shoebox recipients, Lim placed her faith in God. “You have brought me to God,” she said.
In 2024, shoebox packers from 11 countries prepared 11.9 million gifts for boys and girls around the world, including 211,502 from Australia and New Zealand. More than 200 year-round volunteers and hundreds of seasonal helpers support Operation Christmas Child across Australia and New Zealand.
Since 1993, over 232 million children in more than 170 countries have heard the Good News of Jesus Christ through this ministry. In Georgia, Pastor Paata, who is deaf, uses shoebox gifts to share the Gospel with deaf children and their families. “It’s a big blessing and opportunity to share the Gospel,” he said.
Makara, a 14-year-old from an impoverished Cambodian village, tried to hide his tears during the Gospel presentation at an Operation Christmas Child outreach event. His parents divorced five years earlier, and he felt hopeless. But when he received a shoebox gift filled with toys and school supplies, his heart lifted. He joined The Greatest Journey discipleship classes and accepted Jesus as his Saviour. “I know that Jesus is in my heart,” he said. “He gives me joy—my heart is full of peace.”
In 2024, 5.5 million children participated in The Greatest Journey, with 3.2 million making decisions for Christ. In the Philippines, Pastor Jacob and a local team trekked along a treacherous path, using a dirt bike and their own strength to deliver shoebox gifts to a remote village. Despite the challenges, they reached the community, hosted the outreach event, and saw many children come to faith. The new believers now meet regularly for worship and Bible study.
In rural Cambodia, many families lack access to clean water and safe sanitation. Buhn Ran and Doy Kuhn, an elderly couple raising their grandchildren while their son works abroad, received a biosand filter and latrine for their household. Before this, their grandchildren frequently fell ill from unsafe stream water. Today, their home is healthier—and more importantly, they have hope for a better future. “We don’t have anything,” Buhn Ran
shared. “But Samaritan’s Purse didn’t skip over us.”
Through your generous support, the Water for Families project brought lasting change to 20
villages—providing over 14,000 people with clean water systems, biosand filters, hygiene training, and latrines.
These life-changing interventions not only improved health for families but demonstrated God’s love towards them in a meaningful way. Thank you for helping bring both clean water and the Living Water of Jesus Christ to families in need.
At Phnom Dambang Primary School in Cambodia, 10-year-old Thai Ratana struggled to keep up with his classmates. The limited resources meant teachers couldn’t provide the help he and many others needed—until Samaritan’s Purse launched the We Can Read and Write program in 2024. This program supported 10 schools where only 5 percent of Year 1–3 students were functionally literate.
Teachers and parents received training, and schools were equipped with books, tablets and teaching materials, reaching 437 struggling students, including Ratana, with targeted tutoring. With encouragement from his mother and teachers, Ratana is now reading, writing and participating confidently in class.
In Vietnam’s Tra Vinh province, 42-year-old Anh lost his wife to liver cancer, leaving him in debt and alone to raise his three children. In 2024, Samaritan’s Purse invited Anh and 69 other struggling families to join a cooperative animal farming program. Working together, families received training to raise calves, inspired by the biblical values of unity in Ecclesiastes 4:9–10.
Today, Anh is repaying his debts, and his children are back in school. “My children are very happy,” he said. “They help feed the cows, and now I can keep them in school—that is my only wish.” Your support has brought not just economic stability but the tangible love of Christ to families like Anh’s. Thank you for empowering transformation—one calf, one community and one heart at a time.
In Mayendit, South Sudan, many have never had the chance to read or write in their own language—let alone study God’s Word. Samaritan’s Purse launched the Biblical Literacy and Discipleship program, teaching people to read and write using Scripture. Mary Hugh was one of the first participants. After learning to read and receiving a Bible in Nuer, she felt called to share this opportunity with others. Last year, Mary trained believers in six churches, travelling long distances to bring God’s Word to others.
“Now the community knows the Bible and can read and write it in their own language,” she shared. In South Sudan and many countries around the world, the Gospel is not just heard—it’s being read, taught and lived out. Thank you for helping equip lives through the power of Scripture.
