Franklin Graham visits Venezuelans recovering from earthquake

Samaritan’s Purse sent humanitarian relief to Venezuela after two of the strongest earthquakes the country has seen in over a century hit back-to-back a month ago.

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, on Tuesday traveled down to Venezuela with his daughter, Cissie Graham Lynch, to visit and encourage team members and locals. Nearly 200 Samaritan’s Purse volunteers helped aid the Venezuelan people, and six 767 airlifts delivered 295 tons of supplies to over 10,000 families, Samaritan’s Purse said in a Tuesday statement. The ministry’s airlifts marked the first non-military flights to arrive following the earthquakes.

Graham and Lynch visited the emergency field hospital, where over 2,500 locals received treatment so far, according to the statement. Nearly every patient lost a family member or a friend in the quakes, according to Samaritan’s Purse. Father and daughter also visited one of the areas where Samaritan’s Purse is providing people with shelter tents. Graham also visited a mostly collapsed church where a pastor was still serving the community.

Graham voiced gratitude in a Tuesday statement to WORLD for what he described as the incredible teams he said were bringing the light of Jesus Christ to the families of Venezuela. Lynch also described experiencing both the immense suffering and the incredible strength of the Venezuelan people. She said she was particularly moved by a pastor who had lost his home and a family member, but insisted he would continue his mission to win souls for Christ.