October 1999 Newsletter, page 3

Turkey
     Samaritan’s Purse is providing small prefabricated houses for hundreds of survivors of the August earthquake that rocked Turkey. Each of the two-room houses can sleep six to eight people. These well-built units are a better alternative than tents, given that the rainy season has begun and winter is approaching. The houses are being manufactured in Turkey to minimize costs and support the local economy.
     The first group of these prefab houses is being set up in Hamidiye, a mountaintop village that overlooks the devastated city of Izmit. The village has been flooded with people who survived the collapse of apartment buildings in the city. Hamidiye’s population has swelled from 800 to more than 5,000. Families have taken in their relatives, and some houses are crowded with more than 50 people.
     Our team is working with a missions group based in the region to identify the neediest families and provide Christian follow-up and counseling. Our support will provide local believers with a strategic opportunity to show God’s love to their neighbors in need.

North American Disaster Relief
     Back home, in the wake of Hurricane Floyd, we dispatched our Disaster Relief Units to one of the hardest hit areas in eastern North Carolina. The tractor-trailers, loaded with tools and emergency supplies, were accompanied by skilled volunteers who work to clear debris, repair storm damage, and help victims put their lives back in order.
     Hurricanes, earthquakes, wars, famines—these tragedies are opportunities to lift up Jesus Christ as the only One who can bring true healing and peace. No matter how much good we do in this life, what matters most is helping people find eternal life through faith in Christ.
     Thank you for standing with us in the work God has called us to do. Please continue to pray for our ministry as we work in desperate situations around the world. May God bless you

Two Disaster Relief Units from
Samaritan’s Purse were dispatched to
the coast of North Carolina soon after
Hurricane Floyd struck. Scores of
volunteers used the units as their
operations base to help victims clean
their homes and repair the storm damage.

Sincerely,

Franklin Graham

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