Operation Heal Our Patriots Offers Physical and Spiritual Refreshment, Ongoing Care to Military Couples
2019--Our Eighth Season: 16 WEEKS, 155 COUPLES.
From May 26-Sept. 13, 2019, each week for 16 weeks, a new group of U.S. military couples arrived in Alaska for a time of Christ-centered marriage enrichment through Operation Heal Our Patriots.
Military couples were flown to our wilderness lodge where veteran military chaplains taught marriage classes focused on Biblical solutions, led daily devotions from God's Word, and provided private spiritual counsel. Our patriot couples also had opportunities for physical refreshment as they participated together in activities such as kayaking, hiking, fishing, and wildlife viewing.
"The couples who come to Samaritan Lodge Alaska experience six days of focused attention on the person they chose to spend the rest of their life with. And they also get to hear from God in ways they may not have heard from Him before," said Tom Webber, director of Operation Heal Our Patriots. "We know that God has a plan for each of these couples, and Alaska is just the first of many ways we want to walk alongside these veterans and families in their walk with Him."
Samaritan’s Purse started Operation Heal Our Patriots in 2012 to strengthen the marriages of military personnel wounded in combat or combat-related activities after 9/11. More than 1,000 U.S. military couples have been welcomed into the project so far. We praise God that more than 400 individuals have made commitments to Jesus Christ, over 500 have been baptized, and about half of all couples have publicly rededicated their marriages to the Lord during their stay at Samaritan Lodge. And we are thankful that there is more good news to report week-by-week each summer.
Enjoy a slide show from our 2019 summer season!
This is just one of many spectacular views couples see as they travel through Lake Clark Pass between Anchorage and Samaritan Lodge Alaska.
We invite you to see more photos and read some of this year's stories of combat-wounded service members and their spouses who have experienced God's healing love.
2019 STORIES: Army Veteran and His Wife Now Follow Christ on Same Path • We Remember 9/11 and How God Is Healing Our Heroes • Forward March • Hope for Wounded Lives and Marriages • Wounded Veterans and Spouses Find God’s Healing through Operation Heal Our Patriots • Military Couples Strengthened by God in Faith and Marriage • Wounded Veterans and Spouses Find God’s Healing through Operation Heal Our Patriots • Tammie Jo Shults Encourages Military Couples over July 4 Week in Alaska • Military Couples Strengthened by God in Faith and Marriage • Hurting Military Marriages Find Healing in God's Love • Military Couples Mark New Beginnings in Alaska • A New Battle: From Fighting Wars to Fighting for their Families • The 2019 Operation Heal Our Patriots Summer Season Started Memorial Day Weekend • Franklin and Edward Graham Lead High Country Warrior Ride
“It is an honor to be a part of seeing God transform the lives and marriages of our American heroes. These military couples have sacrificed so much for our freedom, and many of them are finding true freedom and their marriages are being strengthened and renewed through the Lord Jesus Christ.”
—Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham
Our ministry to these couples does not end in Alaska as we follow up with them over the long term through our aftercare program. Our staff connects couples with local churches, engages families through regular personal contact (phone calls, emails, social media, visits), and meets with them at 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 participants have also developed deep relationships with one another and support each other directly in a variety of ways.
Additionally, our new Team Patriot program gives our military couples the opportunity to deploy with each other to areas impacted by natural disasters. In partnership with Samaritan's Purse U.S. Disaster Relief, Team Patriot has provided many of these couples with opportunities to help families rebuild their homes in Texas and clean up trees and debris from homes damaged by tornadoes.
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
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