Giving Hope Through the Samaritan’s Purse Ministry at LifePoint
My experience with the Samaritan’s Purse Ministry and Disaster Relief Missions has been lifechanging.
When a tornado hit the small farming community of Perryton, Texas in June, it destroyed everything in its ¼ mile wide and 6-mile-long path. It was heartbreaking. Many of the residents had lived there for 30 years or more, and in a moment, they lost everything.
It is amazing, though, how something like this will bring a community together. The local hotels and churches opened to those with nowhere to go. Local farmers brought their equipment to help clean up, and the neighbors that didn’t know each other were there to help. When the Samaritan’s Purse trucks roll into town after a disaster like this, everyone breathes a sigh of relief. They can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
We may go out to put a tarp over a hole in a roof, or sometimes inside on the ceiling when it is damaged. We may move debris from a yard, remove damaged trees, or completely gut a house. The homeowners are always so grateful, because they are often overwhelmed by the damage and think they will never get it cleaned up.
Every homeowner that Samaritan’s Purse helps receives a Billly Graham Training Center Bible with the Samaritan’s Purse logo on the cover. It is signed with encouraging words and scripture by everyone on the team who worked on the house.
The number one goal of Samaritan’s Purse is to bring the love of Jesus and share the gospel; not only with the homeowner we are helping, but also with the neighbors and other community members we may come across. Neighbors often come out to find out how they can also get help. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to, and we are there to listen and pray with them. Salvations take place in the yard, on a porch, or in what remains of a home, and we all walk away forever changed.
In our most recent trip to Perry, Florida, after Hurricane Idalia, we worked for two women who were on fire for Jesus, fought a spiritual battle which ended with a salvation, and led a young man to Christ who said he didn’t know where he would go if he died today. He now knows, praise God!
Not everyone who volunteers for Samaritan’s Purse is saved. They have, however, all agreed to the Samaritan’s Purse creed, but have not necessarily accepted Christ as their savior. This is another opportunity for us believers to witness to people in the “wake of the storm.” In Fort Myers, Florida, we worked with such a gentleman after Hurricane Ian. Although he was still not ready to accept Christ as his savior when we left, he had a lot of questions, and the seed was planted. He even asked to pray us out for our journey home.
We can’t take our worldly possessions with us to Heaven, but what we can take is somebody else!
If you want to be blessed beyond measure, then come join us on our next adventure. If you can’t join us, then please consider supporting us financially or through prayer so that we can go out and be the hands and feet of Jesus, and bring hope to those who are struggling.
When asked why we do this, the answer is simple. We do it out of love.
John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
For more information on volunteering or if you would like to make a donation, contact Jamie Morse, Nicole Calvert, or Becky Haas.
Kim Covert-Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Relief Mission Team Member