On the Ground with Samaritan's Purse

Latest Episodes:

Listen Again: Hope Restored in Alaska Jul 07, 2023

Show notes

Service members are impacted by the effects of war years after they return home. Whether they’re suffering from mental or physical trauma, the wounds of the past affect not just them but also their spouses and family members. Hear stories from staff members, veterans, and military spouses about their experiences during the 2022 Operation Heal Our Patriots season.
Resources:

Learn more about Operation Heal Our Patriots
Listen to a special episode about Operation Heal Our Patriots’ 10-year anniversary
Applications for the Operation Heal Our Patriots 2024 season open Feb. 1
Visit the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website

Ukrainian Refugee Shares About God’s Provision Amid Trials Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

Inna, a Ukrainian refugee, shares her full-circle connection with Samaritan’s Purse. Hear her inspiring story of receiving an Operation Christmas Child shoebox as a child, fleeing Ukraine, and then resettling in England with the help of Samaritan’s Purse in February 2022. Inna shares a testimony of God’s faithfulness and how her experience culminated in running the London Marathon to raise money to support Samaritan’s Purse.
Resources:

Listen to The London Marathon: How God Used 26.2 Miles
Learn more about Operation Christmas Child
Listen to our last episode to hear about our first 72 Hours on the ground in Ukraine and how local churches are still acting as the body of Christ

Listen Again: Our First 72 Hours in Ukraine Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

Samaritan’s Purse is still responding in Ukraine to help meet the needs of victims of the ongoing crisis. Hear the sounds and stories of what it was like during the first 72 hours on the ground in Ukraine and the ways local churches are acting as the body of Christ even over a year after the conflict began.

Apply now to serve on the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)
Learn more about our work in Ukraine

Serving in Uncertainty: The War in Sudan Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

When the war in Sudan left families cut off from the rest of the world and in dire need of food and relief, Samaritan’s Purse responded. Ryan Boyette joined this team in 2003. He shares with Kristy Graham how this changed his life—recounting true life-and-death moments, meeting his wife in Sudan, and ultimately dedicating his life to serve the people there.
Listen to Building Resiliency in Christ to hear another staff member’s perspective on serving in difficult circumstances
Learn more about To Move Mountains

A Harvest in Cambodia: 20 Years of Ministry Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

In Cambodia, fathers and mothers often struggle to provide for their family’s needs. Many see illegal migration as their only option, but this compounds the problems that they face. Samaritan’s Purse is working to change this trajectory through livelihood training, cash grants, and education. Kristy Graham takes listeners to Southeast Asia to learn more about how Samaritan’s Purse is working there.
Hear more about our Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene projects

Help families around the world through our Livelihood projects

Read more about our work in Cambodia

Memorial Day: Recognizing the Cost of Freedom May 26, 2023

Show notes

This Memorial Day, Kristy Graham invites listeners into a conversation with Operation Heal Our Patriots’ chaplain Luis Anda. He served in both the Navy and the Army so this day is very personal to him. He shares about the cost of freedom, and how we can only find true, lasting freedom through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Listen to last year’s Memorial Day episode with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William G. Boykin
Learn more about Operation Heal Our Patriots
Click this link for a free downloadable PDF of hope-filled Scripture

The London Marathon: How God Used 26.2 Miles May 19, 2023

Show notes

Training for and running a marathon taught one staff member spiritual lessons as she pushed herself to new limits. Kristy Graham, host of On the Ground with Samaritan’s Purse, talks to Melissa about how challenging herself physically deepened her faith, engaged her community, and inspired her work.
Creative Ways to Support Samaritan’s Purse
Learn more about how Samaritan’s Purse is helping Yazidi women in Iraq

Three Generations of Women: A Miracle Story for Mother’s Day May 12, 2023

Show notes

Kristy Graham traveled to the Cayman Islands to meet three generations of women whose lives were changed through Children’s Heart Project. A mother and her daughter were both diagnosed with the exact same heart defect, and they received surgery on the same day. In more than 25 years of this program, there has never been a story quite like this.
Hear how Children’s Heart Project saved the life of a little girl from Mongolia
Learn more about Children’s Heart Project

A Conversation w/ Michael W. Smith May 05, 2023

Show notes

Michael W. Smith, a multi-platinum artist and a household name in Christian music, joins Kristy Graham to share more about how he has partnered with Samaritan’s Purse over nearly two decades of ministry. Before leading worship at the organization’s Global Connect Conference, he shares his anticipation for the celebratory event and how God has worked over the years.
Volunteer with North American Ministries
Volunteer with Operation Christmas Child
Hear the excitement of Operation Christmas Child volunteers as they prepared to celebrate the 200 millionth shoebox with Michael W. Smith
Listen to Mission of Hope: Delivering the 200 Millionth Shoebox to Ukraine
Learn more about Michael W. Smith and listen to his song, Way Maker

Operation Christmas Child: Global Connect Conference Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Last month, thousands of Operation Christmas Child volunteers and staff gathered together to celebrate 200 million shoebox gifts. Hear from Michael W. Smith as he prepares to lead worship and from faithful volunteers who serve by packing shoeboxes, covering the ministry in prayer, and inspiring more people to get involved.
Celebrating 30 Years of God’s Faithfulness
Serve as a volunteer with Operation Christmas Child
Listen to Mission of Hope: Delivering the 200 Millionth Shoebox to Ukraine
Meet the little girl who received the specially-packed 200 millionth shoebox gift