Stories of Hope

When Cindy Hood volunteered to lead a Sunday School class missions project at her Knoxville, Tennessee church, she had no idea what she was getting into. This episode of Stories of Hope is about what happened when Cindy signed up to help welcome a refugee family into her community, and then once she'd done so, discovered she couldn't stop with just one. Go to sendrelief.org/focus-areas/care-for-refugees to learn how you and your church can reach out to families who're coming to your community from other countries.

Before the pandemic ever hit West Africa, the nation of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) was already facing severe food shortages. Associate Area Directors Wesley and Emily Smyth sat down with us for this week's Stories of Hope episode and tell a story about how Global Hunger Relief projects are meeting needs and changing lives of families who're facing starvation in this developing country.

Over the past several weeks, Brad Lovin did everything he could to get Ali out of Afghanistan. It was the least he could do—after all, Ali, a Pashtun Afghani Muslim man, was and is Brad's best friend. In this episode of Stories of Hope, follow Brad as he desperately tries to help Ali and his family escape the Taliban in the closing days of the war in Afghanistan and find out how you and your church can help Afghan refugees who are now arriving in North America. Go to sendrelief.org/projects/afghanistan-crisis for more information on how you and your church can care for Afghan refugees.

There are more than 36 million American adults who cannot read and write well enough to follow the directions on a medicine bottle or fill out a job application. If that number sounds high to you, there's probably a reason: most functionally illiterate people go to great lengths to hide their problem. In this episode of Stories of Hope, Claudean Boatman and two Literacy Missions volunteers she has helped train tell their miracle story about what happened when a tutor met a student. Go to sendrelief.org/projects/literacy to learn how you and your church can share the gospel while at the same time, help children and adults learn to read and write.

Sociologists and criminologists have gathered enough statistics and published enough studies to ensure that now, if anyone knows anything about East St. Louis, what they know is probably bad. And yet, in this episode of Stories of Hope, Chet Cantrell would like to set the record straight. To him, his adopted hometown is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and he has the stories to prove it. Go to SendRelief.org to learn how you and your church can help strengthen communities.

If you can walk to your kitchen, turn on the faucet and make water come out, congratulations. You are blessed. Right now, there are 785 million people who have to walk and search and work and dig just to get enough water to survive another day. In this episode of Stories of Hope, Send Relief partners in the African nation of Burkina Faso tell how when they brought water to one community, they discovered quenching people's thirst was only the beginning of what they were called to do. Go to SendRelief.org/Poverty to learn how you and your church can reach out to people who lack the basics of life.

It all started one Sunday when Southern Baptist missionary Randy Babin was visiting a new church in Marshall, Texas. There were people there from other countries, and when Randy asked them why and how they'd come to America, some of them were reluctant to answer. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear what happened when Randy came face to face with a hidden community of people who didn't want to hide anymore. Find out how you can serve refugees and internationals at SendRelief.org/

The world sometimes refers to hurricanes, floods and tornadoes as “acts of God.” Jan Kragness does too, but for a very different reason. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear why this 70-something year old grandmother now performs the simple but tedious and stressful task of driving from disaster to disaster, finding people who need to talk and then listening to their stories. Go to SendRelief.org/focus-areas/respond-to-crisis to learn how you and your church can reach out to families who're looking for hope in the middle of life's storms.

Every year, thousands of people escape war, persecution and poverty and come to America to start a new life. That, you know. But where in America these people settle might surprise you. In this episode of Stories of Hope, travel to a small town in Oklahoma and hear the story of what happened when churches and businesses and schools all realized at the same time that their community was suddenly welcoming the world. Find out how you can serve refugees at SendRelief.org.

If there’s anything Morgan Proudfoot and the people at Grace Harbor Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts, know, it is this: a job is a very powerful thing. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear the amazing things Morgan and his church discovered could happen when they helped put their unemployed neighbors to work. Go to SendRelief.org/Poverty to learn how you and your church can reach out to people who lack the basics of life.

Ronda Paulson was a cheerleading coach-slash-college anatomy professor. She knew all about pompoms and cadavers. But she knew nothing about foster care. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear the strange and unusual story of how an East Tennessee mother of two launched a ministry called Isaiah 117 Homes that’s now filling a previously unmet need in communities all over the Southeastern U.S. Go to SendRelief.org/foster-care-adoption to learn how you and your church can reach out to children who need shelter, protection and care. To learn more about Ronda and Isaiah 117 Homes, visit them online at isaiah117house.com. And if you want to dive deeper into how Ronda started Isaiah 117 Homes, listen to her interview with Lynette Ezell on the Adopting and Fostering Home podcast. You can find that podcast at SendRelief.org/podcasts/.

