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…
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…
God Works Through Our Ongoing Care to Military Couples
Denise Blanchett said the water was so cold she couldn’t speak. Or perhaps she was speechless for other reasons, such as the overpowering emotions she experienced during such an important moment. For nearly four years she had thought about the opportunity she’d missed to be baptized with her husband, Army Sergeant Scott Blanchett, in the…
Military Couples Encouraged, Strengthened in Alaska
Day after day, Army Sergeant Russell Gaskins scrambled to take cover from incoming mortar rounds fired into the camp. They’d come at all hours, and, eventually, he’d had enough. “There were times the mortar rounds came in at night and you got knocked out of bed. I just crawled back into bed,” he said. “I…
Military Couples Celebrate New Life in Christ, Stronger Marriages
During their first morning at Samaritan Lodge Alaska, seven patriot couples headed down to the bay to receive kayak training together. Tandem kayaking is a great exercise in communication and teamwork—with the goal, as in marriage, of both partners being on the same page, headed in the same direction. “You want to be one movement,…
A New Peace
For a long time, Army Sergeant John Hosea’s only solace was mile after high-speed mile on motorcycle through the Nevada desert. Like many combat veterans, he missed the adrenaline and brotherhood of military service. Hundreds of miles on his Harley also quieted his mind from replaying the tragic events of June 9, 2012. Out on…
Newsletter June 2025
Building Better Health Among South Sudanese Women and Children
Until just recently, sickness was simply a way of life in the many remote villages of Mayendit County, South Sudan. Waterborne illness, poor nutrition, and infections ran rampant among mothers and their children. This was true until women like Nydech, a mother of seven, was invited to join the Maternal, Infant, and Young Children Nutrition…
Food for Malnourished Children
Cybil Castil works as a registered nurse with the Samaritan’s Purse nutrition team in the Philippines Poverty is rampant in Santa Fe. For most people, the situation worsened after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed much of the area. One woman who lives here, Remelyn, is a mother of three children and the wife of a farmer. When…
Providing Safe Places for Congolese Children
Fidèle’s idleness had worn down his childhood joy. “At home, there is nothing to do—we just sit with nothing, and there is also hunger.” He is now learning to smile again. Several days a week, he leaves home early and walks dusty roads—in the dry season at least—to a little haven on a hill by…














