Evangelist Franklin Graham, who is also the head of the charitable organisation Samaritan's Purse, has announced the screening of "Facing Darkness," a documentary film that tells the true-to-life story of two American missionaries in West Africa who were struck down by the Ebola virus.
The film was shot in Liberia and the U.S., where the actual events took place, according to The Christian Post. Aside from retelling the story of the missionaries, the film also features interviews with those who personally fought the deadly Ebola virus, which infected more than 28,000 people in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The outbreak killed over 11,000 people.
"Samaritan's Purse workers were holding the last line of defense in a crisis the world was largely ignoring," says Graham, the executive producer of the movie. "Hundreds were dying and it was only growing worse. When the disease struck Dr. Kent Brantly and hygienist Nancy Writebol, we knew we had to get them home for treatment. It was their only chance, yet it was something no one had ever done."
The Ebola virus, which first rocked the world in March 2014, infected Brantly and Writebol while they were serving patients at ELWA Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia. It was Samaritan's Purse that made sure the two missionaries would make their way back to the United States for treatment. All of their hard work paid off because the two were cured.
The movie will highlight the aid workers' evacuation and treatment, showing how their faith in God kept them strong amid that health crisis.
"I think when there's a crisis, God wants us to be there," Graham says of the organisation's commitment to stay in Liberia. "He doesn't want us to run away. God has put us there for a reason, and He expects us to do something about it."
"Facing Darkness" will premiere in select U.S. movie theatres for one night through Fathom Events on March 30, 2017.