Sometimes, complex problems can have seemingly simple solutions. In this episode of Stories of Hope, travel to the African nation of Uganda and hear how Send Relief ministry partners there are using tea as a tool for meeting needs and changing lives. Millions of people all over the world don’t have access to clean water, education, medical care and more. Go to SendRelief.org to learn how you and your church can meet their needs and change their lives.

Sometimes, people who get knocked down over and over again need help getting back up. Three years after they were hit with not one but two major hurricanes, the people of Robeson County, North Carolina are still trying to repair their homes and rebuild their community. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear local WMU groups are helping meet needs and change lives one dirty pair of socks at a time. Go to SendRelief.org/focus-areas/respond-to-crisis to learn how you and your church can reach out to families who’re looking for hope in the middle of life’s storms.

When New York responded to COVID-19 by declaring abortion clinics “essential” but pro-life pregnancy centers “non-essential”, Julie Rosati knew she had to do something. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear what happened when Julie came up with a creative, never-done-it-before idea to meet needs and build relationships with women in her community who were facing crisis pregnancies. Go to SendRelief.org to learn how you and your church can help protect children and families.

For Jacob Zailian, the train track that runs through Sanger, California was a dividing line between the childhood he could’ve had and the one he actually did have. This episode of Stories of Hope is not just a story about a bad kid who made good. It’s a story about a man who could’ve run away but instead ran back to the other side of the tracks to rescue the addicted and the homeless people still there. Go to SendRelief.org/Poverty to learn how you and your church can reach out to people who lack the basics of life. To learn more about how your missions giving is helping Jacob share the gospel with hurting people in Sanger, go to AnnieArmstrong.com.

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, someone somewhere in New Mexico is milking a cow. Men and women from all over Latin America work, day and night, on dairy farms in and around the city of Portales. Many of them even live onsite. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear what happened when a dairy farmer, a couple of Hispanic pastors and a pastor’s wife who didn’t mind getting her feet dirty realized there was an enormous gospel opportunity right under their noses. Go to sendrelief.org/focus-areas/care-for-refugees to learn how you and your church can reach out to families who’ve come to your community from other countries.

One night several years ago, Yale Wall dreamed a dream. He was certain he saw his future children, exactly as they would one day be. If that sounds like a beginning to a story too hard to believe, wait until you hear the ending. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear a story about foster care and adoption and a handful of other miracles. Go to SendRelief.org/foster-care-adoption to learn how you and your church can reach out to children who need shelter, protection and care.

Karen Vinyard will never forget the day she became a single, but still married mother. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear what Karen’s church did when her husband was unexpectedly arrested, convicted and sentenced to prison, and Karen was left to support and raise their young daughter on her own. There are millions of children in North America with an incarcerated parent. Learn how you and your church can help hurting families at SendRelief.org.

Christa Lynn Hicks is a fighter, just like her mother was. But now that she’s a grownup, Christa Lynn fights different, nobler battles. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear how a little girl miraculously escaped a world of violence, homelessness, prostitution and trafficking and now as an adult helps other young people do the same. Learn how you and your church can help victims of human trafficking at SendRelief.org/Human-Trafficking To learn more about Christa Lynn Hicks’ ministry and how you and your church can meet needs and change the lives of people trapped in the world of human trafficking, listen to the episodes linked below from Send Relief’s Adopting and Fostering Home podcast. Redemption from Trafficking – Part 1 Redemption from Trafficking – Part 2

It’d always seemed to Kempton Turner that East St. Louis was the kind of place people leave. After all, his hometown has a murder rate 19 times the national average and two out of every three kids here live below the poverty line. But this is not a story about the kind of place people want to leave. This is a story about a city where a man who once left as a prodigal son is now welcomed back as a modern-day Nehemiah. January is Poverty Awareness Month. Find out how you can help strengthen communities at SendRelief.org.

What do you do when it feels like you can’t do anything? On a special milestone episode of Stories of Hope, find out what happens when one of the most destructive hurricanes in history hits Jorge Santiago’s Puerto Rico hometown.

When the Colombian government issued a mandatory, nationwide COVID lockdown, no one imagined people living in low income, indigenous communities might starve. This is a story about what missionaries Mike and Tisha Jones did after they heard officials instructing anyone who was desperate to hang a red flag outside their home. Learn how you and your church can help feed hungry people at SendRelief.org.

Telli’s life is probably not like yours. Telli is a homeless musician in New Orleans who scrounges for food and sleeps on the streets. Earlier this year, we asked Telli to record a daily audio diary. On this episode of Stories of Hope, walk a mile in Telli’s shoes and learn what it’s really like when you have nowhere to go. Go to SendRelief.org/Poverty to learn how you and your church can reach out to people who lack the basics of life.

