Baraka eyed the money as his aunt placed it inside her small satchel. He wanted to be able to find it later when no one was watching, and though she hid the satchel at home, Baraka found it quickly while she was tending to chores. He had become skilled at this since moving to the…
Health & Medical Ministries
Kids Are Missionaries Too
Three-year-old Josh* could not contain his excitement when he found out he was going on his first mission trip. “We are going to El Salvador,” he announced at his church in British Columbia, Canada. “Daddy is going to work on teeth and we’re going to tell people about Jesus!” The Eliason family—Garth and LeeAnne, Josh,…
Letting Go of Anger and Finding Peace
The first time Marine Lance Corporal PJ Kehs was shot at, he was crossing a street in Fallujah, Iraq–and he fell. Just then, a tracer round zipped over, striking the man behind him. “Why did I fall? I didn’t trip over anything. I literally just went down,” he said. “I should have taken that bullet.”…
Through the Wilderness
Navy Corpsman Ben Hebert and his wife, Heidi, nearly called it quits. They trace the source of their troubles back to 2009 when Ben watched helplessly as a fellow Marine was killed in an ambush while on patrol in Afghanistan. That traumatic event changed him. Ben was plagued by sleeplessness at night and a short…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Vice President Mike Pence Encourages Military Couples in Alaska
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, joined staff and volunteers at Samaritan Lodge Alaska in ministering to wounded military veterans and their spouses from July 20-23. Invited to Alaska by Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham and his wife, Jane, the Pences were a great encouragement to military couples during Week Seven of the…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Celebrating God’s Work Among Military Couples
Navy Seaman David Boggs struggled with symptoms of post traumatic stress from his job on minesweeper missions in the Persian Gulf. Even years later he can still recount in detail nerve-wracking nights when their ship was targeted. As he fought against ongoing anxiety from his months at sea, his marriage with his wife, Nicole, became…
A Veteran Couple Finds Hope for Their Marriage in Alaska
Evan Benton joined the Army in 2010 with lofty expectations and planned to make the military a career. When he reported to boot camp as a teenager, he couldn’t have been more excited. “There aren’t too many places that let an 18-year-old kid shoot automatic weapons and play with explosives,” he said. Evan was deployed…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Military Couples Mark New Beginnings in Alaska
Mike Parsons served as a Marine from 2002-2006 and was first injured in 2003 during an IED blast in Iraq that left shrapnel in his leg, arm, and back. He continues to require surgeries for these physical wounds. But like many Marines and soldiers, airmen and sailors, Mike has struggled hardest with post-traumatic stress disorder…
Guiding Couples to Christ in Alaska
Military couples have been coming to Samaritan Lodge Alaska now for more than a decade with Operation Heal Our Patriots, and each of the 17 weeks of the program provides once-in-a-lifetime wilderness experiences. Our Samaritan’s Purse guides play a vital role in giving these couples memorable excursions together. Longtime outdoorsman and guide Ralph Meloon says…
