Franklin Graham
From his Samaritans's Purse Newsletter
When we went into Afghanistan last November, we knew that it would be both difficult and dangerous. Afghanistan has been a closed Muslim society for so long that it has been hard for Christians to be accepted there. And there was the ongoing threat of violence from rival warlords and remnants of the Taliban forces.
But we didn’t hesitate, because we also knew it was an unprecedented opportunity to take God’s love into a country that has been in spiritual darkness.
I am happy to report that in the last seven months God has blessed our work in Afghanistan, and He continues to use Samaritan’s Purse to show His love and concern for the Afghan people.
“I am personally grateful for the people who have sent this humanitarian assistance to our country. ... Samaritan’s Purse has set an example.”
When our team arrived in northern Afghanistan, they quickly identified health care and education as the greatest needs. In Kholm, a city of about 120,000 people, there was one under-staffed and under-supplied clinic, and no hospital. Under the repressive rule of the Taliban, girls were not allowed to attend school. Boys could, but their schools were badly in need of repair.
Today, Kholm has a new, 24-bed hospital staffed by doctors and nurses sent by Samaritan’s Purse as well as local Afghan personnel. One of our doctors recently performed the first surgery at the hospital, repairing the hand of a boy who was injured when he picked up the detonator for a land mine. There also is an expanded clinic that already has treated about 2,000 patients since mid-May. And we have rebuilt three schools where girls once again can dream of becoming doctors or teachers, and boys can look forward to a future of more than war, poverty, and repression.
The hospital had its grand opening on July 15. General Suhilla Siddiqi, the Minister of Public Health from Kabul and one of the few females in the new Afghan government, attended the ceremony and said: “As an official of Afghanistan, I am personally grateful for the people who have sent this humanitarian assistance to our country. ... Samaritan’s Purse has set an example.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE in AFGHANISTAN
The hospital, clinic, and schools are a big help to the people of Kholm. However, Samaritan’s Purse is providing something even more vital. We are providing tangible evidence of Christ’s love.
The governor of the province asked the meaning behind the name “Samaritan’s Purse.” Our team told him the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan and explained why we as Christians want to help the Afghan people. The next day, he introduced our team to some of the other leaders. He said, “Take care of them. They are very godly men.”
The local military commander had religious leaders ask him what he thinks about the Christians working in the city. The commander said, “They are here to help us. Can you not see the difference in what they are doing?”
The needs of the Afghan people are overwhelming, and our work is far from complete. Construction soon will begin on 600 permanent shelters to help resettle refugees. Another 15 schools need to be renovated or built from the ground up. We also would like to drill wells to provide rural villages with clean water for drinking and farming.
Please pray that the works of our hands will bring glory to God and His Son, Jesus Christ.