During his more than 40 years serving as President and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, Franklin Graham has helped poor, sick, and suffering people in more than 170 countries.
But this year was extra special for Graham.
And Franklin Graham put a big smile on the faces of Ukrainian children with this recent trip to the war-torn country.
February 24 marks exactly one year since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine after Joe Biden signaled weakness to the world with his botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
While Joe Biden, Democrats, and RINOs in Washington, D.C. have sent billions of dollars in cash and weapons to Ukraine, without any accountability or oversight, some Americans are stepping up and actually providing emergency food, medical care, and relief supplies to the people on the ground suffering from the devastation of war.
One of those Americans is Reverend Franklin Graham along with his team at Samaritan’s Purse.
As part of Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan Purse set a goal of handing out more than 11 million shoebox gifts to children this year across the world.
Of those 11 million, 400,000 shoebox gifts will go to children in Ukraine.
And on January 25, Franklin Graham visited Ukraine to celebrate and deliver the 200 millionth Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift to kids in the war-torn country.
“Last week’s DC-8 airlift carried more supplies and personnel to assist in our continued relief work in the country,” Samaritan’s Purse wrote in a statement. “In addition the flight also carried dozens prayerfully-packed shoebox gifts, including the 200 millionth.”
Newsmax TV anchor Greta Van Susteren joined Graham on the trip where they greeted 75 children at one of Samaritan Purse’s Ukrainian partner churches.
Graham reminded the children not to give up hope and to have faith and know that God loves them.
“Did you know that the Bible tells us that God loves us, and that everyone is special to Him?” Graham told the children. “God knows your name. He knows how many hairs that you have on your head. He knows everything about your life — and He loves you! And the Bible tells us that God loves us so much that He sent His Son from Heaven to this earth to save us.”
Along with the more than 400,000 Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts Samaritan Purse distributed throughout Ukraine this year, more than 120,000 Ukrainian children will also participate in The Greatest Journey, a 12-lesson discipleship program for shoebox recipients.
“The need here is incredible,” Graham said. “We’re here to deliver these shoeboxes but also to meet with our church partners.”
“I can’t control the politics but I can control who I help, and we help whoever God puts in front of us,” Graham said. “The only hope for this world is Jesus Christ.”
As Graham pointed out, the politics of a situation may be beyond our control.
But we can always control our attitudes and how we treat others in society.
Stay tuned to Right News Wire for any updates to this ongoing story.
