After Recovering from a Serious Farm Accident, Samaritan Member Brad Hopp Found Another Way to Minister to Others
April 1, 2021
PEORIA, Ill. — Samaritan Ministries International (Samaritan Ministries, www.samaritanministries.org) operates a Bible-driven health care sharing ministry dedicated to glorifying God by equipping the Body of Christ to love and serve one another.
The ministry brings together followers of Jesus Christ into a faith community where members share some $30 million per month in medical needs person to person while praying for and encouraging one another with personal notes, cards and letters. Remarkably, from a small beginning 26 years ago, Samaritan Ministries members have shared more than $2.9 billion in needs.
Yet the care the Samaritan members receive for their health care is often only the beginning. Applying the same sharing principles and spirit, many members have gone on to create entrepreneurial and God-inspired ways to give to others beyond health care. Samaritan Ministries member Brad Hopp’s story is a good example.
Hopp made a living operating a small farm in Iowa and also delivering firetrucks. In 2017, he suffered a crushed pelvis in a serious tractor accident. His medical bills topped $131,000. Samaritan Ministries helped him negotiate the bills down and then asked other Samaritan members to share the remaining amount.
“I really appreciated how Samaritan helped us navigate the maze of hospital finances,” Hopp says. “Another thing I really appreciate about Samaritan is how they ask to pray with you at the end of calls.”
Hopp chose Samaritan Ministries because the idea of people helping people resonated deeply with him, he says.
“Samaritan Ministries members pull together to help each other in need,” he says. “I lived through the farming crisis of the ’80s, and since that time, I have witnessed first-hand people coming to each other’s aid. It makes all the difference in the world.”
Hopp sends one monthly payment each year to Samaritan Ministries. “Every other monthly payment I send goes directly to members with needs. My checks are helping others,” he says.
The Lawton, Iowa, man got back on the road delivering fire trucks after his recovery—but he was a changed man. He had become aware of the terrible plight of human trafficking victims, and the frequent reminders at truck stops offering help to victims fueled his desire even more to help those suffering. He created Teshuah Tea, an online shop created to sell the handmade crafts of girls rescued from sex trafficking in Asian countries. He shares the profits with Teshuah House, a rescue and rehab facility begun by a missionary in Asia, where approximately 40 girls receive care. (The word “teshuah” means “salvation, deliverance” in biblical Hebrew.)
The girls’ current costs are approximately $20,000 a month. That includes rent, salaries for those who run the homes, utilities, food, toiletries, education, and medical and travel expenses. The young women are learning skills toward supporting themselves, including jewelry creation and tea and coffee harvesting, while Hopp’s shop contributes to their support.
Hopp was motivated by his Samaritan Ministries health care sharing experience. Of those he’s helping through his Teshuah Tea store, he says, “The young women are learning the living power of the Gospel. They’re seeing it through the transformation of their own lives and of those around them.” To date, his efforts have helped rescue 63 girls through Teshuah House. “These souls are important to God,” Hopp says. “They can turn around and be world changers themselves.”
An estimated 40.3 million people are trapped in modern-day slavery, according to the International Labour Organization. “We can make a difference,” Hopp says, speaking with faith-fueled conviction.
And without experiencing Samaritan Ministries’ health care sharing to inspire such an idea in the first place, it may not have happened.
Members of Samaritan Ministriesenjoy personal patient-physician relationships unencumbered by third parties and freedom from government mandates, insurance regulations, and confusing insurance policies.
Learn more about Samaritan Ministries International here; visit the Samaritan website at www.samaritanministries.org, or follow the ministry on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
###
To interview a representative from Samaritan Ministries International, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Marjorie Pratt, 610.584.1096, ext. 107, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.
