 In 1947, a young American Protestant minister named Robert (Bob) Pierce
traveled to China to make a movie about the Christian missions there. He was devastated by the poverty he saw. One child especially upset him – a battered and hungry young girl named White Jade. Her father had beaten her and kicked her out of the house because she had visited the local mission school. The school could not afford to take her in. Dr. Pierce gave the school principal his last five dollars, and promised to send more each month to help support the young girl.
Pierce then traveled to Korea, where a war was leaving thousands of children and adults without homes, food, water and medical care. Many children had lost their parents. Pierce felt called by God to help them. He returned to the United States, and on September 22, 1950, established a new organization called World Vision, to help meet the needs of children and their families in Southeast Asia. He also founded and led the ministry of Samaritan's Purse in 1970. His mission for this organization—in his own words—was "to meet emergency needs in crisis areas through existing evangelical mission agencies and national churches." Pierce had a vision of a world where all children and their families are free from hunger, disease and homelessness. His life was devoted to making that dream come true. It was not an easy life. He would often leave his wife and children for up to 10 months at a time while he traveled around the world. His marriage ended in separation. But the organizations he founded grew, until today World Vision is the largest Christian relief and development organization in the world. Each year, World Vision helps hundreds of thousands of needy children and families in more than 100 countries. |
