Retired Army Staff Sergeant Ray Davis and his wife Rebecca applied to attend Operation Heal Our Patriots because they wanted to see Alaska: the Last Frontier. It wasn’t until the end of their week at Samaritan Lodge though that they realized just how desperately they had needed the time together. Yes, they expected to reconnect,…
Health & Medical Ministries
Cleft Lip Surgeries Change Lives in Myanmar
“My mom told the midwife to kill the baby,” Thin said. Thin’s mom feared her grandson would not grow up as a normal child because of his cleft lip. She didn’t know how he would eat since he couldn’t breastfeed and worried he would be teased when he got older. Neither Thin nor her mom…
Walking Together in New Life
Army Staff Sergeant Chad Hindal doesn’t talk to many folks about his two deployments to Iraq where he helped protect convoys along roads lined with IEDs and sniper fire. His job was to clear these threats from the desert thoroughfares and provide safe passage for supplies and soldiers. And Chad was eager for the opportunity.…
Health & Medical Ministries
We want to Finish Well
'We Want to Finish Well' World Medical Mission – A Ministry of Samaritan's Purse Spring 2024 A retired surgeon and his wife are looking forward to their 39th mission trip with Samaritan's Purse. World Medical Mission Serve with Us Apply Now Don't ask Dr. Sam and Liz Williams about their golf handicaps or clever shuffleboard strategies.…
Old Burdens Go Up in Flames Giving Marine Couple Fresh Start
Marine Corporal Tim Read had just knocked out a couple miles of hiking and a steep descent to the falls of the Tanalian River—on one leg. “That was the fastest I’ve hiked in a long time,” he said. Then, he knelt on the banks, his left prosthetic leg digging into the sand, as he scraped…
Rescuing Military Marriages in Alaska
Army Sergeant Ian Hunt and his wife Maria were desperate for healing and for change when they arrived in Alaska this year for Week 5 of the Operation Heal Our Patriots summer season. There were moments during their time in Alaska that were filled with tears and turmoil, but God was at work in all…
God Used a Fishing Trip in Alaska to Reel in a Veteran Who No Longer Believed
Standing waist-deep in chilly water just downstream from Tanalian Falls, Army Specialist Eric Stacy had hooked a large Arctic grayling, one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in Alaska—”the sailfish of the north” with its sweeping, colorful dorsal fin. He was reeling in this prize catch one moment, and the next was watching that signature…
Our Ministry
Disaster Assistance Response Team
Learn More About Serving on a Samaritan's Purse DISASTER ASSISTANCE RESPONSE TEAM A Disaster Assistance Response Team provides relief to victims of disaster while ↓ water food shelter medical care war poverty famine disease natural disaster sharing the hope of Jesus Christ A DART provides water, food, shelter, and medical care to victims of war, poverty, famine, disease, and natural disaster while sharing…
Volunteers Bring Unexpected Blessings After Alabama Hurricane
Just one look into her eyes and a story quickly unfolded. A story woven together with fear, panic, and absolute confusion that left little hope for resolution. Deborah Nelson could see in her mother’s eyes that a storm still lingered, even in the days following Hurricane Sally’s brutal punch to Baldwin County, Alabama. Her mother…
Wounded Veterans and Spouses Find God’s Healing through Operation Heal Our Patriots
When Army Sergeant Joe and Brittany Gray arrived at Samaritan Lodge Alaska on Sunday, July 21, they had been separated several weeks and were on the verge of getting a divorce. In fact, the very day they got there they had originally planned to go to dinner and discuss next steps—possibly giving up on their…
