Franklin Graham Update | August

Dear Friend,

Back-to-back earthquakes rocked northern Venezuela on June 24, with the second quake recorded as the strongest to hit the country in over a century. Already strained hospitals were damaged, roads were split wide open, and hundreds of buildings collapsed. More than 4,000 people are confirmed dead, and over 16,000 are reported injured. Thousands more are displaced, and many are still missing. They need our prayers.

Samaritan's Purse rushed to put staff members on the ground and began a series of five cargo airlifts on June 27. Our planes were the first nonmilitary aircraft to arrive and, in total, took in close to 500,000 pounds of relief.

Our Emergency Field Hospital opened on June 30 in the coastal city of La Guaira, the hardest-hit area. Our doctors, nurses, and medical team can care for more than 100 patients a day at the new hospital, which is equipped with 56 patient beds, a critical care unit, pharmacy, laboratory, and two operating rooms. We are providing life-saving surgical care, treating wounds, and reminding families that God loves them.

"Immediately upon opening our emergency department, we were flooded with patients—so many people needed medical care but weren't able to receive it," said one of our doctors. "Most of the people we've seen had trauma when the earthquake happened last week, and they should have been treated at the time, but the system was just overwhelmed."

Mariana was one of the first patients through the door. She was enjoying a quiet afternoon in her apartment when the building started swaying back and forth. Before she could find cover, a concrete wall collapsed on her. She escaped—with injuries—but had no place to go for care, so her wounds did not heal.

When she arrived at our field hospital, the team welcomed her with open arms, tending to infections, performing an X-ray on her foot, and prescribing antibiotics.

"I am truly grateful for the attention," she said, referring to both her medical treatment and our prayers. "I understand that the Lord brought you to this place to help our people."

A young girl, who was in a coma because she didn't have medication to treat her diabetes, was also brought to our hospital right after it opened. She was near death but is now recovering after receiving extensive treatment from our medical staff.

Peter Holz, our hospital director in La Guaira, knows the mission is twofold. "We're here not only to help heal the physical," he said, "but we also want to share with them the love of Jesus through our work."

In addition to our field hospital, our teams are partnering with local churches to distribute clean water, blankets, solar lights, and more. One congregation is led by Pastor Eusebio. He and his family are living in a tent in the church's parking lot because their apartment building collapsed in the quake. Yet his heart was broken by seeing so many others, especially children, living on the streets. He and his congregation worshipped God in song—through tears—after receiving tarps, lights, and blankets from Samaritan's Purse.

"We felt like there wasn't going to be help from anywhere, from anyone," he said. "And then all of a sudden, you show up and you bring an answer on behalf of God, and that fills us with joy."

Samaritan's Purse already had been working in Venezuela for many years. As the country's economy went into freefall, we began serving hot meals and providing medical care in cooperation with hundreds of local churches and 15 Christian medical partners. We've served over 10 million hot meals to people in need in Venezuela since 2017. Through this outreach, churches have reported more than 70,000 decisions for Christ. In the same timeframe, Samaritan's Purse has also met many urgent needs—medical, food, education, and shelter—among the millions of Venezuelan migrants flowing into neighboring Colombia. I preached the Gospel at a festival in Cucuta, northeastern Colombia, in 2019, just at the border of the two nations.

We plan to be in Venezuela for some time to come. We want to do all that we can to help in Jesus' Name. As Scripture commands us, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).

Serving Homeowners After Floods and Tornadoes

In addition to continuing our rebuild efforts in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene and in Texas after July 2025 floods, our teams quickly responded after Tropical Storm Arthur damaged hundreds of homes along the Gulf Coast. We deployed our Disaster Relief Units to Harrison County, Mississippi, and Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, areas where nearly two feet of rain fell in 48 hours.

Henrietta and her niece Joyce were struggling after the storm flooded their Louisiana home and farmlands. Our volunteers were a welcome relief as they cleared debris and removed waterlogged belongings. Henrietta, a long-time believer, clearly saw the Lord's hand of provision. "In the midst of a storm, you're never alone. God is with you," Henrietta told our team. "He's going to send the help to get you through it." Henrietta and her niece are among the many families we have helped so far.

We thank God for almost a dozen people who have placed their faith in the Lord through our response to this storm. Several people also made decisions to follow Jesus Christ as their Savior during our response to tornadoes in Coles County, Illinois. As hurricane season ramps up, we will continue to need more volunteers. Check spvolunteer.org for the latest updates.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support. May God bless you.

Sincerely,
Franklin Graham