We praise God as He continues to work through Operation Heal Our Patriots to heal marriages and transform lives.
A hero’s welcome is not what they expected when they arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska. Yet they stepped off the plane to a crowd of staff, volunteers, chaplains, and local residents waving American flags and waiting to greet them.
Couples received a hero’s welcome at Samaritan Lodge Alaska.
During the rest of the day, the love the military couples felt from people they had just met was unlike anything they had ever experienced.
Army Staff Sergeant Chad Kleist and his wife, Tamara, had known for a while that something was missing in their lives. When they landed at our wilderness lodge, they hoped that maybe they’d arrived at the place where they would finally find it.
Trusting in Jesus as Savior
Chad and Tamara applied for Operation Heal Our Patriots because they desperately wanted to strengthen their marriage and grow closer to each other. Although six years of marriage have brought them many joyful moments, it has also been replete with trials.
Chad and Tamara applied for Operation Heal Our Patriots in search of hope for their lives and marriage.
“I was getting to my breaking point,” Chad said.
He has post-traumatic stress and disassociation, the lingering effects of an 18-year military career that included deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. Tamara had a miscarriage and deals with anxiety. They’ve also had to navigate life as a blended family.
Tamara has at times considered religion and faith, but struggled to understand why a loving God would create her son autistic and nonverbal. “I wanted to be a soccer mom and to hear my child say, ‘Mommy, I love you.’”
The couple recommitted their life and marriage to God.
Both Tamara and Chad were open to belief in a higher power and knew they needed help to continue persevering through life’s challenges. “We kept looking for something, but we just weren’t sure what it was,” Tamara said.
On the first evening of their week in Alaska, the couple asked to meet with our chaplains. “I felt like I could be honest about my questions and doubts,” Tamara said.
Sometimes it feels too late to start something new—but it’s never too late. I know that now. When we go home, God will now be our focus.
The chaplains explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They shared the eternal hope that comes with trusting Him as Lord and Savior. They used Scripture to assure them that their son is created in God’s image and has a purpose in His Kingdom.
“We gave our hearts to Jesus that night,” Chad said. “It’s a whole new beginning for us. This time, we’re going to do it with Jesus.”
Tamara knows that even if their problems don’t go away, they will trust the Lord to walk with them and provide strength to endure. “Sometimes it feels too late to start something new—but it’s never too late. I know that now,” she said.
The Kleists experienced new life in Christ during their time in Alaska and were both baptized in Lake Clark.
Tamara and Chad were baptized in Lake Clark at the end of the week. They also rededicated their marriage to God and to each other during a special ceremony.
“When we go home, God will now be our focus,” Tamara said.
Compromiso renovado
We praise God that the Kleists were among four couples who renewed their wedding vows during the week of May 24-29. Joining them were Marine Corporal Freightlin Cox and his wife, Caitlin. They were immediately interested in Operation Heal Our Patriots after learning about it from friends who had come to Samaritan Lodge Alaska a previous year.
The Coxes came to Alaska in the wake of grief and with hope that God would strengthen their marriage and family.
They applied several times before, so, when they were accepted this year, Caitlin was overcome by emotion. “I definitely sobbed when I got the call,” Caitlin said. “This was the right time.”
Caitlin had been hospitalized for a severe illness and had not long recovered when she found out they were going to Alaska. In recent years, she’s experienced the grief of three miscarriages and mourned the death of several close family members. The couple and their daughter also grieved the loss of longtime family pets. “The past few years have been rough,” she said.
Caitlin and Freightlin knew they wanted to do something special to honor their 10th wedding anniversary. When they found out they could participate in a marriage renewal ceremony during their week in Alaska, “we were the first ones to sign up,” Freightlin said.
The couple shared that they came to Alaska to take intentional steps toward growing in their relationship. “We needed more tools for our toolbox,” Caitlin said.
This is a reset before we start this new chapter. We’re grateful for the opportunity.
Their desire to maintain a healthy marriage is fueled in part by a determination to raise their family in a different environment from the one they experienced growing up. Freightlin was in and out of different foster homes and lacked positive role models and mentors. Caitlin’s parents argued so often that sometimes she didn’t even want to be in the house.
Caitlin was a single mother when she met Freightlin. From the outset, the couple was committed to raising the child in a loving and stable home, which meant working together to understand the challenges Freightlin faced after being injured in Iraq.
He struggles with a traumatic brain injury incurred during an IED blast and also suffers with knee and shoulder pain. He slammed his face into the steering wheel during the blast and needed reconstructive surgery. Freightlin also has post-traumatic stress and anxiety.
Caitlin and Freightlin recommitted their marriage and family to God.
In Alaska, Caitlin was also encouraged as she spent time with other military spouses who shared similar experiences. “Being a military spouse is very unique. People don’t often understand that,” she said. “Here, it doesn’t feel like we’re around a bunch of strangers. I have people I can talk to who get it.”
Caitlin and Freightlin were thrilled to share with the other military couples that, after a decade of heartbreak and disappointment, they are expecting a baby boy later this year. Spending time in Alaska to strengthen their marriage and renew their vows came at just the right time.
“This is a reset before we start this new chapter,” Freightlin said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity.”