The first time Jason McGibbon heard them it was the middle of the night. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear what happened when Jason then decided to meet, and then help the people of Hamilton, Ontario, who go thru dumpsters and trash cans in order to survive. For practical ideas on how you and your church can help people who live in poverty go to SendRelief.org

Right now, 79-million Americans are having to make a choice: pay for food and shelter or pay medical bills. In this episode of Stories of Hope hear what happened when a church plant in Boston discovered a way they could erase medical debt for several thousand of their neighbors.

Bruce ate out of garbage cans. Now, Bruce helps feed hungry people on New York City’s Lower East Side. On the next episode of Stories of Hope, hear his story and learn how you and your church can help feed hungry people all around the world.

One person vs. another. One world view vs. another. Versus is a powerful word. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear two stories about how churches in multi-racial, multi-ethnic communities met their neighbors’ physical needs, and in doing so, learned how God’s love is more powerful than anything that divides us. Go to SendRelief.org to learn more about how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by coronavirus. Go to Namb.net/undivided to learn more about the role God has called you and your church to play in racial reconciliation.

Columbus, Georgia might not be the most well-known destination for families moving to America from Azerbaijan or Saudi Arabia or Peru. But in this episode of Stories of Hope, hear why people from over 100 different countries are coming to this small Southern town, and how they’re met with extreme, life-changing Southern hospitality when they arrive. Learn how you and your church can build witnessing build relationships with internationals in your community at SendRelief.orRefugees-Internationals. Related Story: International Relations

Columbus, Georgia might not be the most well-known destination for families moving to America from Azerbaijan or Saudi Arabia or Peru. But in this episode of Stories of Hope, hear why people from over 100 different countries are coming to this small Southern town, and how they’re met with extreme, life-changing Southern hospitality when they arrive. Learn how you and your church can build witnessing build relationships with internationals in your community at SendRelief.org/Refugees-Internationals

Taylor Field and Vaughn McLamb were the oddest of odd couples. They had absolutely nothing in common. This is the story of how Taylor and Vaughn became friends. Visit SendRelief.org/mybestfriend to see and hear from Vaughn McLamb in a video we produced 10 years ago when he talked about the impact Taylor and Graffiti Church had on his life.

Ask anyone where COVID-19 is at its worst and not many people would think of the Navajo Nation reservation. In this episode of Stories of Hope, meet two people—a pastor and a rancher—who both received very strange and very unexpected calls for help from families living in communities that have been hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. Go to SendRelief.org to learn more about how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by coronavirus.

Ashley Johnson thought she was going to die. She thought there was nowhere else to go once you’d hit the bottom. But Ashley thought wrong. This is a story about how an ex-Sunday School teacher mother of two came back from the dead.   Learn how you and your church and help victims of human trafficking at SendRelief.org/Human-Trafficking.

Some people see what no one else can see. In this episode of Stories of Hope, meet two of those people—one in Alaska, the other in Oklahoma—and hear about the superhuman steps they’re willing to take so that no one in their community has to try and survive a pandemic on their own.    Go to SendRelief.org to learn more about how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by coronavirus.

COVID-19 has held our attention for three months. But problems like poverty, broken families, and racial division have been around much longer. In this special episode of Stories of Hope, Colleen Smith, a single white woman living in inner-city Baltimore, tells a story about adoption, race, Jesus and a thousand other important things. Go to SendRelief.org/foster-care-adoption to learn how you and your church can reach out to children who need shelter, protection and care. Go to Namb.net/undivided for resources that can help you and your church discover the role God calls believers to play in racial reconciliation.

People in Beauregard, Alabama call March 3, 2019, “the day the world stopped.” It’s the day a tornado touched down here and killed 23 people. This is a story about how one congregation caught in the path of that storm helped their neighbors see that even when the world stopped, God’s love did not Go to SendRelief.org/crisis-response to learn how you and your church can reach out to people whose homes and lives have been upended in a disaster .

No one plans for a pandemic. But in this episode of Stories of Hope, hear how God used a hurricane to prepare a group of New Orleans churches for the work of saving lives and sharing Christ in communities hardest hit by COVID-19. Go to SendRelief.org to learn more about how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by coronavirus.

When Sandra Viena, a 70-something year old grandmother in inner-city Detroit, decided she wanted to adopt two special needs children, everyone said she was crazy. Fortunately, Sandra Viena never cared much about what other people said. This is a story about foster care and adoption and about how the Viena family came to be a part of God’s family. Go to SendRelief.org/foster-care-adoption to learn how you and your church can reach out to people whose homes and lives have been upended in a disaster.

One month ago, Lexie Green began recording a daily video journal to help her cope with her job as an ICU nurse at a New Orleans hospital. In this episode of Stories of Hope, here what happened when Lexie, a former Send Relief Gen Send missionary, decided to share her private diary with the rest of the world. And then, Bryant Wright was named as the new president of Send Relief just days before COVID-19 changed the world. He’ll share what he’s learned in the last two months about what churches can do, and are doing, to meet needs and share Christ. Go to SendRelief.org to learn more about how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by coronavirus.

