This episode follows orthopedic surgeons with World Medical Mission, a medical arm of Samaritan’s Purse, to a hospital in Nigeria where patients received physical and spiritual healing. As patients walk away from surgery forever changed, their families and communities often ask questions about God and this opens the door for our teams to share about true healing and restoration found in Jesus Christ. 

Resources: 

•  Learn more about World Medical Mission and how you can volunteer!
•  Read about our team’s orthopedic specialty trip to Nigeria.
•  Listen to “Brokenness, Transformation, and Celebration: Amani ya Juu” to hear the story of women in Kenya who have been given a fresh start and had their lives changed through Jesus Christ. 

Amani ya Juu gives women a fresh start, equipping them by teaching skills like stitching to give them an income, and most importantly, point them to Christ. Take a tour with Kristy Graham through Amani ya Juu headquarters in Kenya, where you will get to meet women whose lives were changed through the program. Every single woman at Amani has had to flee something: poverty, war, loneliness, abuse, rejection, and they have all been transformed through Jesus Christ. 

Resources: 

• Learn more about Amani ya Juu.
• Listen to “Giving Back Smiles, Sharing God’s Love” to hear from patients whose lives were changed after receiving oral and spiritual care from our World Medical Mission dental team.

This week, we’re taking you to Honduras, where a team of World Medical Mission dental professionals traveled to share God’s love by serving communities with limited access to affordable dental care. Every patient treated also received spiritual care, as they sat down with a chaplain and heard the Gospel. Hear directly from patients whose lives were changed and volunteers who were deeply blessed by serving the people of Honduras.

Resources:

• Learn more about World Medical Mission and how you can volunteer! 
• Read about Samaritan’s Purse specialty dental trip to El Salvador.
• Listen to “Giving God Your Yes” to hear from Janet Huckabee about the ways she has had to lean on God in this season of life.

For the past two years, Samaritan’s Purse has been actively providing aid to families caught in the midst of war in Gaza and Israel. Four months ago, Janet Huckabee and her husband, Mike, moved to Israel where he is serving as the U.S. Ambassador. This episode shares Janet’s heart for the work they do and how God has asked her to stretch beyond her physical limits and lean on her faith in this season. 

Resources: 

•  Learn more about how Samaritan’s Purse is providing aid in Gaza.
• Hear from our Israel country coordinator on how we are helping in Jesus’ Name.
• Listen to “Choosing God During Suffering” to hear from a missionary surgeon in Kenya on why God allows suffering and pain.

Take a trip with On the Ground to Tenwek Hospital in Kenya, where medical and surgical teams are leading patients to Christ and showing them the love of Jesus. Hear from one surgeon who has served faithfully for more than 20 years and how she overcame immense personal trials that called her faith into question. 

Content warning: Please be advised that this episode of On the Ground addresses the difficult subject of sexual assault. Dr. Carol Spears recounts her experience while serving as a short-term missionary in Africa.

Ten months ago, in Mountain City, Tennessee, Hurricane Helene turned Kim and Michael Mitchum’s lives upside down. Now, they have a fresh start as they move into their brand-new house. Follow the Mitchums’ journey as they witness volunteers and staff build their home from the ground up and hear directly from Kim and Michael’s hearts. 

None of the work that Samaritan’s Purse does on the frontlines could happen without the incredible people in our ministry who work in capacities that rarely receive the credit. Everyone has different strengths and skill sets, but we're all given specific gifts that God wants us to use to further His Kingdom. Here at Samaritan’s Purse, we're all called to share the Gospel whether it’s behind the scenes or on the frontlines. Meet the people who organize supplies for airlifts, support our hospitals, and coordinate logistics for transportation around the world.

Dr. Ed Carns has served in the far corners of the world with Samaritan’s Purse both with World Medical Mission and the Disaster Assistance Response Team. He shares his testimony of how God used people in his life to point him to Christ and encourage him in his faith. The stories he shares with Kristy Graham demonstrate how God pursues each person individually.

In August 2023, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century swept through Lahaina, a beautiful community on the island of Maui. Samaritan’s Purse was in Maui within 48 hours of the disaster, coming alongside people who had lost everything by sifting through ashes in search of treasured belongings. Two years later, we’re taking you back to Hawaii, where you will hear directly from families as receive their brand-new homes built by Samaritan’s Purse.

Resources:

• Learn more about the Maui rebuild.
• Volunteer with us!
• Listen to “Living Sacrificially: A Conversation with Aileen Coleman” to hear about Aileen’s life as a missionary in Mafraq, Jordan.

Kristy sat down with Aileen Coleman, a long-time partner with Samaritan’s Purse and a giant in the faith, in 2019. Aileen was a missionary in Mafraq, Jordan for more than 60 years, and was one of the key people in the life of Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham. Aileen recently went to be with the Lord, and while we will miss her presence and influence, we cling to the example and legacy she leaves. This encouraging conversation will surely spur you on to share the Gospel, invest in your prayer life, and live sacrificially.