All around the world, people are receiving help in Jesus’ Name because of your support of the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Catalog! But what does that look like in the life of just one person, family, or community? In this joy-filled episode, Kristy Graham and members of the podcast team each highlight their favorite gift items in the 2021 Christmas Catalog. From serving desperate refugees to planting a grove of trees, stories are shared of how lives have been transformed and renewed.

– Bless families across the world through the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Catalog.

– Learn more about how your family can give to the Christmas Catalog today!

– Are you interested in finding the Good News of Salvation? Visit the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website.

– See the podcast team’s favorite gift items this year!

o Serve Desperate Refugees

o Rescue Children in Crisis

o Bring Clean Water to a Community

o Honeybees

o Empower Vulnerable Women

o Plant a Grove of Trees

Merry Christmas, On the Ground with Samaritan’s Purse listeners!

Each year, Samaritan’s Purse creates a Christmas Catalog that spotlights various ministries that meet both physical and spiritual needs around the world. The podcast team gathered to pick out their favorite projects in the Catalog this year, and we want to share that with you.

The episode begins with Kaitlyn as she introduces catalog item number six, “Serve Desperate Refugees.” She has heard the stories firsthand of families in the Middle East who are raising their children in refugee camps.

“One story that impacted me was Inaya’s,” Kaitlyn says. “Back home, her family had land with a beautiful home in the city. When the war came, they ran with their kids and only the clothes on their backs. They now live in the camp for internally displaced people. The conditions there are harsh and they’re suffering because of it.”

Samaritan’s Purse is serving Syrian refugee families at a camp that lacks consistent electricity, water, and food. Many families are getting sick because of it.

Our teams are working to staff, supply, and support two medical clinics, as well as provide emergency food rations.

Next, podcast team member Melissa spotlights, “Rescue Children in Crisiss,” which is item number three. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa, Samaritan’s Purse is connecting with the local church to identify vulnerable children that are living on the streets. Our team had the opportunity to hear from Hanna, a protection program manager who oversees this project.

“The first intervention is the Word of God,” Hanna says. “I believe the DRC will be a better place even if it’s one child that’s transformed. [He or she] is a destiny and a generation that is transformed. I give God all the glory.”

Robinson, who oversees the podcast audio engineering, decided to shed light on item 23: “Bring Clean Water to a Community.” Kristy talks with Barry, the Samaritan’s Purse country director in Cambodia, to hear how clean water can change the trajectory of entire villages.

For 75% of the year, Cambodia struggles with a dry season that affects gardening, farming, and livestock care.

Our Samaritan’s Purse teams identify rural villages that are extremely dry and have little access to clean water, then drill wells in the most desperate areas. After the well is complete, we build tanks and piping systems to pump water straight into the homes.

“The well is the beginning of hope; it’s their ability to build a future,” Barry told Kristy. “It’s the beginning of community getting stronger.”

Summer shortly follows by sharing her heart for the “Honeybees” gift, item number 18. When she was young, Summer picked out Christmas Catalog items with her family. She gravitated towards giving animals to people in need, and this year she chose to do the same.

Among the 1,400 beehives that Samaritan’s Purse has given to the Yazidi people, a man named Roni received a hive. When ISIS invaded Sinjar, Roni lived as a shepherd with a flock of sheep. ISIS stole his flock and robbed him of his livelihood. For years, he had no way to support his family. Then Samaritan’s Purse invited him to learn how to keep bees. The beehives from Samaritan’s Purse gave him a livelihood to return to.

When our team met him, he was strumming a tambura for the bees—believing that the music he plays on the instrument will help his bees produce more honey. Whether the music is good for the bees is debatable, but it is definitely healing for him.

Up next in the episode, Kendra speaks on the “Empower Vulnerable Women” gift, which is item number 15. She shares that Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of finances and education. Girls are married as teenagers, and many parents view education as a waste of precious resources.

Our Samaritan’s Purse staff in Niger go out and teach these women how to start small businesses, the basics of nutrition and hygiene, literacy, and God’s love for them. Women are drawn to this opportunity and often dedicate their lives to Christ because of it.

Finally, Kristy Graham chooses to share about gift item nine: “Plant a Grove of Trees.” Kristy spoke with Robinson Masongo, the Samaritan’s Purse deputy country director in Kenya, to hear more about this project.

“Managing a tree, a seedling, is synonymous to a faith,” Robinson tells Kristy. “Your faith will not just crop up—you are intentional about your faith, about nurturing your faith.”

Samaritan’s Purse gives seedlings to local churches to share with their villages. This opportunity allows the church to teach new methods of dryland farming and empowers them to share the Gospel.

Please continue to pray for open doors for the Gospel to be shared with our broken world. Thank you for supporting, listening, and praying for our teams as they continue to provide physical and spiritual help.

If you would like to find out more about the 2021 Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Catalog, information can be found on our Samaritan’s Purse website.