| Let
my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.. Bob
Pierce wrote these now-famous words in his Bible after visiting suffering children
on the Korean island of Kojedo. This impassioned prayer is what guided him as
he founded and led the ministry of Samaritan's Purse in 1970. His mission for
this organisation—in his own words—was "to meet emergency needs in crisis areas
through existing evangelical mission agencies and national churches." After
World War II, Bob Pierce traveled throughout Asia as an evangelist and journalist
with Youth For Christ. While on a university lecturing circuit in China, he stumbled
across some courageous women who were living among lepers and orphans, sacrificing
everything to share the love of Jesus Christ. Through their selfless love, God
gave Pierce a vision for ministry. He dedicated himself to finding and supporting
other such Christians who were caring for the poor and suffering in the distant
corners of the world.  In
the summer of 1973, Bob Pierce met his eventual successor, an adventurous young
student—Franklin Graham—with a growing heart for world missions. Intrigued by
his many stories from the field, Franklin began to spend more and more time with
the seasoned Christian statesman. In 1975, he accompanied Bob on a life-changing
tour of some of the world’s neediest mission fields, where Franklin saw not just
poverty but the utter despair of people who had not been touched by the love of
Christ. God had captured his heart for these people.
In 1978,
Bob Pierce died of leukemia, and nearly 18 months later, Franklin Graham became
the President and Chairman of the Board of Samaritan's Purse. Through more than
20 years of earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, and famine, Franklin has led the ministry
in following the biblical example of the Good Samaritan all across the globe.
God has blessed the organisation under Franklin's leadership, and the ministry
has seen explosive growth. "Go and do likewise," Christ commanded
after explaining the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. So we do. Samaritan's
Purse travels the world’s highways looking for victims along the way. The work
is often dangerous—as it was for the Samaritan—but the message we carry is much
too important. We are quick to bandage the wounds we see, but the Samaritan didn’t
stop there, and neither do we. In addition to meeting their immediate, emergency
needs, we help these victims recover and get back on their feet. No
matter where we go or what we do, though, we offer more than help. We offer hope.
To suffering people in a broken world, we share the love of the only One who can
bring true peace—Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. |
