Good Samaritans

Franklin Graham became president of Samaritan's Purse in 1979 following the Founder Bob Pierce’s death in 1978. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love in some 100 Countries. Franklin is Billy Graham's son. These three men are examples of unique one-person endeavors. Today we look at Samaritan's Purse named after the Good Samaritan story in the New Testament.

Its goal seeks to meet the spiritual and physical needs of people suffering from war, poverty, disaster, disease, and famine specializing in emergency relief, shelter, water and sanitation, food and nutrition, medical care and public health, HIV/AIDS and community-based livestock and livelihood projects. What is unique as well as comprehensive is its combination of physical and spiritual involvement as well as its enormous budget from multiple sources.

Ironically, the earlier story is about a badly injured Jewish traveler on his way to Jericho and left to die on the roadside. Two key religious leaders passed on by but then a rather despised traveler, a Samaritan, took pity and rescued the fallen man. The implications are quite obvious even for today highlighting the Samaritan's Purse's mission to victims of war, disasters, disease, famine and poverty regardless of race, religion, color or status.

Let me share a few stories in the Good Samaritan's Prayer Point Winter 2017 magazine. First, there are stories from various countries such as Haiti, Liberia, Bosnia, Zambia, Iraq, Kenya, Philippines, Zambia, Mongolia and U.S. States of South Carolina and Alaska all in this one continuing issue.

Without naming the countries or individuals, here is what impressed me about the diversity of needs and approaches to the problems seemingly without attempts to proselyte or unduly indoctrinate but with compassion and skill while open to both spiritual as well as physical needs. There was the cleanup following a ravaging hurricane, dealing with dreaded diseases, transporting to nearby and distant hospitals, providing dwellings and places of healing and worship, supporting victims of those who fled ISIS and terrorism, helping broken families, educating young and not so young in trades, rebuilding forests and so on.

What seems to be lacking in so many otherwise excellent humanitarian enterprises is not so much the compassion, concern and care exhibited but the neglect or disregard for the sacred. Secular and material matters are are important but should not be all-important. Too often the virtue of organizations like Samaritan's Purse is not fully understood or misunderstood.