by Bay Fang
During a visit to earthquake-stricken Sichuan province in China, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited a project run by Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Graham's evangelical aid organization.
She made the point that it is the relationship between people that makes the difference in relations between countries, and invoked the experience of Hurricane Katrina, saying that even the US needed international assistance during times of disaster.
"I remember very well during Katrina in the United States," she said. "People think of the United States as a developed, wealthy country with its own resources. But we so much appreciated the outreach from countries around the world to help the people in need."
Samaritan's Purse is running a water purification project in the afflicted area of Dujiangyan, as well as distributing supplies, and handing out $150,000 to Chinese Christian leaders.
An article posted on the organization's website about its work in China declares, "Relief work provides an opportunity for Christians to demonstrate the compassion of Christ in towns and villages where the Gospel is largely unknown and people put their faith in the government," and includes a quote of thanks from the Communist party representative in the afflicted village of Long Ju.
Rice was the highest-ranking American official to visit the area devastated by the May 12 earthquake that killed almost 70,000 people.
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