In communities where people were already struggling with the basics of life, what does sending relief look like In the age of coronavirus? In this special episode of Stories of Hope, hear how missionaries at Send Relief ministry centers are bravely and creatively loving their neighbors. Go to SendRelief.org to learn more about how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by coronavirus.

Everyone can do something, even now. On this special episode of Stories of Hope, hear how coronavirus quarantines have created a unique and unexpected ministry opportunity for a violinist in New Orleans. Then, there’s an important first step you should take if you want to help people who’re hurting and stressed because of COVID-19. Send Relief missionaries Taylor Field and Andrew Mann talk about a starting point for ministry that many people overlook. Go to SendRelief.org to learn more about how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by coronavirus.

For many churches, COVID-19 is not just a health crisis. It’s a financial one as well. One small Georgia congregation has taken drastic steps to help other churches survive the age of coronavirus. Hear their story in this special episode of Stories of Hope. Then, get practical, expert advice from Send Relief missionaries Taylor Field and Andrew Mann about how you can share the love of Christ with people living on the streets, even in a time like this.   Go to SendRelief.org to learn more about how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by coronavirus.

Three weeks ago, your life was probably normal. Today, it’s probably not. In this special episode of Stories of Hope, hear how two churches bravely and creatively stepped into worlds turned upside down by COVID-19. Go to SendRelief.org to learn how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by the coronavirus.

Coronavirus has come and now nothing is as it was. In this special episode of Stories of Hope, hear how God has miraculously opened doors for a group of churches in Southern California to creatively love their most vulnerable neighbors. And then get practical, expert advice on how you and your church can share the love and hope of Christ with a frightened and stressed-out world. Go to SendRelief.org to learn more about how you and your church can tangibly share the love and hope of Christ with people whose lives have been affected by coronavirus.

German is ten years old and he can tell you exactly where his family keeps their whistle. For children in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the family whistle has become an important survival tool. This is a story about a powerful earthquake and even more powerful friendship that came out of that disaster between German and a Send Relief volunteer. The hurricanes and earthquakes that have hit Puerto Rico have created ministry opportunities for every kind of church and every kind of believer. To see how you can meet needs and change lives there, go to SendRelief.org.

Mary Anne Kramer tried. She’d lost most everything she owned, so she had no choice. Mary Anne reached out to anyone in Pittsburgh who she thought might be able to help her get back on her feet. No one replied. This is the story about Mary Anne’s call for help and what happened when someone finally answered. There are hurting people just like Mary Anne in your community. Find out how you can help provide the basics of life and build witnessing relationships with them at SendRelief.org.

Phyllis Harbaugh was just average. But then God introduced her to deaf Iraqi refugees who were moving into her suburban Detroit community. In this episode of Stories of Hope, see what happened when a regular, everyday housewife was asked to do a job no one anywhere anytime had ever tried to do. Find out how you can serve refugees and internationals at SendRelief.org.

Most people would not see two months in jail as a good thing. But Crystal Harris is not “most people.” This is the story of how God used uncommon circumstances and people who are uncommonly in love with Jesus to save Crystal from a dangerous and deadly lifestyle. Some of the material in this episode is graphic and may not be suitable for young ears. Learn how you and your church can help victims of human trafficking at SendRelief.org/Human-Trafficking.

One day, Cody Huff disappeared. This is the story of what happened when he ended up living on the streets of Las Vegas and how God is now using that experience to shine a light into places most people never see. Go to SendRelief.org/Poverty to learn how you and your church can reach out to people who need the most basic necessities with practical help and the hope of the gospel.

Caskets and headstones are typically not symbols of hope and peace. But there’s nothing typical about the story of Barron Martin and Roderick Shaw. This is the story of how, in the inner-city of Memphis, Tennessee, God is turning hurt into healing. Go to SendRelief.org/Poverty to learn how you and your church can reach out to people who live in challenging inner-city environments.

It smells like popcorn and Fraser Fir, and it sounds like a thousand kids together in one room on Christmas morning. There are games and gifts and music and ponies and teenagers in minion costumes and grandpas in Santa hats and tables piled to the ceiling with all-you-can-eat candy. This is a story about some churches who love foster kids so much, they threw the biggest, most exclusive Christmas party in the history of Valdosta, Georgia. Go to SendRelief.org/foster-care-adoption to learn how you and your church can reach out to children who need shelter, protection and care.

Once a year, on a sidewalk in New York City’s Lower East Side, Christmas shoppers start lining up at midnight. But they’re not waiting to get into a store. On the next episode of Stories of Hope, find out what’s so special about this one December night and this one inner-city church that everyone is waiting to get into.