Meet one of the military couples who participated in Operation Heal Our Patriots this past summer and discover how Samaritan’s Purse is caring for them.
Retired Army Sergeant First Class Ronnie Busbin and his wife Beth of Cunningham, Tennessee, participated in the first week of the Operation Heal Patriots summer season in Alaska this year. Ronnie deployed to Iraq in 2004 and Afghanistan in 2006 and 2011-12. He suffers from multiple traumatic brain injuries received while performing his duties as a medic.
Ronnie and Beth Busbin enjoy the pristine wilderness at Samaritan Lodge Alaska during Operation Heal Our Patriots summer 2019.
The Busbins benefited from time away together—fishing, kayaking, and hiking—as well as the daily marriage classes led by a retired military chaplain. Even though they’ve been married for 27 years, they appreciated Biblical teaching that gave them new ways to navigate their relationship.
Struck by the breathtaking beauty at Samaritan Lodge Alaska, Ronnie said, “There’s no way you can leave this place and not believe in God.”
WATCH the video above to learn more about the challenges the Busbins are facing and how Operation Heal Our Patriots is helping.
During this past summer, more than 150 military couples came to Samaritan Lodge Alaska for a week of Biblically based marriage enrichment. And, Samaritan’s Purse ministry to these couples does not end in Alaska—we follow up with them over the long term through our aftercare program. We connect couples with one of our regional chaplains who can help plug them in with a local church and also engages families through regular phone calls, emails, and visits as well as regional get-togethers.
In addition, Operation Heal Our Patriots reunions and regional training events benefit couples by providing more Christian teaching and tools to fortify their marriage. Many of the military families have also developed deep relationships with one another and support each other directly in a variety of ways.
Samaritan’s Purse also introduced a new initiative in 2019 called Team Patriot, which deploys our Operation Heal Our Patriots families through U.S. Disaster Relief projects. Team Patriot offers military couples (and their older children) the opportunity to go to the frontlines of natural disasters to help homeowners in need.
WATCH the video below to see how the Busbins are serving God together through Team Patriot.
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We praise God that many marriages and lives were transformed as veterans and their spouses experienced the healing power of the Gospel during the summer of 2019. Sixty-one Operation Heal Our Patriots participants received Jesus as Lord and Savior, 68 individuals were baptized, and 81 couples recommitted their marriages to God.
The second video was added on Jan. 8, 2020.
When wounded veterans leave the battlefield, a different war is waged in their lives—a war on their hearts, their marriages, and their families. That’s why Samaritan’s Purse offers military couples a week of Biblically based marriage enrichment at Samaritan Lodge Alaska through Operation Heal Our Patriots. There, veterans and their spouses experience rest and renewal and gain tools for a healthy marriage. Most importantly, many receive God’s healing and forgiveness through faith in Christ. A gift of $6,000 covers the cost of the weeklong trip for a military couple—as well as ongoing counseling and care from our staff chaplains—helping these American heroes rekindle their love and draw near to Jesus. “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me” (Micah 7:8).
